'Wheel of Fortune' fans slam 'obscure' puzzle that cost contestants $40,000 in the bonus round
Bonus rounds in "Wheel of Fortune" have become a frequent cause for disappointment among fans, so much so that they even came up with theories about puzzles designed to be impossible. One more loss in the round left the fans upset after it cost two best friends a $40,000 win. Contestants Toya Johnson-Moore and Dionna Houston took the game by storm to emerge as the big winners of the night. However, their run didn't end well as they got stumped by an outrageously tough puzzle, with the answer, 'It Works Without Fail,' which left the fans upset as well.
The high school best friends started the game by solving the very first Toss Up puzzle to take the early lead. As the show was giving away exciting getaways, the best friends made the most of it and won an exotic trip to Collette in New England, worth $9,198, as per Andy Nguyen's blog.
While their rivals Osborne and Yerman tried to mount a comeback after winning a trip to the Oyster Bay Beach Resort in St. Marteen, in the end, Johnson-Moore and Houston emerged as the big winners of the night with $19,848 in cash and the trip. Advancing to the Bonus Round, they chose the category "Phrase" for their final Bonus Round puzzle.
After joining the show's host, Ryan Seacrest, at the wheel, Johnson-Moore brought along her boyfriend Troy and mother Lynn, while Houston brought her boyfriend Justin on the stage for support. They gave the wheel a good spin and picked out their prize envelope. They were then faced with a long four-puzzle on the board. With the show's standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E" filled in, the pair of contestants chose "D, P, C, A" as their additional letters. However, their picks didn't give them many clues as their final puzzle read, "_ T_ _ R _ S _ _ T _ _ _ T _ A _ L."
As Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, the players tried to discuss the answer amongst themselves. While they got the first word, "It," they were at a total loss for the remaining words. Co-host Vanna White then revealed the answer, "IT WORKS WITHOUT FAIL." To add to the heartbreak, Seacrest revealed that they lost out on taking an additional $40,000 home.
While the best friends took the loss in a good way, fans weren't happy with the outrageously tough puzzle. "Works without fail... but for them it didn't work and made failure. That was really tough this one. Needed another vowel as well," @anenglishvillageforroberti2863 wrote in a comment on YouTube.
"They have the most obscured stuff now," wrote another fan @skylarjaxx2399.
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