'Wheel of Fortune' fans slam the show for using an outdated phrase to 'defeat its own contestant'

Winning on "Wheel of Fortune" has a lot to do with puzzle-solving skills, and for this, contestants need to be well-versed in common phrases and trivia. Fans of the show were upset about 19 contestants in a row failing to solve their Bonus Round puzzle. Hence, they took to social media, blaming the old-fashioned phrases that the show has used to allegedly make the players lose. On Reddit, fans called it a "cheap" and "twisted" tactic. 

The debate started with a contestant losing out on $50,000 on an outdated phrase in the Bonus Round. The contestant, Alex Puglisi, chose the popular category "Phrase" and her final puzzle to solve was "On The Jukebox." The young player seemingly had never heard of the phrase, as she couldn't guess it. Fans also complained that the phrase was outdated and rarely used. "If it was 1953 I would be disappointed in her and myself not getting it, when is the last time you heard the word Jukebox?" @streamofconsciousness5826 commented on the YouTube clip of the Bonus Round. 

Two weeks later, another outdated phrase led to a heartbreaking $40,000 loss. This time, the contestant, Amy Johnston, picked the category “What are you doing?” for her Bonus Round puzzle. But that didn't make things any better. After trying her best, the player failed to solve the puzzle, "FAXING IT OVER NOW.” Even the contestant was unhappy with the phrase as she said, “Of course. I don’t even know what faxing means."

This puzzle tipped the unhappy fans over. One viewer, @SFlaGal took to Reddit to spark a discussion. “Tonight’s bonus puzzle — are they kidding? Faxing? Really! This is just a cheap, twisted show that is designed to defeat its own contestants," the Redditor wrote. 

Several others chimed in, echoing the same sentiment. "I came here immediately. The bonus round puzzles have mostly jumped the shark, and this was the most egregious example," @8686tjd wrote. "They cannot afford any more wins. We will go winless for the rest of the season. I can feel it," @RAS310 suggested.

"When they revealed a lot of letters I told my child they must have restocked the prize puzzle bank… and then they revealed the answer and I said 'guess not'" joked another viewer, @Rare-Progress5009. "Seriously. Is faxing still a thing? I thought it died with dialup modems," @randomguy1972 added.

Meanwhile, some users shared a flurry of possible phrases that the show can use to keep up their game. The Redditor @commentator3 "BACKING UP MY FLOPPY DISCS", "DODGING THE VIETNAM WAR DRAFT", and more. 

However, there is plenty for the fans to cheer and rejoice now as the show's losing streak was broken by contestant Rachel Granier, who solved the Bonus Round puzzle by guessing “YOUR JOURNEY AWAITS.” The show now seems to be on a path to set a winning streak as another player, Jocelyn, solved her Bonus Round Puzzle, "FAIR ENOUGH," a not-so-old phrase to win $40,000 on the show.

While only time will tell if a new record can be set on The Wheel, the show's host, Ryan Seacrest, has already witnessed a record being set on his other show, "American Idol." Recently, Seacrest revealed that a record-breaking 26 million votes were cast during the finale of the latest season, twice that of last year.