‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Blast Contestants for Not Knowing Rules Before $63,000 Win

They don’t know the rules! Wheel of Fortune fans complained after two of the contestants seemingly didn’t understand what was going on with the final puzzle. They had to be corrected by host Ryan Seacrest.

Cyndi Carrick, from Trophy Club, Texas, played against D.J. Csaszar, from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and Quynh Van-Murry, from Chino Hill, California, on February 9. Carrick is a mom and wife who loves going to rock concerts.

This week kicked off NASCAR Week, which is a tournament where the top three highest winners return on Friday. The winner of that game wins a trip to the Daytona 500.

Carrick solved both of the toss-ups, putting $3,000 in her bank. She also solved the “Never Have I Ever” puzzle — “Gotten a Speeding Ticket” — giving her $6,500.

After Van-Murry, an acapella barbershop singer, solved most of the “Before & After” puzzle, she landed on Bankrupt. Carrick then swooped in and solved “I Think I Can I Think I Can of Tuna” for $7,500.

Carrick won a trip to Curacao when she solved “Bright & Breezy,” which she said she guessed. This gave her a total of $19,100.

Carrick solved two of the three triple tossups. Csaszar, a car lover, finally got on the board when he solved the third one.

During the Final Puzzle, which calls for one contestant to spin, which gives them an amount plus $1,000 for each letter, Csaszar asked to buy a vowel. Only during the Final Puzzle do vowels cost nothing. They don’t give contestants any money, but they don’t take away any either.

“Nope. Sorry. I can’t let you do that,” Ryan Seacrest said.

Van-Murry then asked if she should spin, and Seacrest told her just to call a letter. Csaszar wound up solving “Lapping the Competition,” which gave him $16,800.

But, fans wondered how two contestants didn’t know the rules of the round. “What’s with so many contestants not understanding the rules for the final spin? It’s almost guaranteed that at least one person won’t get how it works each game,” a Reddit user asked.

“That drives me insane, and it happens way too often. I don’t get it. Do they not watch the show?! The other thing that drives me crazy is solving the final puzzle without calling out a letter first. That costs people at least 1500. Baffling to me,” a fan replied.

“How did two of them seem not to know what the final spin rules were? That was so bizarre,” another asked.

“Genuinely confused on how they didn’t know what was happening lol,” a fan replied.

“Why the f**k don’t these people know the rules for the final spin?! It’s becoming a bigger problem. Why are we clapping? Why are you asking to buy a vowel? Why are you asking to SPIN?!” one fan wondered.

Carrick was the night’s winner with $23,100. Van-Murry didn’t have any money, so Wheel of Fortune gave her $1,000.

Carrick chose “Phrase” for her Bonus Round category. She brought her husband, Terry, with her.

After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” the game show contestant rounded out her puzzle with “C,D,B, and A.”

The puzzle then looked like “_ALL  B_  T_E   _A_S_DE.” She guessed “Fall By The Wayside” and was correct, adding $40,000 to her prize pot, giving her a total of $63,100.

If she is one of the highest winners this week, Carrick will return on Friday.