‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Think Show ‘Ripped Off Another Contestant’
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Wheel of Fortune was hit with another controversy on Friday (February 23) after a contestant lost $50,000 despite some fans thinking she answered the Bonus Round puzzle before the time ran out.
The contestant in question was Tamara, a married mother of two from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was up against Heather Zywicki, a solo traveler from Bay City, Michigan, and Cole Caswell, a retired coast guard turned substitute teacher from Carlsbad, California.
Tamara’s game started slowly, as Heather took a significant lead with $10,200 after the Mystery Round. However, Tamara fought back in the Express Round, where she stacked up more cash and won an expedition to the Panama Canal and Colombia.
The two ladies continued to battle back and forth throughout the episode, but it was Tamara who clinched the win with $21,132 over Heather’s $20,200.
This cemented Tamara’s spot in the Bonus Round, where she selected the category “What Are You Doing?” After picking the additional letters “G, D, B, and A,” Tamara was faced with a four-word puzzle that read, “_ _ _ N _ NG A B _ _ _ _ L _ B.”
Tamara studied the board as the ten-second timer ran down. “Fanning a…,” she said before realizing the last two words were “Book club.”
She then answered, “J… Running a book club,” as the buzzer sounded.
Vanna White revealed the correct answer as “Joining A Book Club,” meaning Tamara lost out on the $50,000 bonus prize.
While the clip makes it clear Tamara said “running” and not “joining,” some viewers felt like she answered correctly within the time. The confusion may have come from what host Pat Sajak said afterward.
“You were right there but got there a little late, unfortunately,” Sajak told Tamara. “By the time you got to book club, the time was running out on ya.”
Some frustrated viewers took to social media to share their reaction, with one fan writing, “@WheelofFortune thats bull**** she got that puzzle before the buzzer!! Youve ripped off another contestant!”
“Wheel of fortune – the contestant got the puzzle right – you messed it up again!” wrote another.
Another added, “She said it! In the middle of the bell she had half of the ‘What are you doing’ out! Give her the prize!!”
“WHAT just happened?!? Contestant got it Joining a Book Club BEFORE time ran out – barely – but before time ran out,” said another.
However, others were quick to point out that Tamara actually said “running,” not “joining.”
“She most definitely said “running” a book club. She knew what she said and had no problems whatsoever with Pat or the show’s judges,” wrote one YouTube commenter.
Another wrote, “She started off saying Fanning, then said Running A Book Club, she didn’t mention Joining while she was trying to solve the 10 second bonus round puzzle.”
“Had my wife just listen and not watch, the lady clearly said Running a book club before the beep,” added another.
This latest controversy comes just a month after viewers thought contestant Megan Carvale was robbed after seemingly giving the correct answer of “Pink Orchid” but being deemed incorrect.
What do you think? Should Tamara have won the Bonus Round? Let us know in the comments below.
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