‘Wheel of Fortune’ sparks outrage once again after first responder misses $73K over ‘unfair’ puzzle
'Wheel of Fortune' fans slammed the show after a first responder lost more than $73,000 during the Bonus Round. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' which was released on May 6, Alex Puglisi, from Shelton, Connecticut, faced off against Dean Bartlett, from Clifford, New Jersey, and Sam Parker, from Detroit, Michigan. Puglisi, who is a first responder and a volunteer EMT in her hometown, kicked off the game by solving the first toss-up, putting $1,000 in her bank. Shortly afterward, Bartlett, who loves adventurous activities like scuba diving and ziplining, managed to solve the second toss-up.
During the First Puzzle, Barlett ran out of luck when he landed on Bankrupt after guessing one letter in each of his turns. Eventually, Puglisi cracked it, “Partly Breezy Mostly Beautiful,” and bagged another $2,950. Talking of the second puzzle, Puglisi nearly solved it, but he ended up on Bankrupt just before guessing the last four letters. Soon after, Bartlett figured it out, “Going on a Winning Streak” for $4,100, and he secured the lead.
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Puglisi regained the lead when she won the Prize Puzzle and a trip on the Alpine rail tour, taking her total to $13,649. Along with this, Puglisi also solved all three of the Triple Toss-Ups, adding another $10,000 to her bank. Later on down the line, Bartlett solved the final puzzle, “My Best Guess," and he ended with a final total of $5,700. On the other hand, when we talk about Parker, he didn't win any money, so 'Wheel of Fortune' handed him over $1,000. In the end, Puglisi was the big winner of the night with $23,469, and then, he advanced to the Bonus Round.
For the Bonus Round Puzzle, Puglisi picked “Phrase.” Then, Puglisi was joined by her parents, Liz and Jim, on the stage. After 'Wheel of Fortune' gave Puglisi an “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” she selected “C, D, P, and O.” Ultimately, the puzzle looked like “ON T_E _ _ _E_O_." As the clock counted down, Puglisi guessed “On the Endzone", “On the Ride out," but she failed to guess the last word. As per TV Insider, the show's host, Ryan Seacrest, told her that the correct answer to the puzzle was, “On the Jukebox.” After the Bonus Round, Puglisi ended up losing an additional $50,000, which could have taken her overall total to $73,000.
Once the episode dropped, several fans of the show shared their honest thoughts on the Bonus Round Puzzle and stated how much of a ripoff it was. One social media user wrote, "Ripoff puzzle. What kind of phrase is that? Whoever said that or heard of that in their lifetime, really?!?” Followed by a second user who penned, "I’ve never heard of ‘On The Jukebox’ in my life, and I’m a sucker for 1970’s and 1980’s memorabilia." Another netizen went on to say, "That was tough!! Who would choose a j, k, or an x? If b, maybe a chance, but still tough!!” A user went on to say, "That was a difficult puzzle with some unusual letters with J, K, and X." Another outraged fan asked, "This is unfair. What kind of phrase is this?” One person noted, “That puzzle made no sense."
