'Wheel of Fortune' fans left seriously unimpressed after contestant was 'cheated' out of winning a car
'Wheel of Fortune' fans once slammed the long-running game show after a contestant missed out on the opportunity of winning a car during the Bonus Round. The viewers claimed that the buzzer went off before time ran out. In the episode, released in October 2024, Jamel Vanderburg, an ABC7NY local news meteorologist from Hempstead, New York, competed against Marvel Murray, from McCormick, South Carolina, and Nancy Naigle, from Franklin, Virginia. After emerging as the big winner of the night with $40,998 and a trip to Alaska, Vanderburg advanced to the Bonus Round. Meanwhile, Murray, a woman who wants to be in the news, was left with $23,400, and Naigle, an author of small-town love stories, walked away with $1,000.
For the Bonus Round, Vanderburg chose 'Phrase' as the category and the 'Wheel of Fortune' gave him, 'R, S, T, L, N, and E.' Subsequently, he picked 'W, Y, P, and A,' and his puzzle read 'ALWAYS _N _E_AN_.' Before the timer even started, Vanderburg yelled, "Always On Demand!” With five seconds left on the clock, Vanderburg stopped guessing and turned towards host Vanna White to find out if he was correct. Unfortunately, Vanderburg's answer was incorrect. When the buzzer went off, co-host Ryan Seacrest revealed that the right answer to the puzzle was "Always In Demand." This left Vanderburg shrieking with frustration.
Soon after, Seacrest opened the Golden envelope and stated that Vanderburg would have won a new Ford if he had guessed the puzzle correctly. As per Market Realist, despite his big loss during the Bonus Round, Vanderburg remained positive and said, “But you know what, I got $40,000. I’m going to Alaska. Right? It’s all good." Seacrest, in response, praised, "You have a great spirit and energy, we needed you tonight." Vanderburg stressed, "It is all good," while Seacrest wrapped, "Thank you very much for coming, and a pleasure to hang out with you tonight on 'Wheel of Fortune.'"
Once the episode dropped, several fans called out the show for sounding the buzzer too early. Some even blamed Seacrest. A netizen took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “What just happened on #WheelOfFortune? The buzzer went off, but the clock was still running. Jamel was cheated." Another echoed, “@WheelofFortune Jamal got screwed! They buzzed him with time still on the clock!”
What just happened on #WheelOfFortune ? The buzzer went off, but the clock was still running. Jamel was cheated.
— Steven Prusakowski (@FilmSnork) October 15, 2024
On YouTube, a fan noted, “He was so close, but I love his positivity in spite of not winning." Another agreed, "They should have given him a win." A comment also read, “Wow, that was just...wow! I bet a whole lot of people guessed ALWAYS ON DEMAND as well.” Meanwhile, a netizen slammed, “Ryan, tonight on @WheelofFortune... rang the buzzer and cut the Bonus Round music on Jamel with 40% of his time left…Then started filling in the puzzle with 1 more tick left on the clock. He knew ‘Always on demand’. With that time left, he’d have solved ‘Always IN demand."