'Wheel of Fortune' fans are unhappy with the kind of prizes being offered to bonus round winners
"Wheel of Fortune" has faced a lot of flak over a losing streak in the bonus round that lasted for 19 episodes, as fans blamed puzzles that were impossible to solve. But now the producers are getting slammed for another reason, which is the kind of prizes offered to the winners, according to a Collider report.
The discussion on Reddit was triggered after a contestant named Ricky Lowery made it to the Bonus Round of the show. He chose the ‘Phrase’ category and was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. The contestant then had the chance to pick three more consonants and one more vowel. After they were revealed, the puzzle read, “AS ___ __S_.”
This was clearly not a lot to go on, but even before host Ryan Seacrest started the timer, Lowery had a big smile on his face. His 10 seconds started, and he said, “As you wish.” That was the correct answer, and the contestant could not control his excitement. He hugged the host and started jumping around. Seacrest was worried that he might break the card that had the prize written on it. Turns out that the contestant had won $40,000.
The contestant was happy to win such an amount, but the same cannot be said for the fans. What made matters even worse was the fact that there was a car as a prize on the show, and it was a Mini Cooper worth $41,000.
This confused fans as it was simply not a prize worthy of being in the final round of such a big show. The conversation about the matter took place in r/WheelOfFortune. The original post read, “That seems like a much worse option, right? Most spins are ~$40k these days, so a Mini Cooper convertible worth $41k seems like a terrible alternative.” Fans agreed with the logic and made their thoughts clear.
“If I were on the show, I’d be pretty disappointed if I won the car. I’d much, much rather just have the cash,” one user commented. “And it’s a depreciating asset. Eventually, it’ll be worth nothing. At least money can be invested,” added another. “If you buy the car at a dealership you pay under 41k. That's the highest price. Yup, rather have the cash. The trips are also listed at the highest price as well. Air fare and hotels can always be found cheaper. Cash is king,” a viewer wrote.
More on Market Realist:
'Wheel of Fortune' contestant reveals how she 'blacked out' and lost $40,000 in the bonus round
'Wheel Of Fortune' player says he had 'no shot' after failing to solve tough puzzle and fans agree
'Wheel of Fortune' player wins almost $120,000 after stunning letter picks in wild TV moment
