ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

'Wheel of Fortune' viewers annoyed that many players are picking random letters without a strategy

Contestants do tend to commit blunders under pressure amidst the energy on the set.
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2025
Screenshot showing a contestant trying to solve a Bonus Round puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing a contestant trying to solve a Bonus Round puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

People have been watching “Wheel of Fortune” for decades, and by now, fans have figured out strategies to solve puzzles effectively. They are quick to point out blunders by contestants in comments and on online forums. During a recent discussion on Reddit, fans brought up how contestants keep selecting letters that don't help much with figuring out the words, according to a TV Insider report.

According to the rules of the Bonus Round, contestants are given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After these letters are revealed, they have to choose three consonants and one vowel. If they have a Wild Card, they get to pick an extra consonant. However, some of the letters that they choose are too obvious, as far as fans are concerned. That doesn’t give the contestants the best chance of winning. “When a word CLEARLY ends with “i-n-g” .. maybe the word just has the N in it, and people waste their letters by choosing i and g !!! It happened tonight!! I cannot believe people could be that dense that they would willingly waste their choices by picking obvious letters! You only get 3 consonants, people use them wisely,” the post in r/WheelOfFortune read.

For example, a contestant named Renea appeared on a recent episode of the show and made her way to the Bonus Round. Before she chose her letters, the puzzle read, “__T_N_ ___R__.” It’s easy to see that the first word ends with ‘ing’, but she still picked both those letters when it was her time to choose. As a result, the puzzle now read, _CTING __IR__.”



 

The correct answer was ‘acting quirky,’ but she did not get it right. Not choosing the letters I or G does not always end up being favorable for contestants, but one can see why fans would be frustrated. “I doesn't have to be a wasted vowel, though it's rarely the one I would pick, but the G is always a wasted letter unless you're 90% sure the puzzle is GETTING BIG GOGGLES and you just want to be sure,” one user commented under the Reddit post.

“My husband and I have this conversation every time someone chooses those letters. WHY???” asked another. “Exactly! They’re completely squandering the ‘what are you doing’ advantage,” a fan added. Another instance of this happening was when a contestant named Kristyn made it to the Bonus Round in a recent episode of the show. Fans slammed the showrunners for making her puzzle tough, but she, too, picked some obvious letters.



 

It read, “R______N_ _N T_E ______R_.” It’s clear that the second and third words were ‘in’ and ‘the’ respectively. If one were smart enough, they’d understand that the last three letters of the first word were i, n, and g. However, the contestant still picked all of those letters, and it did nothing to open up the puzzle. The correct answer was ‘Rummaging in the backyard.’

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The veteran TV personality has been on the show for over 40 years and has met countless celebrities.
6 hours ago
The guest who made an under $3,000 investment was blown away by the massive appraisal.
7 hours ago
The former contestants shared how things went and their personal interaction from the green room.
9 hours ago
The creator’s concern was that the bread retained its original shape despite being crushed.
10 hours ago
The books were written and signed by one of the most controversial kings in British history.
12 hours ago
While the founder of "Pinblock" got a deal, the terms weren't ideal for him.
1 day ago
As per the expert, the necklace was made in around 1905 and was from the Edwardian era.
1 day ago
The guest who paid $580 for the item was blown away by the 30x appraisal.
1 day ago
The guest believed that the portrait was worth somewhere around $500 and was shocked later on.
1 day ago
Fans were not happy about showcasing a loss on YouTube and social media.
2 days ago
The entrepreneurs even got a couple of sharks to lie down, and they loved the experience.
2 days ago
Herjavec loved the product and understood its potential even when most of his colleagues didn't.
2 days ago
Phil Collen and his band need no introduction as they are considered legends in their genre.
2 days ago
The original version has been ruling TV screens and hearts for decades now.
2 days ago
The guest said that his daughter had purchased them at an estate auction for around $300.
3 days ago
The name inadvertently came from an executive and became iconic for decades.
3 days ago
Culkin has been a clue on the game a whopping 42 times since he was a child star.
4 days ago
The guest was happy with the valuation, and fans got to learn a cool story about a big guitar brand.
4 days ago
The idea of owning human remains, no matter how old, was not something Harrison was a fan of.
4 days ago
The fumble is considered the most epic one on the show in decades of his history.
4 days ago