‘Wheel of Fortune’: College Professor Fries Her Chances at Winning $63,000

A college professor almost walked away with a good chunk of change on Wheel of Fortune, but fried her chances in the bonus round. Tabrina Smith thought that the puzzle had something to do with fried food and missed her chance at winning.

Smith, from Painesville, Ohio, played against Eric Steinmiller, from Chicago, Illinois, and Laura Huang, from Boston, Massachusetts, on the Thursday, March 20 episode. Smith started out the game by guessing the first tossup, “Playing to win.” She scored $1,000 from the solve.

In the second tossup “Around the House,” Smith, a college professor and Candy Crush lover, guessed correctly again. The puzzle was “Bottle of Cologne,” which added another $1,000 to her bank. She has taught Mathematics at Lake Erie College since 2008, according to her LinkedIn. Smith also has a doctorate degree in philosophy and a degree in Mathematics.

Her luck ran out during the first spin when she guessed a “T” and there was none in the puzzle. Steinmiller, principal at Lincoln Park High School, finally got a chance to earn some money. He landed on a wedge for a trip and continued to guess letters. The oil painting artist was only a few letters away from solving when he landed on Bankrupt. Huang, a bookstore lover and avid reader, guessed “C” and solved the puzzle, “Cheddar Cheese Soup.” She added $5,000 to her bank and took the lead.

During the Mystery Round, Steinmiller racked up some cash in the “Before and After” category before landing on Bankrupt once again. Huang put money in her bank but landed on Lose A Turn with just a few letters left. The turn moved to Smith and she solved “Photo Finish Your Vegetables.” She added $1,000 to her bank.

Huang started off the Prize Puzzle round by guessing a “T.” She then guessed an “S,” which wasn’t in the puzzle and the turn moved to Smith. She guessed “N” after landing on $3,500, and got $7,000 from two. Smith solved “Kayaking Expedition,” and gained another $2,500, and a trip to Alaska. This brought her total up to $22,198.

In the Triple Tossup Round, Huang gained $2,000 when she solved the first one, “Don’t Chew with Your Mouth Open.” Smith almost solved the second one but guessed one word wrong. Steinmiller buzzed in with “Don’t Talk with Your Mouth Full,” earning $2,000. Huang solved the last one as well, “Bite Your Tongue,” for another $2,000.

Smith guessed the final puzzle, “The Power of Love,” earning $1,500. She ended the game with $23,698 and advanced to the Bonus Round. Huang ended with $9,000. Steinmiller took home $2,000.

She picked “Thing” for the final category. After Wheel gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” the professor picked “P,M,D, and I.”

Her puzzle then looked like “_   _RIE_  _ _ER_IE_.”  As the timer counted down, Smith guessed “a fried….” “a dried…” but ultimately couldn’t guess it in the end.

The puzzle wound up being “A Brief Overview.” Host Ryan Seacrest let her know that she lost out on an additional $40,000, which would have taken her total to more than $63,000.

Fans reacted to the puzzle on YouTube. “I knew this one when I saw it,” said one Wheel watcher.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that because I thought the second word was fried,” said another.

“These puzzles are getting ridiculous. Can you get more vague than that?” asked a fan.