‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant was on a massive winning streak — until one bonus round word cost her $75K
'Wheel of Fortune' is one of those hit reality TV shows where dreams really can come true — but for Cindy Koenig, that dream barely lasted a few minutes. In a recent episode, Koenig, from San Diego, appeared on the show with her husband Alex and daughter Lauren. She competed against Wanda Coleman from Country Club Hills and Brent Bates from Las Vegas. Koenig took an early lead, winning the Toss-Up Round, the Express Round, and the Mystery Round, racking up a total of $18,500.
She had also won a sparkly Million Dollar Wedge, and an exciting trip to MGM Grand in Las Vegas, worth $7,500, while Coleman and Bates wound up with only $1K and 43K, respectively, as per Andy Nguyen's blog. But things took a dramatic turn when Koenig entered the Bonus Round. She picked the dreaded category "Phrase," and after picking up the golden envelope, she faced a four-word puzzle with —R, S, T, L, N, E— filled in.
Koenig chose the consonants and a vowel to be M, G, P, and I to finally reveal the puzzle that read, "I T _ _ G G E _ M _ M E M _ R _." As soon as the timer started ticking, Koenig gave two quick answers, "It joggles my memory," "It juggles my memory," but neither of them was correct. Her confidence started shaking as she realized her race against time was coming to an end. When the clock ran out, host Ryan Seacrest exclaimed, "Oh, take a look up there. You're right on the edge of it," revealing the correct answer, "It jogged my memory." "Argh," Koenig gasped.
Seacrest further revealed the $75,000 on the envelope, which Koenig had missed out on winning. While Koenig handled the loss with grace, fans weren't as forgiving. On the YouTube comment section of the video, a fan of the show wrote, "Wow, I can't believe she didn't get that! I said it immediately." Echoing the sentiment, another viewer of the show added, "How did she get 'JOGGLE' when there’s no L??" Noting the show's pattern, a YouTube user said, "These contestants need to get their act together in the bonus round; this season is just getting started."
Meanwhile, another 'Wheel' viewer penned down, "She’s one of those people who butchers common phrases and doesn’t know it was 'jogged.” I mean, “joggled”?" However, a viewer defended and contestant and wrote, "They're only easy if you know it." Drawing a playful comparison between Seacrest and longtime host Pat Sajak, one YouTube viewer quipped, "a YouTube user also wrote, 'Aren't we glad it wasn't the million this time? Ryan's had two shots at it now (unless my math is off), but the contestants aren't pulling it off! (In the old days, Pat would jokingly thank the players for ensuring the show would be able to have its Christmas party, or something along that line, whereas if they won big, he'd sometimes say, 'Well, there goes the Christmas party!')