A new episode of the long-running ABC game show sees a contestant failing to take home the grandprize, an Audi car, on the final round because of a timing rule.
- Dec 23, 2021
AceShowbiz - A new episode of "Wheel of Fortune" sparked anger within the viewers. The said episode, which aired on Tuesday, December 21, saw a contestant failing to take home the grandprize on the final round because of a timing rule.
In the episode, contestant Charlene Rubush made it to the final round after earning $16,500 earlier in the show. In the "What Are You Doing?" category, she was presented a puzzle that she needed to guess correctly.
Rubush originally guessed, "Choosing the right card." However, she quickly adjusted her answer to "Choosing the right … word." While her guess was correct, host Pat Sajak rescinded the prize due to a timing rule.
"You know, this one's tough because you said all the right words, including the word 'word' but, as you know, it's gotta be more or less continuous," the 75-year-old host explained. "We'll allow for a little pause but not four or five seconds. I'm sorry. You did a good job in getting it, but we can't give you the prize, and it was the Audi."
Despite not getting the Audi, Rubush eventually went home with her $16,500 prize money and a vacation. Viewers, however, expressed their frustration over her lost. "@Audi can you please give this contestant the car she deserves. She won on @WheelofFortune and Pat denied her. I am no longer a 'wheel watcher' because of this," one person tweeted.
Echoing the sentiment, someone else wrote, "@WheelofFortune well we had a good run. I won't watch the show anymore. That lady won the AUDI, she answered the phrase within the timeframe allowed. You have hidden rules, fake show. Ill never watch again (unless she gets the AUDI ANNND the rule changes)."
Another user slammed the long-running ABC game show for "the dumbest technicality ever." The person then asked to "make this right for Christmas" by giving Rubush a car. One other added, "I can't choose the right ‘word’ to explain how the #WheelofFortune just took the Audi away from the person who correctly got the puzzle right but lost on a technicality. #Sad. #bahhumbug."
This arrived after "Wheel of Fortune" was under fire for spelling rapper Young Joc's name wrong in a segment last week. The show used "Young Jock" as the answer, and it made people upset that contestant Kennise Miller wasn't given another chance despite the fact that the letters on the board didn't allow for the right guess to begin with.
