‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Loses $69,000 After ‘Fatal Flaw’ in Letter Choice
Don’t go in order! A Wheel of Fortune contestant lost out on taking home a lot of money after she chose the first four letters of the alphabet for her Bonus Round puzzle. She could have won $69,000. Fans pointed out there was a “fatal flaw” in her letter choice.
Kendra Lenth, from Iowa City, Iowa, played against Austin Barnhart, from Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Mary Banks, from Chicago, Illinois, on February 23. Lenth is a sport driver who drinks beer with her neighbors in her driveway.
Lenth solved the first toss-up, while Barnhart, a husband with four boys who loves camping, solved the second. Lenth tried to solve the first puzzle, but she got the last word wrong. However, with Bankrupts and Loses a Turns, the turn went back to her, and she correctly solved “Trips, Tours, Travel, Takeoff” for $3,600.
Banks, a teacher who is also a kidney donor, finally got on the board when she solved “National Banana Bread Day” for $7,600. Lenth won a trip to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal when she solved “Sailing Around the World.” This gave her a total of $22,700.
Barnhart solved two of three Triple Toss-ups, putting $4,000 in his bank. Lenth solved the third one.
Lenth solved the final puzzle — “Stonehedge.” This gave her a final total of $29,650. Barnhart left with $6,000. Banks took home $7,600.
Lenth went to the Bonus Round with the Expedition Cruise wedge. If she won the Bonus Round, she would win the money and the cruise.
She chose “Event” for the category. The game show contestant brought her husband, Nick, and her sister, Cassie.
After being given “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Lenth chose “B,C,D, and A.” Her puzzle then looked like “A B_ _ _R_ _ _T_ _N.”
As the clock counted down, Lenth guessed “A Big Graduation,” and “A Big Pronunciation.” The puzzle turned out to be “A Big Promotion.”
She lost out on taking home an additional $40,000, which would have given her $69,650.
Reddit users shared their opinions on her letter choice. “Today’s Bonus Round puzzle was ‘A BIG PROMOTION.’ Kendra’s letter combo, D and C, was not a good match, which was a fatal flaw. This was BR’s seventh consecutive loss. Double digits were in sight,” one said.
“She literally picked A, B, C, D. I know it’s a habit for contestants to pick letters early in the alphabet, but this was crazy lol,” another wrote.
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