'Wheel of Fortune' fans point out that a tricky puzzle worth $55k was used on the show twice before
"Wheel of Fortune" fans keep a close eye on puzzles, and often blame tough ones for disappointing losses. They also have a sharp memory, and they proved it by spotting a tricky puzzle repeated during the Bonus Round. Contestant Veronica Yano made an unusual request for the "Places" category, and what she received on the giant puzzle board kept her guessing until the very end. She had racked up a $21,999 cash prize and a luxurious trip to Norway before entering the grand prize round. But what she didn't expect was the mind-numbing two-word riddle.
Yano started with a bang by winning after guessing the phrase "Can you keep a secret?" during the Toss-Up 1 round. She won $1,000 and added another $1,000 after solving "Still in their prime rib" during the Mystery Round. She then entered the Prize Puzzle round and solved "Oh, the places you'll go" and won a trip to Norway worth $7,699, in addition to her cash winnings. She continued her winning streak by adding a double $4,000 after solving Triple Toss Up puzzles, "From head to toe" and "Mistletoe" respectively. She clinched the Bonus Round spot after successfully solving the Final Spin (What Time Is It?) "In the blink of an eye" with a total earnings of $21,999.
Unfortunately, Yano couldn't introduce any family member as per the tradition of the game show. She told host Ryan Seacrest that her husband had ditched her to go sightseeing instead. "He's actually seeing all the rock n roll bars, and he went to see the whiskey. Go, go. So he's not here," she disclosed to an amused Seacrest. "He chose sightseeing over coming to Wheel of Fortune," Seacrest reacted in disbelief. Later, Yano chose "Places" as the category and received the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, E. She then added H, M, D, and O to solve the puzzle. The puzzle board showed T, H, E, _, _, _, R, _,_,_. At first, it looked simple, but Yano couldn't think of any option while trying to guess it.
Yano was thoroughly disappointed when Vanna White revealed the answer as "The Fairway" right when the ten-second buzzer ended. Yano lost $55,000 bonus but walked away with a vacation and $21,999 cash. Fans lamented another Bonus Round and cried foul over the use of a tough puzzle. "Puzzle used twice in September 2006 and October 2001, and both not solved for $25K," @sammylerman7136 pointed out. "How do they keep picking tough puzzles for bonus round losses?!" @AK-oo5cj chimed in.
"That was a tough puzzle for Veronica $55,000 lose," @elijahjohnsaladaga008 complained. "So goofy to call the H. Pretty sure 99.9 percent of us knew what the first word was going to be," @loveforeignaccents commented, referring to Yano's wrong choice of letters.
You can watch the nerve-wracking moment here.
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