‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Demand Change After ‘Crazy’ Bonus Puzzle Pattern
Ryan Seacrest’s era of Wheel of Fortune is spinning along just fine, aside from the occasional speed bump. However, last week brought an unfortunate occurrence that fans argued should never happen, host aside. Four of the five bonus rounds resulted in losses, leaving fans shocked and wondering if the producers should step in.
On Tuesday, November 26’s episode, the contestant who proceeded to the coveted 10-second final puzzle was Katheryn. Her three-word “Food & Drink” puzzle read as, “‘_RO_EN’ ‘ORN_E_’ ‘_ _ _CE.'” She could not solve it as “FROZEN ORANGE JUICE,” losing out on an extra $40,000. On Wednesday, the dry spell continued for Adam, unable to figure out the “What Are You Wearing” puzzle, which read as “‘M_’ ‘F_N_ _’ ‘_LOTHE_’ was “MY FANCY CLOTHES.” He got stuck on the middle word, thinking it was “Funky,” which cost him an extra $40,000.
On Thursday, November 28, Jade missed her one-word “What Are You Doing?” puzzle which read as “_H_S_ER_N_”. The right answer was “Whispering,” and she also lost out on $40,000. To finish out the week, Erwin (all below) missed his “Thing” puzzle, which was seeking “A Booming Voice.” Having not selected a crucial “O” as his vowel, he couldn’t crack the middle word, fumbling $50,000. This meant the only bonus puzzle win was on Monday, November 25, for the whole week.
The game show shared the last miss on YouTube, culminating in a 1/5 bonus round week, the least successful for Seacrest as host so far. In the comments, some blamed the “tough” puzzles while others urged the producers to pick stronger contestants (admitting pressure plays a part).
“Here we go again! Yet another bad week of Wheel of Fortune,” one fan wrote under the clip of Friday’s miss.
“What is wrong with the contestant pool this week? 4 blown Bonus Rounds in a row on easy puzzles for the minimum!” wrote a second.
“Erwin, big mistake picking THING. That was the toughest puzzle this week,” wrote third.
Additional fans agreed that future players should more carefully choose their additional letters and avoid vague categories like “Thing.”
“Why ‘Thing’ is the worst category to pick,” agreed a fourth. “Because there are a lot of potential possibilities with that category.”
“This is crazy that these puzzles are not being solved,” a fifth wrote.
To which one more claimed, “These puzzles should’ve been solved – they weren’t that hard! Yes I know it’s nerves – but still, you gotta solve easy puzzles like this.”
Meanwhile, Seacrest had huge shoes to fill replacing the legendary Pat Sajak alongside the iconic Vanna White after four decades for Season 42. His debut month was the strongest ratings month for WoF in the past three years, and viewers were already treated to a viral moment (via a round of sausage). That said, there have been some questionable hosting moments according to fans.
In September, Seacrest suffered what fans dubbed his “first blooper”, involving a prolonged reaction to rewarding a bonus round. Fans also called out the host for ruling against another player before the timer was up. Most controversially, last month, fans called out the host for not reminding a player to pick a letter, leading to him losing the game in a misunderstanding and by a mere $147.
What do you think? Are the contestants to blame or does Wheel of Fortune need to make its bonus round easier? Let us know in the comments below!
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Comments are closed on this story.
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R
Wheel is fine like it is.
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I agree JAn you now have 30 thumbs #1
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R
Dumbing it down would be a huge mistake. It would be less entertaining to watch players rapidly solving 100 percent of the simpler puzzles; they would start choosing even less bright candidates, then have to dumb it down even more.
Jeopardy contestants sometimes all three miss the big final question, and others throughout the game.
Hopefully nobody with the authority wishes to dumb down that show!
WoF minus Sajak, Jeopardy minus Trebeck; of course they aren't the same after decades with the long-timers!
That's no reason to take away even more from the shows.
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It seems like the contestants haven't been the strongest players lately, but I also think some of the puzzles have been a bit ridiculous! It doesn't have anything to do with the host!
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Give the poor guy a chance. I personally think Ryan makes a good replacement. It wasn’t Wheel’s fault for the contestants not guessing easy answers in the bonus rounds. I guess some people just expect perfection. And I’ll never understand why anyone would choose the category “thing”.
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I have watched this show for close to thirty years. The puzzles are easy. The puzzles in this article are Especially easy. People have gotten dumber and dumber.
I quiz myself everyday by watching jeopardy for thirty years as well. Much better show.
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I've been watching Jeopardy for at least thirty years or so myself, because i looked forwardto an intellectually stimulating program, where I might learn something new.
The dumb and dumber description is very apt - not just on Jeopardy, but in daily life and politics. It is also the reason drump just got reelected, because people don't remember how incompetent he was first time around.
This time will be worse, if he fulfills even a quarter of his campaign promises, our economy will take a nose dive, and his attacks on the constitution will change our government to rule by money and oligarchs.
And Jeopardy will become a game at the elementary school level, instead of the post.-college it once was, no longer showcasing the best and brightest, instead the dumb and dumber.
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O
It will not be Trump's fault that Jeopardy will become a game at the elementary school level it's supposed to college it'll be the education's system fault. They don't even teach Real History anymore and they briefly go over how our country was founded and how are Constitution Amendments came about how many high schools can actually say one name off the Declaration of Independence not many our students are already at elementary level in high school they teach math in a different language there's no handwriting class they have to print anything they do right because computers are necessary to learn and to learn about other things that are not appropriate to learn about because they have access to a computer say Trump would be the cause of Jeopardy to go elementary school that would mean Biden and Obama should both to be blamed in that category Jeopardy is more than just politics questions this is my opinion only I'm not trying to offend anybody's political choices we all have our own
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O
I've been watching W of F for 50 years. I loved Pat and hated to see him retire but Ryan is doing a great job. Solving the puzzles is a 'people' issue for sure. I see people solve too quickly when they could have called another letter without spinning and wind up losing by a few dollars and missing the chance to go to the bonus round. They just don't THIINK.
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Contestants were poor players. I think at least 70 per cent of viewers solved those bonus rounds.
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R
How did you get that figure??
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B
The category – thing – was hard. The other bonus rounds were not that bad. I think the contestants just went blank at the end.
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Please don't give away money on easy puzzles. Contestants should work to solve them. If the contestants "freeze" or are not smart enough, it's on them. Are we heading toward the end of game shows because we have all dummed down? If that's true, it makes me sad.
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C
Agree. People just miss things. That’s just the way it is!! Leave well enough alone!!
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O
I think WoF should not change a thing. It's not WoF fault contestants freeze up and miss solving puzzles. Either you know it or you don't.
It's a game of chance.
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Jeopardy did. I don't know when they stopped and changed 2nd & 3rd to the super weak $2000 & $1000 but it wasn't all that long ago. With travel and time off work, $1000 for 3rd is probably a money loser for many contestants.
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$1000 for 30 minutes of work ain't bad
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O
We all loved Pat. He had 41 years as host. Ryan will need time to perfect the craft. "Snappy Comeback" was a Thing. Celebrity Contestant last night with Pat as host, had all in Snappy but the "Y" but kept saying Snapps. He couldn't get that out of his mind. The pressure is on.
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I got every one of those puzzles within the time limit, but I was in my comfort zone, my home. On TV you are in front of millions of people and your mind goes all over the place. I’m sure it is very hard not to be nervous enough to concentrate but seriously how many times have you been on TV? I’ve seen host mistakes being corrected and I have never heard of a player complain about the unfairness of the game. Ryan is doing a great job! One bad week doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. It just means, you can’t win all the time.
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Oh please...just leave things alone. Just because there are a few people that have issues with their puzzle doesn't mean you up and change things. This would be the equivalent of taking half of half of the football field away and saying that they're making them run too far to make touchdown. Just stop being whiners, play the game, and whoever wins, wins.
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Lol football field is too long
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R
Ryan is doing a great job! As far as the puzzles go, yes they seem easy when you're sitting in your home. You aren't on a stage with lights and cameras in your face. I'm sure most contestants pray they don't embarrass themselves and end up as a meme. And 10 seconds at home is longer than 10 seconds with all the chaos going on around the contestants on stage.
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Ryan isn't bad but is a little slow on the uptake. But why would anyone choose "Things" to try to solve? A 'Thing' could be anything in the universe. But, most nights, all three choices have been bad. And, they need to remove one of the bankrupts from the Wheel. It is not fun seeing bankrupts keep coming up, turn after turn.
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R
I was watching these and got them all right!!! The contestants do not pick good letters and that's why they don't get them. They are right "Things" is a hard category, too many variables!!! It's not Ryan Seacrest's fault!!!
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L
I remember the look on our 10 year old Grandson's face when the guy that won, kissed his boyfriend...... TV is not family friendly.
Hollywood has demoralized our society. Disney is dead.
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B
We should just give all the contestants a win. Everyone gets a trophy. Free healthcare. Universal basic income. That would be fun.
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P
At the end of the day no one is promised a win! People need to stop whining and complaining.
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O
.....and like Pat Sajak never blundered come'on folks.
Seacrest nerves need to settle down! He seems to think he's got big shoes to follow, he dosent. I'm refreshed by Ryan if we ever get toʻ see his natural cool fun loving self. He's so mechanical, relax Ryan we love you!
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It’s fine the way it is - leave well enough alone!!
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P
Top puzzle
A Zooming Price
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G
The descriptive adjectives have been annoying - but this is a contestant issue - not a puzzle problem.
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O
Nothing wrong with the puzzles. If they can't solve them it's the contestant fault. Don't blame Ryan You are all the time blaming someone . Watch the show or don't.
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P
They're not hard, what do they have to make them real easy like hello how are you? Come on they're winning a lot of money and oh they're nervous sure well all game shows are nervous and people win , it sounds just like more complaints from the entitlement group who just think they should be handed the money and not have to work for it. if that's what it's going to come to game shows are not going to survive
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O
I think some people need to get a life that involves real people that they actually know. To get upset about a game show is utterly ridiculous. Let me make it easier- get a life!
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Please don't make it easy to earn that large amount.I watch wheel of fortune and have guessed the puzzle correctly, even before contestant does. I love playing word games, in fact I do everyday .So don't dummie down get more intelligent players. Ryan Secrest is doing a great job 👏 👍
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P
I feel like Ryan Seacrest has been a good host. Pat was great, but I think Ryan is a good replacement. The puzzles are good. The contestants seem to be struggling. Our family loves the show!
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B
These complaints are just because we have a new host. If Sajak was still there, nobody would be complaining.
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O
The contestant is responsible should be more careful spelling out the right words
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R
Puzzles are fine. Ryan is fine. It's the contestants. If they're gonna be dumb let them be dumb. If they're sharp let them be sharp. Let it be real.
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I only watch the beginning & the end. I often get Bonus Round puzzles that contestants don't always get so if I figure I get them how tricky can they be! Some are so obvious.
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My wife and I have been watching forever. The biggest problem that i see is players are always LOOKING at the 10 second time not the puzzle. Concentration on puzzle is the key to win. Once they get to the final round between the time ryan reads off his regular letters and you read off yours 10 to 15 extra seconds have passed. Look at puzzle not time
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C
The show is a game of chance and luck, It's not Jeapordy, they don't test the players to be on the show. Now some of the players are amazing the way they solve puzzles. It's not the host fault or the shows staff that make the puzzles, my advice is stop complaining and enjoy the show or change the channel and watch something else.
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I solved all of the puzzles mentioned above. Of course I was sitting on my sofa very relaxed & not stressed at all. I think Seacrest is doing a great job!
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O
I was able to solve them all, before the timer. I blame idiot contestants
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B
I do believe Ryan is getting better and a bit more comfortable. Mistakes will happen, even Pat had some of those. Contestants’ nerves and lack of preparation could account for losses. Please somebody get a better wardrobe assistant for Vanna, her dresses have been quite lackluster and not very flattering.
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I think they should definitely make it easier either by giving them another letter or be more specific with their categories so it won't be such a broad horizon of things to pick from.
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O
Maybe the contestants are just morons? I got all 4.
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O
They need to get a new host. Secret is messing up to much, like from the last spin on 12-5-2024, the contestant made the final spin, called letter R then the next person called S, Ryan said it's already been called, how was that when the only other person that called a letter she didn't call S. He could also start wearing a tie & look more presentable than what he wears.
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O
I did spell Ryan's last name as Secrest but my phone changed it
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O
I don’t think Ryan pays attention, which then causes the contestants confusion and ultimately a loss. Like last night 12/5 in the triple toss up the first 2 players didn’t get it, but then he called the last person by name. She answered correctly by the 3 seconds, but hit her buzzer at the same time as the timer buzzer went off. They didn’t give her the $. Pat would always say ok __ buzz in if you know it, but don’t let all the letters come up. He just seems all over the place.
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Puzzles are fine!!! Maybe people need to learn English better. I'm sorry but once again we are making things to easy for people, God forbid they have hurt feelings! Don't go on the game! Wheel is just fine, PLEASE DON'T DUMB IT DOWN!!!!
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Do you actually pay this person to write this garbage?
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Contestants are to blame.
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O
Need a new host that can keep hands out of pockets and can stand up not lean on counter.
Ryan acts like a big shot same as when in kc. Not a good host
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G
People, it is a freaking game. The contestants know what they're getting into. A long time ago I tried out for that game. The Try outs are very, very competitive. You tried out with a sheet of paper with 20 puzzles on it. The top 5 or 10 or whatever it was. At that time, people that got the most puzzles were picked to try out again at another session. Granted, I only got like 11, right. So you cannot blame the contestant and you cannot blame the host. It's a freaking game.
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O
Unfortunately not all puzzles are easy, and not all contestants will win some puzzles. Puzzles aren’t meant to be easy. I agree dumbing down the show would be a mistake. There needs to be suspense in this show to make it interesting. Maybe better contestant screening?
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O
Ryan is doing great! Leave him alone.
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G
I think the bonus round puzzles should be a bit more easy and not some off the wall puzzles! And get rid of Ryan Seacrest😡
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B
I think there should be a 15min clock in sted of the 10min clock.
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L
Seak rest is a waste of our time. Man, I miss Regis. !
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O
I much prefer Ryan as host ... much more personable and friendly ... give him a break folks .. hes only been at it for a short time and I think hes great!
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L
Pathetic. Enjoy his 4" lifts on his Frankenstein shoes. Pud.
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C
I think you're on to something. Social media as well are backlashing the host rather than the contestants. I feel that the screening for hosts should be more stiffer and should be able to handle time pressure as a key element to being a contestants. They should go back to the table for negotiations.
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G
Contestants appear to have one with a brain, the other 2 most probably struggled through high school. Puzzles have been fairly easy!
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O
"Sad news, you lose" is the term that comes to mind. You get stumped because you chose the most common letters and it's the shows fault? Wow! Sorry, but you don't get participation awards in adulthood.
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B
I stopped watching when they hired Seacrest can't stand him, his ego is bigger than an ocean
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I’m very disappointed in Ryan. I thought by now he would stop talking like he is still a radio announcer and speak in a normal voice (lower). Also I wish he would stop putting his hands in his pockets. It looks cheap. Of course this is just my opinion.
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G
Quite putting retards on the show, there I fixed it
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R
Don't they vette these contestants. Sorry but they are just dumber than ever. Is there a K in every puzzle? And they act like they have never played the game. Can you imagine if they brought on Jeopardy contestants who knew no answers,???
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Seacrest has too many jobs. And he's failing this one.
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Please do not try to dumb down the game. That’s as bad as when the NAACP tried to force Jeopardy to lower its standards. So more blacks could get on the game. Please get rid of Ryan Seacrest, I can’t stand looking at him. It’s like the computer generated max headroom of that stupid TV show in the 1980s. Please replace Seacrest.
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Vannah should host Maggie do the letters no Ryan
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