Fans call out ‘Wheel of Fortune’ showrunners after player loses whopping $100K on ‘ridiculous puzzle’
‘Wheel of Fortune’ is one of the most hit reality game shows, where contestants try their luck and win amazing cash prizes and dream vacations. However, for some contestants, the case is not the same. In a recent episode, Kristyn Hobbs appeared on the show with some great winning chops, claiming a sum of $18,000 and a trip to Peru during the toss‑ups. Even though the contestant had gained momentum and also confidence, everything came spiraling down when she reached the Bonus Round.
As usual, when the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E appeared on the board, Hobbs was asked to pick 3 consonants and one vowels and went for G, C, H, and I, unveiling a puzzle that read: R_ _ _ _GING IN THE _ _ C _ _ _ R_, prompting the new host on the show, Ryan Seacrest, to say, "It’s a big puzzle to solve." With just 10 seconds ticking down, she couldn’t fill in the blanks. Seacrest then revealed the solved puzzle that read, "Rummaging in the Backyard," before opening the envelope, which had $100,000 in it. Hobbs threw her hands on her head, completely stunned.
Fans who were as surprised as everyone else on the show quickly rushed to the YouTube comment section to voice their frustration. A 'Wheel' viewer said, "That’s gotta be one of the toughest bonus puzzles I’ve ever seen." Noting how challenging the puzzle was, another viewer added, "The writers who concocted that ridiculous puzzle are responsible for the loss, not Kristyn. Be honest: how many times in your life have you said the phrase, “I’m rummaging around in the backyard”? You might say, “I’m rummaging around in the… closet…garage…junk drawer…”etc., but not the backyard. Unless your backyard is a junk yard! This was impossible in 10 seconds for the contestant." Echoing the sentiment, a netizen added, "Tough bonus round puzzles all of this week! The producers went next-level difficult on those bonus round puzzles this week!"
While some fans pointed out the producer's mistake in having the most difficult puzzle in the bonus round, others believe the fault lies in the contestant's choice of consonants in the game. On a Reddit thread titled, 'So sick of people picking i n g in the bonus puzzle!!! A frustrated viewer posted, "So sick of people picking i-n-g in the bonus puzzle!!!" Referring to Hobbs' episode, he explained, "When a word ends with ‘i-n-g’... maybe the word just has the ‘N’ in it, and people waste their letters by choosing ‘I’ and ‘G’!!! It happened tonight!! I cannot believe people could be that dense that they would willingly waste their choices by picking obvious letters! You only get three consonants, people. Use them wisely.”
Noting the pattern from various Bonus round episodes, another Reddit user said, "I was actually in the audience for today’s taping (also tomorrow’s and May 29th’s, which is part of a “sixth episode” week of shows). I always groan when a contestant picks WHAT ARE YOU DOING? because I know that more often than not, contestants blow picks on G and I when they’re seldom found in the rest of the puzzle. That being said, Qs and Ks are seldom going to get called, and I think most contestants would need at least one of those to figure out the puzzle."