'Wheel of Fortune' player loses $40,000 bonus after an unfortunate twist in her letter choices
It's thrilling for fans to watch people on a roll winning big on TV game shows but it's equally devastating when they lose out for a small mistake. Anyone who has watched "Wheel Of Fortune" long enough, knows how difficult it is to make it to the show's bonus round. With up to $100,000 and a new car at stake, players have a lot riding on them, and every move can be a game changer. One of the most important tasks is choosing the additional letters, and it's extremely tough, as a contestant, Kris Dillon recently found out.
Dillon, an Army veteran who now works for the local sheriff’s department in Roanoke, Virginia appeared on the show last year in November. A trailblazer who achieved the feat of climbing Mt. Fuji, put on an impressive performance throughout the rounds against her competitors. She won the show after racking up $15,415 in cash and also bagged a trip to Aruba. Dillon proceeded to the Bonus Round where she had the chance to win up to $100,000 more or a brand-new car.
She had some help going into the big round as she had won a Wild Card which allowed her to choose an extra letter for the puzzle. For the Bonus Round, Dillon chose the category 'Phrase.'
After spinning the wheel alongside host Ryan Seacrest, she appeared too eager to take on the puzzle as she started walking to the corner even before the wheel stopped. Seacrest called her back and collected the golden envelope for her. The two then took center stage and Dillion was faced with a four-word puzzle. After the standard letters 'R, S, T, L, N, E' were filled in, the puzzle read, '_ E _ _ T _T _ _ _'.
Dillon then went on to pick the additional three consonants 'M, D, B' and a vowel, 'A.' Using her Wild Card, she picked another consonant 'W.' The host was excited about her odds since she got one more letter than usual players. “A lot of letters to work with,” Seacrest said. However, the extra letter did not help since only one of the additional letters that Dillon picked was up on the board. Co-host Vanna White went over to the top-left corner, tapping on a lone “W," which left the player with no letters to work with for the final word. “Oh no, just one! Okay," Seacrest exclaimed.
When the 10-second timer started, the puzzle read, 'WE _ _ T _T _ _ _' and Dillon tried her best to make something of the round as she guessed, “We Got It Now? We Got it Done? We Let it Go?”. Unfortunately, none of her guesses were correct as the correct answer was “We Hit it Off.”
To add to the heartbreak, Seacrest revealed that Dillion lost out on winning the bonus of $40,000 from the golden envelope. While the audience collectively groaned, the host thanked the contestant for her service and congratulated her for winning over $15,000. Fans in the comments section of the show's YouTube clip also expressed their shock at the one-letter disaster. "Congratulations Kris But a Tough One I Got it Right. But She Just Needed Those Letters tho!!" @FurrkkJones commented.
"Hope Kris has a great trip to Aruba! She definitely needed more letters, especially with the wild card. At least she tried hard. Thank you for your service, Kris! One more day for Veterans Week on Wheel!" another fan @Daniel540-longisland added.
