‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Accuse Show of Making Puzzles Too Hard for Contestants
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Wheel of Fortune has had a string of bad luck recently, with contestants losing out on big money after Bonus Round blunders. But some viewers are starting to believe it’s more than just luck.
The latest controversy came after a married couple faced a tough two-word puzzle under the “Place” category on last week’s Sweethearts Week. The answer ended up being, “Outer Lobby,” something many viewers felt wasn’t a real thing.
“#Wheeloffortune what the hell is an ‘outer lobby’ ??? Stop coming up with these weird combos so no one wins,” wrote one frustrated fan on X (formerly Twitter).
“”Outer lobby” was the final puzzle tonight.. nor my family, friends or I have every heard of it and we couldn’t find much online…did they just make this up?” wondered another similarly confused fan.
Earlier in the week, another sweet couple failed at the Bonus Round after a tricky puzzle under the “Event” category. Contestants Greg Ruvolo and Tom Bayer missed out on $40,000 because they couldn’t come up with the strange answer, “Yearly Banquet.”
Fans were similarly upset last September when contestant Derek Wong missed out on $40,000 after facing a near-impossible puzzle under the dreaded “Phrase” category.
Wong was given the letters “_ E _EGAN A _ R _ _ E _ T,” which ended up being “We Began A Project.”
“JFC Wheel of Fortune “WE BEGAN A PROJECT” is not a “phrase”. It’s a sentence,” wrote one disgruntled viewer at the time.
“What is wrong with WoF .., We began a project final puzzle.. phrase… just bad,” said another commenter.
Last month, some viewers felt that a contestant was robbed after she seemingly said the correct answer. As the timer ran down, Megan Carvale appeared to mutter the correct answer (“Pink Orchid”), though it’s possible she said, “Something Orchid.”
Either way, host Pat Sajak seemed Carvale to be incorrect, and she lost out on the $40,000 bonus prize.
“There is no question, she absolutely said “pink orchid”. Please give this girl her winnings!” wrote one fan on X.
So, does Wheel just not want to give away big money? It might appear that way, but it actually goes both ways. There are also moments when answers are given as correct despite appearing to be wrong.
For example, in a recent January episode, one contestant was awarded the correct answer under the “Rhyme Time” category for the two-word puzzle “Absolutely Positively.”
“Absolutely and positively do not rhyme!!” wrote one fan at the time, while another said, “Do “Absolutely Positively” rhyme? Absolutely, positively NO!!!”
What do you think? Does Wheel need to work harder on its puzzle answers? Or is it all simply luck of the draw?
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