A Wheel of Fortune contestant from Texas saw more than $81,000 slip through his fingers Thursday night after stumbling on a Bonus Round puzzle that viewers say should have been right in his wheelhouse.

Zack Miller, a Houston transplant known for helping newcomers experience their first rodeo, stepped onto the iconic game show stage ready for a big night. The charismatic contestant — who also makes his own ice cream and favors a margarita-inspired flavor — faced off against Kesha Corbin of Temperanceville, Virginia, and Chicago designer Mary Tolmer.

From the start, Miller looked like the one to beat. He kicked things off by nailing the first toss-up puzzle, “Staying the Course.” Tolmer grabbed the second toss-up, correctly identifying “A Work in Progress,” but Miller quickly regained momentum.

Tolmer managed to uncover most of the letters in the first main puzzle, but it was Miller who swooped in with the correct solve: “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” pushing him into the early lead with $2,400. His confidence carried into the Mystery Round, where he confidently secured “Tuning Fork in the Road” and pocketed an impressive $11,000.

The Texas contestant widened the gap even further after crushing the Prize Puzzle. Solving “Tranquil Desert Oasis,” Miller not only racked up more cash — bringing him to $22,740 — but also earned a coveted trip to Morocco.

Tolmer snagged one Triple Toss-Up, while Corbin buzzed in on the last one but stumbled on the phrasing. Miller cleaned up the remaining two, padding his strong lead. Tolmer later solved the final puzzle, “Whatever Will Be Will Be,” taking home $6,000 and ending her night with a respectable $10,000.

Corbin didn’t score any winnings during gameplay but received the standard $1,000 consolation prize. Miller, meanwhile, entered the Bonus Round as the dominant winner with $26,740 already secured.

Cheering him on in the studio were his mom, Ellen, and his boyfriend, Stephen. Miller joked that at home, his mom usually solves puzzles quicker than he does — a detail that made what happened next even tougher to watch.

With the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, E already revealed, Miller selected M, C, P, and A. The puzzle board displayed:

_ _ _ A_E T _ _C_S

As the countdown started, Miller rattled off guesses: “Big Game to Focus,” “Big Wave to Focus,” and simply “Something Focus.” Each attempt drifted close — but not close enough.

“You were on a track that was right,” host Ryan Seacrest told him encouragingly before revealing the answer: “You Have to Focus.”

Had Miller cracked the puzzle, he would have added $55,000 to his winnings, pushing his total to a massive $81,740.

“A big number, but it was a great night,” Seacrest added as the audience applauded.

While Miller didn’t leave with the Bonus Round jackpot, he walked away with thousands in winnings, an international vacation, and a night of national TV glory — not a bad haul for a rodeo-loving Houston transplant.