‘Wheel of Fortune’ player loses $55K in the worst way, and his friends weren’t exactly kind: ‘He wanted...’
'Wheel of Fortune' is a platform for many people to make their dreams come true. But for Courtney White, that dream slipped away in the final moments. During the Bragging Rights episode on May 14, three friends, Courtney White, Tess Lee, and Joe Vargas, went head to head, each spinning the wheel for the biggest win. While White and Lee were formerly in the Marine services, Vargas is an active Navy chief from El Cajon, California. As soon as the episode progressed and the stakes got high, friendship took a backseat as competition sparks began to fly.
Vargas said, "I am just ready to prove that I am gonna win the 'Bragging Rights Round.'" "Yeah. I had a feeling you would say that," host Ryan Seacrest responded. But things took a dramatic turn when Lee hit bankruptcy, losing the trio's chance at the $1 million wedge. Vargas snapped, "Thanks a lot, Tess!” While Lee clapped back with zero remorse, "I had to play the game, you know," she said unapologetically. Despite what transpired during the game, their friendship was seen through during Maggie Sajak's post-shoot video, when Sajak asked White how she is feeling after the win. She replied, "I feel that I was right and that's all that matters."
Pointing at Vargas, she said, "He wants to talk all smack, but you can't come through them." Vargas also admitted, "I am not at all disappointed, and I am super proud of Courtney. I know this has been her dream, so I’m just glad we were able to partake in it." Vargas ended with the least amount of money among all three of them — $8,000. Lee had $10,050 and a trip to Mexico. White pocketed the maximum wins by winning $ 15,200. When the credits rolled, Vargas claimed he knew the Bonus Round puzzle, to which Seacrest said, “Bragger!" At the end of the interview with Sajak, she said that they are a lot nicer to each other off-camera.
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For Courtney, this wasn’t just any game. She had dreamed of being on 'Wheel of Fortune' since the seventh grade. “She’s been dreaming of this day since back in Okeeheelee Middle School in West Palm Beach, Florida,” Seacrest said during the Bonus Round. Before giving the final spin, she teased her teammates, "Told ya, I am gonna be here." She had even picked out her Bonus Round letters back then. She chose "Place" for her category. After Wheel gave her "R, S, T, L, N, and E," White didn’t hesitate to say the letters she’d been holding onto all of these years, which were "C, D, H, and A."
"It’s been a lifetime to say those," Ryan Seacrest said as the board lit up. Her puzzle then looked like"_A_-_AC_ED CA_E." White guessed “cave,” “faced,” and “map,” but couldn’t guess the puzzle, which was “Jam-Packed Cafe.” She lost out on an additional $40,000. This made it the 13th Bonus Round puzzle in a row that has been lost, as reported by TV Insider.