'Wheel of Fortune' viewers relieved as player breaks streak of bonus round losses after 19 games
Fans of “Wheel of Fortune” had been pushed to the brink due to repeated disappointments as people kept losing in the bonus round, game after game. The last 19 contestants failed to get it right in the final round. It led to some fans believing that the show was running out of money and the writers were intentionally using impossible puzzles to avoid paying contestants a big chunk of money. All that changed in a recent episode of the show.
A contestant named Rachel Granier broke the losing streak, according to a TV Insider article. She had won $22,200 leading up to the Bonus Round, and the wheel stopped at the ‘W’ after she spun it. The contestant had chosen the phrase category and was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. The contestant then had to choose three consonants and one vowel. Rachel picked the letters C, M, P, and O.
After these letters were revealed, the puzzle read, “_ O _ R _ O _ R N E _ _ _ _ _ T S.” At first, it seemed tough. “Your journey begins,” the contestant said at first, but that was not the correct answer. As the timer was running out, she realized the correct answer and screamed it out. “Your journey awaits,” she said, and that indeed was the right answer to the puzzle.
It has been a while since the last time Ryan Seacrest opened up a Bonus Round envelope to show a contestant what they had won instead of what they could have won. Rachel had won an additional $40,000, which meant that her grand total of the day was a whopping $62,200. This was exactly what the fans wanted, and they made their thoughts clear in the comments section of the clip on YouTube.
“YES!!! FINALLY!!! After all the losing streaks, we finally have a winner for so long! Excellent job for Rachel!” one user commented. “FINALLY!!! WE FINALLY SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!! ALL HAIL YOU, RACHEL!!! I LOVE YOU!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!” mentioned another. “OH YES!! Rachel is really living the money lifestyle! And finally after 19 losses we got a win! The puzzle is fitting to! Your journey awaits! Our journeys awaits for more wins!” a viewer pointed out.
This win clearly meant a lot to the fans. Had Rachel lost this Bonus Round, it would have matched the show’s all-time record of 20 straight episodes without a winner. Fans didn’t want that, and this contestant saved the day just in the nick of time. The sentiment online has certainly improved after the 19th straight Bonus Round loss in the previous episode.
As the contestant celebrated with her loved ones, Seacrest looked on with a big smile on his face. He can now hope to gain the same iconic status he achieved as the face of “American Idol.” The TV star mentioned his journey on the singing reality show during an interview.
