‘Wheel of Fortune’ Branded ‘Ripoff’ After First Responder Misses $73,000 Win

Wheel of Fortune fans claimed that the game show was a “ripoff” after a woman who is a first responder missed out on winning more than $73,000. This was the seventh episode in a row where a contestant has lost the Bonus Round.

Alex Puglisi, from Shelton, Connecticut, played against Sam Parker, from Detroit, Michigan, and Dean Bartlett, from Clifford, New Jersey, on Tuesday, May 6. Puglisi is a first responder who travels a lot and is a volunteer EMT in her hometown.

Puglisi, who has a dog named Ripley after Sigourney Weaver’s character in the movie Alien, solved the first toss-up, giving her $1,000 right away. Bartlett, a daredevil who loves scuba diving and ziplining, solved the second one.

For the first puzzle, Bartlett had bad luck as he kept landing on Bankrupt after guessing one letter on each of his turns. Puglisi solved “Partly Breezy Mostly Beautiful” for $2,950. On the second puzzle, Puglisi solved all but four letters before going Bankrupt. Bartlett solved “Going on a Winning Streak” to give him $4,100, putting him in the lead.

Puglisi retook the lead when she won the prize puzzle and a trip on the Alpine rail tour. This gave her $13,649. She also solved all three of the Triple Toss-Ups, putting an extra $10,000 in her bank.

After only two letters were called in the final puzzle, Bartlett solved “My Best Guess.” This gave him a final total of $5,700. Parker, a man who went back to school at 48 and got his degree at 52, didn’t win any money, so Wheel of Fortune sent him home with $1,000. Puglisi won the game with $23,469 and advanced to the Bonus Round.

Puglisi chose “Phrase” for the Bonus Round puzzle. She brought her parents, Liz and Jim, with her to cheer her on.

After Wheel of Fortune gave her an “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” she chose “C,D,P, and O.” Her puzzle then looked like “ON T_E  _ _ _E_O_.” As the timer counted down, Puglisi guessed “On the Endzone,” “On the Ride out,” but she couldn’t figure out the last word.

Host Ryan Seacrest told her it was “On the Jukebox.” She lost out on an additional $50,000 to give her $73,000.

After her Bonus Round was posted to YouTube, fans said how much of a ripoff it was. “Ripoff puzzle. What kind of phrase is that? Whoever said that or heard of that in their lifetime, really?!?” one said. 

“I’ve never heard of ‘On The Jukebox’ in my life, and I’m a sucker for 1970’s and 1980’s memorabilia,” said another.

“That was tough!! Who would choose a j, k, or an x? If b, maybe a chance, but still tough!!” commented a third. 

“That was a difficult puzzle with some unusual letters with J, K and X,” another commented. 

“This is unfair. What kind of phrase is this?” asked one fan.

“That puzzle made no sense,” one last Wheel watcher wrote.