‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Debate Whether Puzzle Round Should Be Retired

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We’d like not to solve this puzzle. Wheel of Fortune fans have debated whether or not the Prize Puzzle round should be retired from the game show.

The Prize Puzzle round has the contestant competing to win a prize, usually a trip, rather than money that round. However, the price of the prize is added to the contestant’s total, typically putting them way ahead of their competitors, as they are usually $10,000 or more. The other rounds include the Mystery Round, the Toss-Ups, and the Bonus Round.

Typically, those who win the Prize Puzzle advance to the Bonus Round because they usually tack on the most money. However, that does not happen all of the time.

“I think the Prize Puzzle Round needs to be retired,” a Reddit user said. “Does anyone else here have contempt toward the Prize Puzzle round? They make runaways easy, creating a disadvantage for the other contestants, which is so unfair.”

The fan went on to say that the Triple Toss-Ups allow contestants to win $10,000 if they solve all three, but that’s not guaranteed to create a close match. “There are WAY too many instances in which the game is pretty much decided at the end of the Prize Puzzle round,” they wrote.

“There was a time when runaways were a rarity on the show. Even 20 years ago, it was rare for the game to be virtually decided before the third toss-up, even with the prize puzzle being present. That’s exactly why I say it’s past time to retire the prize puzzle,” the fan ended.

Fans debated the round, with some liking it and others wanting it to go away permanently. “I always thought the best way is to just not have the prize round count toward your winnings against the other contestants,” one fan suggested.

“I’m fine with having a round where you can win a trip somewhere, but its value should not count toward your total. Only the money you made solving the puzzle should,” another agreed.

“I will always advocate for the opposite — keep the prize puzzle, but give more opportunities to earn money elsewhere. Increase the value of the triple toss up, higher wedge values, etc,” a third wrote.

“The one thing I’ll say is I think maybe the trip values are out of line with the overall wheel values throughout the game causing a bit of unfairness, but at the end of the day, this is definitely a conscious decision by the show. They have a high-value prize they’re not on the hook for. Maybe there’s another way to integrate that, but I think they’re okay with how it is budget-wise, or they would’ve changed it long ago,” a fan wrote.

On the other side of things, some fans said, “Yes! I say this all the time! It’s so unfair that the person who ends up winning the trip is often who wins overall just because of that round. It’s not fair!!” one wrote.

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“Yes.. It’s making it hard to watch. I also feel like the person has won virtually all the rounds and is pretty much guaranteed the bonus round, but should not be so d**n greedy. Once you have 25,000 plus, you should at least allow the other contestants a chance at the toss-up rounds,” another commented.

“I wouldn’t be mad if they took it away… or made it specific tapings but also balanced out the other rounds by adding higher priced wedges, you know what I mean? I also have contempt toward it because of the fact that someone can get a 16-day European cruise and the next winner on the VERY next day be sent to ‘Tampa, Florida’ — my face wouldn’t be able to hide my anger if that happened to me. Imagine BEING from Tampa, Florida?! (just an example, not being literal),” one last fan said.

What do you think of the Prize Puzzle Round? Should it be eliminated completely, or should there be a change to the value of it? Let us know in the comments.