A recent episode of Wheel of Fortune featured a contestant who’s a huge fan of the sitcom Friends, but her game ended in heartbreak when she just couldn’t crack the final puzzle.
Kindergarten teacher Courtney Smith told host Ryan Seacrest she decorates her classroom with Friends memorabilia and even teaches routines from the show to her students.
Smith solved several puzzles during the regular rounds and finished with $30,670 cash and a trip to a resort — but things took a turn in the Bonus Round.
For the final puzzle, she was given the category Phrase and picked additional letters that unfortunately didn’t help her guess the answer in time.
As the clock ran out, she guessed wrong on a few attempts, and the correct answer was revealed as “By The Book.”
Because she didn’t solve it in the allotted seconds, Smith lost out on a potential $75,000 bonus, meaning she missed what would have brought her total to over $105,000.
Host Seacrest shared some encouraging words for her on stage, noting how skilled she’d been throughout much of the game.
Fans watching at home called the final puzzle near‑impossible and debated whether it was unfairly tricky — but Smith still walked away with solid winnings and a memorable TV moment.
