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'Wheel of Fortune' fans criticize player's wrong choice of letter after $40,000 loss

"A "J" in that situation made no sense. J is in most cases going to be the first letter and nothing there looked like a J word," a fan reacted.

BY MARY ANTHONY

PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO

Vanna White and contestant McKenzie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" is featuring the NASCAR theme this week. In tonight's episode, a contestant named McKenzie failed to secure the Bonus Round win after choosing a difficult "Phrase". Having decorated her nine-month-old baby's crib with a NASCAR motif, McKenzie is a devoted fan of the sport. She went to a race with her husband, Kyle, who introduced her to motorsports. Fans were dismayed that a NASCAR pro lost the $40,000 bonus prize.

Ryan Seacrest and contestant McKenzie on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

She started by winning the second toss-up for $2,000 in "food for thought," by guessing "Sweet as Honey" as the right answer. The episode then highlighted the NASCAR Experience Prize to Chicagoland Speedway, including a trip to the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, valued at $9,450. During the Main Rounds and Puzzles Round 1: Before and After: McKenzie solved "Harrison Ford Bronco", winning $11,950 and the NASCAR experience wedge.

Contestant McKenzie's husband on 'Wheel of Fortune' (Image Source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

However, she couldn't guess the Triple Toss-Up puzzles and moved to the final spin, which led to the "phrase" category, where McKenzie solved "It Pays the Bills", taking her total to $19,450 and advancing to the bonus round. She then introduced her husband, Kyle. McKenzie moved on to choose the "phrase" category. After receiving the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, she chose J, C, H, and A. The puzzle board then looked: W, H, A, T, A, K, _, N, _, _, _, _, E, R. Despite getting some letters, she cannot solve the puzzle "What a Kind Offer". Fans were left disappointed, and many of them criticized McKenzie for choosing a rare letter.

"The answer to today's Bonus round. WHAT A KIND OFFER The puzzle was unkind. The challenger made a rare attempt to include a "J" in the letter combo, but it backfired," u/sy1971ofJapan pointed out on 'Wheel of Fortune' Reddit forum. "A "J" in that situation made no sense. J is in most cases going to be the first letter, and nothing there looked like a J word," u/justmahl added. "McKenzie probably thought the first word was JUST, though it didn't have an S in it," u/NewBuzzyBee chimed in.