Wheel of Fortune Bonus Puzzle Tonight (Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026): Answer, Winner and Winnings (Spoilers)
Natalie Brooks had the kind of first half that usually ends a Wheel of Fortune night early. She hit Bankrupt three times, and one of them took a New Zealand trip right off her board.
She still won the game, then solved the bonus puzzle before the clock had really started.
The gist: Thursday's bonus puzzle was ACORN SQUASH in Food & Drink. Brooks solved it for $40,000 and finished on $63,990 in cash and prizes.
What was the Wheel of Fortune bonus puzzle tonight?
ACORN SQUASH, category Food & Drink, two words.
Brooks called C, M, H and A on top of the free R, S, T, L, N and E. That filled in everything but the O, U and Q, and she had it almost as soon as the letters landed.
The envelope held $40,000. Ryan Seacrest opened it with her husband and two daughters on stage, and the younger one was in tears.
Who won Wheel of Fortune on September 10?
| Player | Hometown | Final total |
|---|---|---|
| Natalie Brooks | Houston, TX | $63,990 cash & prizes — winner |
| Danica Taylor | Orlando, FL | $4,500 |
| Tom Choi | Long Beach, CA | $3,150 |
The prize puzzle, LIKE NOTHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN, gave Brooks an African safari worth $13,190 through Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. She added two of the three penny-themed toss-ups and the final Speed-Up, ADVENTURE SPORTS.
👉 Take the safari out and her front-game cash was $10,800, so the bonus round alone was worth nearly four times what she earned spinning.
What went wrong in the Mystery Round?
Almost everything that could. Brooks picked up the New Zealand trip with an N, then landed on Bankrupt a few spins later and lost it with $250.
Tom Choi then called out BAD JOKES AND ARTICHOKES on a board that read _AD JOKES. Danica Taylor bought the D and solved DAD JOKES AND ARTICHOKES for the round.
Round one belonged to Choi. Four K's in the Same Letter category gave him KIWI, KOALAS, KANGAROOS, KITTENS, and the round's $3,150 turned out to be his whole night.
Is this a new Wheel of Fortune episode?
No. It's episode 8314, Day 4 of South of the Equator week. It first aired February 5 and came back once already in June, so Thursday made three.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the first three nights of that same week.
How has the bonus round gone this week?
| Night | Puzzle | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 9/7 | BEIGE WOOL COAT | missed ($40,000) |
| Tue 9/8 | FUJI APPLE | missed ($50,000) |
| Wed 9/9 | GIVING YOU A BEAR HUG | solved (Ford Bronco) |
| Thu 9/10 | ACORN SQUASH | solved ($40,000) |
Two for four, and both wins came from the plainest letter picks of the week. The bonus round explainer covers how the wedge and the envelope work.
When does Wheel of Fortune have new episodes?
Monday, September 14, with Season 44. Jeopardy! starts Season 43 that same night, so the full hour turns over at once; the dates sit in our week-ahead schedule.
Friday wraps the rerun week. Every night lives in the results archive, local slots are in the viewing guide, and the Jeopardy! half of Thursday's hour ended with a winner who got Final wrong.
FAQ
What was the Wheel of Fortune bonus puzzle tonight? ACORN SQUASH, in the Food & Drink category.
Did the contestant solve it? Yes. Natalie Brooks solved it for $40,000.
How much did the winner take home? $63,990 in cash and prizes, including a $13,190 African safari.
Sources
- Wheel of Fortune Tonight — bonus puzzle by date
- Wheel of Fortune Tonight — contestants and winner
- Sweepstakes Lovers — 2026 bonus puzzle solutions
- Wheel of Fortune with Andy Nguyen — episode 8314 round-by-round
- TV Insider — Natalie Brooks' $63,000 win
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