‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Blasted as Funeral Director Loses $69,000
Wheel of Fortune fans blasted Ryan Seacrest for a repeated quirk on the game show. This came after a funeral director lost out on taking home $69,000 in the Bonus Round.
Elizabeth Teal, from Tullahoma, Tennessee, played against Malik Sullivan, from New York, New York, and Christine Nguyen, from Sugar Land, Texas, on Tuesday, December 2. Teal is a licensed funeral director and embalmer at her family’s funeral home, where she works with her father and sister.
She solved both of the Toss Ups to start off the game with $3,000. Nguyen, a kindergarten teacher, solved “Wearing my Ugly Sweater” for $6,800.
Nguyen solved “The Midas Touchscreen” and won a trip to the Disney Aulani resort in Hawaii after landing on the wedge. Her total was $16,020.
Nguyen solved most of the prize puzzle, leaving all but two letters. The turn moved to Teal, who solved “Fantastic Parade.” Teal won a trip to Disneyland, which gave her a total of $12,059.
Teal solved two of the three triple Toss Ups, putting her in the lead. Nguyen solved the last one and took the lead back.
Teal took back the lead on the final puzzle when she solved “Glistening Icicles.” She had a final total of $19,859 and advanced to the Bonus Round. Sullivan, a huge Bruce Willis fan, was sent home with $1,000 after not winning any money. Nguyen took home $18,020.
Teal chose “Phrase” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her mom and husband with her.
After Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Teal chose “W,B,M, and A” to round out her puzzle. It then looked like “_ _ _TE A _ _MB_.”
Teal figured out that the first two words were “Quite A,” but couldn’t figure out the last word. It turned out to be “Quite a Combo.”
Ryan Seacrest faced her and showed her how much was in the envelope, but fans couldn’t see the amount. She groaned and shook his hand.
When the host turned to the camera, a crew member said something to him off-screen, and he held up the envelope, which had $50,000 in it. This would have given her a total of $69,859.
Fans complained about Seacrest’s quirk online. “I don’t get how Ryan opens the envelope before the camera is ready or the contestant looking at him,” a Reddit user said.
One fan simply asked what was inside the envelope.
“Ryan, show the camera the open envelope. You’ve had one season to learn how this goes, man,” a YouTube user commented.
“Why did Ryan not show the camera at first?” asked one last fan.
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
Spin That Wheel
Get absolutely everything about Wheel of Fortune in your inbox!
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services