'Wheel of Fortune' player loses $40,000, fans say he couldn't put 'two and two together'
"Wheel of Fortune" can sometimes stump a veteran fan. During tonight's episode, contestant Joey, who has been watching the show since he was six, remained tongue-tied when he encountered an easy puzzle during the Bonus Round. Nervousness got the best of him, and he lost out on a $40,000 cash prize. Well, you were on a track. That was right, but...," host Ryan Seacrest trailed off as Joey walked away with $22,790 in total earnings.
Joey started with a bang by winning the early rounds in the game show. His winning streak continued during the Prize Puzzle (Living Things) when he solved "Colorful Coral Reefs", earning $10,740 and a trip to the Cook Islands. He then solved the Triple Toss-Up (Word Play) "You Heard it Here First," bringing his total to $20,790. Joey emerged as the winner and moved on to the Bonus Round, where he introduced his mom, Patty, and younger sister, Emily. Seacrest then made a quick reference to Joey's passion for the game since his childhood.
Joey then chose the "What Are You Wearing?" category. After receiving the standard R, S, T, L, N, E letters, he opted for consonants C, B, D, and the vowel O. The puzzle board then looked like an easy solve: B, E, _, _, E, _, O, O, L, C, O, _, T. With the remaining letters, he attempted to solve the puzzle, guessing "Something wool coats", "very very cool coats", and "Cool coats".
Ultimately, Joey was unable to guess the puzzle within the 10-second time limit. The correct answer was "Beige Wool Coats". Despite not solving the final puzzle, Joey took home with $22,790 in cash and prizes. "I know beige is one of those words that doesn’t like pop into your head, does it?" Seacrest reacted in the end. Fans were left dismayed since they thought Joey didn't put much effort. "He picked the right letters. Just too bad he was one of those contestants that, no matter how easy it is, you can't put two and two together," @matthewgumball4568 expressed.
"That might be a good time for Wheel of Fortune if the bonus round losing streak continues, it's better to read more articles and story to improve on solving the puzzle," @dennisphathirath8972 criticized. "Good picks by today's player with the B and C plus the O. I have a similar wool coat here that my mom bought me. Hope to get a 40k Winner tomorrow," @Animegamespublishing chimed in. "$40,000... fail. Stop with the losing streaks already," @justinhall9231 added.
You can watch the disappointing moment here.
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