Wheel of Fortune fans are furious after watching a contestant miss out on $100,000 thanks to a misleading puzzle category. The situation was so bad that host Pat Sajak couldn’t even look the poor woman in the eye. Wheel Watchers are always on the lookout for contestants getting done dirty, and this latest incident was a rough one.
It all went down as Laura Young of York, Maine, made it to the Bonus Round after dominating Wednesday’s episode. However, things went south when Young was told the puzzle category was “Place” before being left with a whole lot of empty spaces as the board read, “_ R _ _ E L / _ _ L _ _ _ _.”
Despite being a self-proclaimed “crazy walking lady,” Young was unable to solve the puzzle, and even Sajak commented that she had “no shot at that.” Things got worse when it came time for Sajak to see what prize she missed. He didn’t even want to show her.
Via TV Insider:
He felt so bad that he told Young to face the other way, which she did, turning her back to the camera. He then showed the envelope to the audience, which contained $100,000.
As the audience groaned, Young turned back around and yelled, “No?!”
Sajak handed her the envelope to look for herself, and she audibly gasped. “Number one, I feel terrible,” Sajak told her. “Number two, no way you were gonna solve that puzzle with the letters you had. Number three, you won $19,350. You did great and were a lot of fun.”
While Young took the loss graciously, Wheel of Fortune viewers blasted the show on social media for categorizing a gravel walkway as a “place” instead of a “thing.”
“I’ve got beef with whoever makes the final puzzles on #WheelofFortune,” Twitter user Nikki wrote. “I’d consider gravel walkway to be a ‘thing’ and not a place. The answers have been whack this week.”
I’ve got beef with whoever makes the final puzzles on #WheelofFortune. I’d consider gravel walkway to be a ‘thing’ and not a place. The answers have been whack this week.
— Nikki Williams (she/her) (@nikkifhall) April 10, 2024
“Gravel walkway is a ‘place’??? Since when?” tweeted Mark.
Gravel walkway is a “place” ??? Since when? @WheelofFortune #wheeloffortune #wheel @TheVannaWhite pic.twitter.com/dhHtzLxlhI
— Mark Easter “The Old Guy”
(@markeaster2) April 11, 2024
“A ‘gravel walkway’ is a thing, not a place,” Queen Smashley tweeted. “Get your shit together @WheelOfFortune!”
A ‘gravel walkway’ is a thing, not a place. Get your shit together @WheelofFortune ! #wheeloffortune
— Queen Smashley (@QueenSmashley) April 10, 2024
(Via TV Insider)