‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans React to New Added Element As Expectant Mom Loses $130,000
With a baby on the way, a Wheel of Fortune contestant could use more money. However, despite being on fire during the game, they lost the Bonus Round puzzle, which caused them not to take home the $100,000 in the envelope. Plus, fans react to the new element added.
This week, the top three winners will return on Friday in a tournament and compete alongside three NBA legends. The first three contestants faced off on Monday to determine the first winner.
Emily Gardella, from Port Chester, New York, played against Ryan Southern, from Los Angeles, California, and Mike Gaeta, from East Boston, Massachusetts, on October 12. Gardella, an expectant mother who studied sports management, solved one Fortune Frenzy, as did Gaeta, a Celtics fan. Southern, who comes from a long line of dancers, solved two of them, putting her in the lead.
For NBA Week, a new twist was added to the game. If a contestant correctly guesses two consonants in a row, they’ll be “heating up.” If they get a third, they’ll be “on fire” and will double the dollar amount from their last wedge. According to host Ryan Seacrest, the contestant keeps guessing until they miss a letter or solve the puzzle.
This happened to Gardella on the first puzzle. The Miami Heat fan solved “Strength Training,” which gave her $11,950. During the “Before & After” puzzle, she not only obtained the $1 million wedge, but also was “On Fire” again. With only one letter left, Gardella solved “Home Sweet Home Court Advantage.” This put $19,8950 in her bank, giving her $30,900.
Southern gave Gardella a run for her money when she solved the prize puzzle — “Most Points In The Game.” She won a trip to St. Lucia, giving her $10,332.
Southern solved two of the three Triple Toss-ups while Gaeta solved the third. With only a few letters called, Gaeta solved the final puzzle — “How Have You Been?” He ended with $7,400. Southern took home $14,332.
Gardella won the game with $30,900. She advanced to the Bonus Round, where she chose “Phrase.”
Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” The game show contestant picked out “G,H,C, and O.” This made her puzzle look like “_O_N_ TO H_ __EN.”
“Going to…” she guessed as the timer counted down. The puzzle was “Bound to Happen.” There was $100,000 in her envelope, which would have given her $130,900.
“It was a big one,” Seacrest cringed.
Fans reacted to the “On Fire” element on Reddit. “The On Fire thing is interesting. It’s basically the Express wedge without spinning it. Might speed things up to get more puzzles in,” one said.
“Watching right now! I like the ‘on fire’ gameplay change, with it and the bonus letters during Words With Friends week. I’m liking how this season adds new gameplay elements that make the themed weeks more interesting beyond the aesthetic and prize packages,” another commented.
“On fire mechanic is cool for speeding up the game, but it does give a major advantage. You basically can’t lose due to spinning. Gotta be frustrating for other contestants,” a third added.
“It’ll be interesting if this twist plays out the same way every night this week,” another said.
“If I were there, I would be practically salivating at the On Fire rules. Wow,” a fan commented.
“I like that consonant gimmick. Get on fire. A quasi-express,” one last fan said.
What do you think of the On Fire element? Let us know in the comments.
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!
Conversation
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
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