‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Audience Groans as Contestant Loses Car on One Word Puzzle

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That was a close one! Two Wheel of Fortune contestants battled it out for first place throughout the game. The end determined who would make it to the Bonus Round, where the audience groaned at the answer to a difficult one word puzzle.

Emi Horst, from Los Angeles, California, solved the first toss-up on March 27. She is a fan of the Before and After puzzles and used to make up puzzles with her friends as a kid. Horst also loves to take long walks to coffee shops.

The contestant played against Debbie Mickles, from Middletown, Delaware, and Joey Nicotera, from Sarasota, Florida. Nicotera, who works for an organization that breeds, raises, and trains guide dog and seeing eye dog puppies, solved the second toss-up. He also plays the piano for the dogs.

Nicotera put $7,200 in his bank when he solved “Days That End With a Y.” During the next round, all three game show contestants went Bankrupt at the beginning. Nicotera had obtained the Wild Card, but landed on Bankrupt once again.

However, he landed on the Kaua’i wedge and solved “Reality & Rain Check.” This gave him a big lead with $17,058.

Horst rode the Express train on the Prize Puzzle. She put $12,500 in her bank after solving “Listening to the Sound of the Waves.” Horst took the lead since she also won a trip to Croatia, giving her a total of $22,750.

Nicotera took back the lead when he solved all three Triple Toss-ups, putting $10,000 more in his bank. He also solved “Penny Pinching” for the last puzzle. This gave him a final total of $30,458.

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Horst went home with $22,750. Mickles, a great-grandmother who played in honor of her late husband, did not win any money, so Wheel of Fortune gave her $1,000.

Nicotera advanced to the Bonus Round, where he chose “Person.” He brought two of his friends, Wallie and Tom, with him to cheer him on.

The contestant was given “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” He then rounded out his puzzle by picking “P,C,D, and I.” Nicotera’s puzzle then looked like “_ _C_LIST.”

He could not figure out “Vocalist” after guessing a few words that could fit the puzzle. Nicotera lost out on taking home a Toyota, and the audience let out a collective groan.

Fans reacted to the game on Reddit. “I love it when the second-place finisher does even better than many first-place finishers who don’t win the prize,” one said.