'Wheel of Fortune' contestant loses out on $45,000 because of a single missing letter
"Wheel of Fortune" fans get hopeful for a big bonus round win every time a contestant shows promise in other rounds, but even a single letter or a couple of seconds could turn things upside down. A recent 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 made a clean sweep during the First Toss-Up and won $1,000 by guessing the phrase "Save the date." During the Prize Puzzle round, Janel came up with "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 phrases, "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 gave the wheel a spin and chose the "Food and Drink" category. After receiving the standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E" for a head start, she chose "D, M, C, and A" to add to the puzzle. The puzzle board diplayed "_, _, _, 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 was on the right track, she was unable to solve the puzzle "Quinoa Bowl" and ended up losing the bonus prize, which turned out to be $45,000 when Seacrest opened the envelope. Despite failing to solve 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," a user @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," another viewer @Animegamespublishing suggested.
You can watch the disappointing moment here.
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