'Wheel of Fortune' fans console contestant who fumbled an easy puzzle and cost him a car
"Wheel of Fortune" fans are usually disappointed when contestants get close to a massive prize but crash out in the final moments. Something similar happened again when a player could've won $100,000, but his luck ran out. In an earlier episode of the show, one contestant missed out on winning a brand-new car after facing a rather difficult puzzle. Host Ryan Seacrest had to then remind him that he had still won a significant amount of money. Even fans agreed that the puzzle was tricky.
The contestant was a man named Julio Mata, who had traveled to all 50 states before he turned 30, as per a TV Insider report. He played a fantastic game to reach the Bonus Round, winning $22,800. Before he played in the final round, he introduced three of his friends who had come to support him. The contestant also had a clear answer when asked who the closest to him.
Mata had chosen the ‘Phrase’ category in the bonus round and was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. He then had the chance to choose three more consonants and one more vowel. The contestant picked the letters D, H, C, and O. These opened up the puzzle a bit, but not enough for a lot of people to guess what the correct answer was.
The puzzle now read, “_O_ _N_ _ _ _N THE _ORLD.” Mata was able to get the last three words correct but was stumped by the first two. In the end, he could not give an answer within the designated 10 seconds. The puzzle was then revealed, and it read, “Moving up in the world.” Seacrest then had the job of opening the envelope and showing what he could have won.
The word ‘Hyundai’ was written on it, and Mata’s reaction clearly showed that he was not happy about it. He had his hands on his mouth in disappointment after saying, “No. Oh my God.” Seacrest, however, reminded him that he had won $22,800 from the show, which was a lot of money. That seemed to calm him down and make him feel better about his performance.
This was not an easy puzzle to solve, and fans of the show shared the sentiment. They made their thoughts known in the comments section of the clip on YouTube. “I knew the last words were The World, but the layout of the RSTLNE really made this tricky. Even a puzzle expert with common sense and knowledge will struggle,” one fan wrote.
“That was a tricky one, and of course, this was more fitting if the category was What are you doing instead of phrase! It did end up in an ING trap instead.... and of course this stinks that he lost out on the Hyundai EV! (sniff),” quipped another. “Good try by our player, but 22k is s good win for the man,” one more commented.
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