'Wheel of Fortune' player fails to chose a rare letter and loses $45,000
"Wheel of Fortune" sometimes functions like 'Snakes and Ladders' with one episode giving a complete high and the next plunging the audience into a disappointing low. Tonight's episode featured a contestant named Janel, who initially did well during the main rounds and qualified for the Bonus Round. She then chose the "Food and Drink" category, but lost out on $45,000 just when she got the answer at the tip of her tongue.
Janel makes a clean sweep during the First Toss-Up and wins $1,000 with the phrase "Save the date." During the Prize Puzzle (What Are You Doing?): Janel solved "Chasing waterfalls" and won a trip to Panama, valued at $11,700, bringing her total to $16,250. The Triple Toss-up round was easy, and she successfully solved the second and third with "Grandfather clock" and "Cuckoo clock", respectively, adding $4,000 to her total. Janel advanced to the Bonus Round with $20,250 in cash and a luxury vacation.
Without wasting time, she spun the wheel and chose the "Food and Drink" category. After receiving the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, E as a head start, she chooses D, M, C, and A to add to the puzzle. The puzzle board looked easy: _, _, _, N, _, A, _, _, _, L. She attempted to solve the riddle within a 10-second time limit, guessing "granola bowl," "banana bowl," and "fruit bowl". Although she is on the right track, she is unable to solve the puzzle "Quinoa Bowl" and ends up losing the bonus prize. Despite not solving the puzzle, she walked home with her winnings of $20,250.
The recent performances have left fans upset, and they pointed out that Janel would have won with the right choice of letters. "Ah, the old QUINOA ploy," @wheelycrazyeugene commented. "I had a little bit of a struggle figuring this one out, but I solved it nearly at the last second. It's rare to a Q in the bonus round," @tima.curtis2488 added. "(raises hand) WHAT is a Quinoa Bowl? I've literally NEVER heard of such a thing," @disneydanny2 left a sarcastic mention.
"How Many Times Should A Puzzle In The Bonus Round Comes Out To The Letter Q", @jeffreychen3069 chimed in. "The A was a good guess but the B or the O could be used. Q is a rare letter but not frequently used here," @Animegamespublishing suggested.
You can watch the disappointing moment here.
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