'Wheel of Fortune' fans are feeling sorry for player who lost Toyota car because of a single letter
"Wheel of Fortune" puzzles may seem to be simpler when a viewer is sitting on the couch and has more time and space to think. But along with the excitement of being on the iconic show, the pressure also makes it difficult for players to focus. The show's social media is often filled with people claiming they solved the puzzle better than the players, but when a contestant named Sabrina Wibicki failed to solve the Bonus puzzle, fans came forward with empathy for her.
Wibicki, from Las Vegas, Nevada, had a flying start and took an early lead by solving the first "Toss Up" round puzzle. She preserved the lead and won an exotic trip to Spain along the way. Going into the "Triple Toss Up" round, the player had amassed a total of $23,990 in cash, as per TV Insider. She then took the room by storm and won $2,000. She added another $5,500 to her purse by solving the final puzzle of the league stages. With this, Wibicki was crowned as the winner of the episode with a total of $31,540, which itself was impressive and more than the usual amount that most players win.
She then proceeded to the "Bonus Round," for which she picked the category, 'Phrase.' The contestant was joined by her sister, Angela, who cheered her from the side of the stage. Wibicki shared that it was her sister who helped her out with her son when she went to law school. The show's host, Ryan Seacrest, joked that she should then take her along on the trip to Spain.
After spinning the Wheel and taking her golden envelope, Wibicki was faced with a two-word puzzle that she needed to solve to win up to $100,000 or a brand-new Toyota car. With the standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, E,” filled in, the player chose “B, D, G, and O," as her additional letters. With everything on the board, the puzzle read, “_ _R BE_ _ ND.”
As the ten-second timer kicked off, it seemed like Wibicki had solved the second part of the puzzle, "BEHIND". However, she was missing the first word of the puzzle every time she tried to say the phrase out loud. In the end, she shouted, "Car Behind!" as the time ran out, and the host confirmed that she missed out by just one letter. Seacrest then revealed that the puzzle was “Far Behind," and then flipped the golden envelope to show the player that she had just lost out on winning a brand new car.
On the YouTube clip of her Bonus Round, fans of the show chimed in to offer their opinion on the near-miss. “It must be a lot different when you’re in the studio because I got this one instantly,” wrote @ChiSportsNut18, to empathize with the player.
While some claimed that the puzzle was fairly easy, many chose to differ. "I guessed FAR BEYOND before she called her letters, then I figured it out shortly after," @Mr.Face222 mentioned.
