A Wheel of Fortune contestant, who is a grandmom of 11, spoke out after losing $57,000 on a tough Bonus Round puzzle. Beth Atkins, from Kansas City, Missouri, has been a fan of the game show for a long time.

Atkins played against J.T. Compeau, from Secaucus, New Jersey, and Nicolette Lacson, from San Diego, California, on December 11. Atkins is an Ozarks native who spoke to her local news station, KY3, about her time on the game show. She grew up in St. Louis and lived in Springfield for 19 years, working as an assistant for Lasik and Glaucoma surgeries. Her family also moved around when her husband’s job moved.

She first applied to be on Wheel of Fortune three years ago, but didn’t hear back. The grandmom then applied again this year and was asked to come out to California to be on the show.

“I was so excited just to be able to do the whole thing. It was a lifetime experience. I have always wanted to be on Wheel of Fortune ever since I was much, much younger. So this was a dream come true for me,” Atkins told the outlet.

The game didn’t start out too well for Atkins as Compeau, a man who makes gingerbread houses with his family, solved both of the toss-ups, giving him the lead with $3,000.

Compeau picked most of the letters in the “Reindeer” crossword puzzle, but when he picked the wrong letter, the turn moved to Atkins. She chose one letter before solving “Nose, Games, “Ornaments.” This gave her $1,950.

Lacson, a baker and cook, who is a dog mom to two, took the lead when she solved “Sit, Stay, Lie Down, Roll Over” for $5,600. Atkins took the lead when she solved the Prize Puzzle and won a trip to Switzerland. This gave her a total of $12,999.

Compeau added $4,000 to his bank when he solved two of the three Triple Toss Ups. Lacson solved the other.

Atkins solved the final puzzle — “Ribbons and Bows” — for $4,500. This gave her a final total of $17,499.

Lacson ended with $7,600. Compeau went home with $7,000.

Atkins picked “Phrase” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her husband, Barry, and two of her grandkids with her.

After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” by Wheel of Fortune, she picked “C,M,P, and O.” Her puzzle then looked like “P_ _   _O_R O_N  _ _ _.”

As the clock counted down, Atkins guessed “Put Your Own Off,” “Put Your Own All,” but neither of them were right. The puzzle was “Pay Your Own Way.” The envelope had $40,000, which would have given her $57,499.