'Wheel of Fortune' viewers frustrated as the same puzzle costs big money to two contestants
It's not new for "Wheel of Fortune" fans to be let down about contestants losing big to puzzles that seem impossible to solve. But things got worse when a player named Lisa Santangelo lost $50,000 to a puzzle that another contestant lost $100,000 to. While the player took the loss well and was happy to leave with more than $12,000 in cash and a trip to Hawaii, fans took to social media to point out the absurdity of the situation.
Santangelo was off to a rocky start with a rival taking the lead. However, in the Mystery Round, Santangelo gained an advantage after solving the prize puzzle to win an exotic trip to Hawaii. She kept the momentum going in the following rounds and emerged as the big winner of the night with a total of $12,928 in cash and a trip.
Advancing to the Bonus Round, Santangelo chose the "Person" category for the final puzzle and joined the host, Ryan Seacrest, at the wheel. She brought her mother to the stage for support and gave the wheel a good spin. After picking out her Golden Envelope, she was faced with a short two-word puzzle. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," on the board, Santangelo went on to choose “P, C, H, and O” as her additional letters. However, her letter only added an "O" to the puzzle, which read, “_O_ _LE _ _ ENT.”
When Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, Santangelo looked absolutely stumped. As the clock kept ticking, she looked around and could only say, “Oh my gosh, what is it?” Once the time ran out, co-host Vanna White uncovered the answer, "DOUBLE AGENT." Even Seacrest admitted that the puzzle was tough. “Yeah, you needed more to work with. I don’t know how you would have gotten there with that," before revealing that she had lost out on taking home an additional $50,000.
While Santangelo first looked disappointed, she quickly shrugged off the loss as she looked forward to her Hawaii trip. However, the fans took to the comments on YouTube to express their thoughts. "I was stumped on this one, too. Not enough letters! So sorry, Lisa, for not winning the Bonus Round, but Congratulations on your winnings & your fabulous trip to Hawaii!" @tinastalion6266 wrote. "I only got the Agent part. It was Double Agent. She missed out on $50,000," @JoshuaLowe-ci3wo added.
As it turns out, this puzzle triggered a $100,000 prize in Season 26 as well, back in 2008. "Fun fact: This Used For December 29, 2008, During America's Game 2 Caroline Not Solved On Bonus Round And Lost $100,000, And For The Past 16 Years Lisa Not Solved On Bonus Round And Lost $50,000 During Disney Santa Holiday Giveaway," suggested @mmagecastillo2473.
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