Teacher loses $100K on 'Wheel of Fortune' — but it’s Ryan Seacrest’s odd reaction that caught our attention
Since the time Ryan Seacrest took over the hosting duties on ‘Wheel of Fortune’, viewers have always had their opinions to share. Missing the former host, Pat Sajak, the show's audience has frequently criticized Seacrest for his actions. However, in a recent episode, the new host faced backlash for laughing at the loss of a former teacher. Jim Venckus, from Downers Grove, Illinois, played against Samantha Rizzo, from Hoboken, New Jersey, and Krystin Godfrey, from Pelham, Alabama. Venkus, a drummer and singer in two bands — ‘What She Said’ and ‘Electric Cars’ — successfully solved the second toss-up, which was “Buff Lifeguard,” earning $2,000 right at the beginning of the game.
The contestant in question also had a chance to spin the wheel first for the category ‘Song Lyrics.’ However, during the second spin, he unfortunately landed on the Bankrupt wedge, which ended his turn, and he had no money in his bank. During the same round, the other two contestants also landed on Bankrupt. Eventually, Venckus solved the puzzle “Just you and I defying gravity” from the musical ‘Wicked.’ This earned him $4,900.
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Later in the game, the former high school teacher solved “Making sand angels,” winning the prize puzzle and a trip to the Caribbean, according to TV Insider. This brought his total earnings to $24,350. Although he could not solve any of the final toss-ups, he still won the game, having around $25,000 in his bank. Meanwhile, the other contestants, Rizzo and Godfrey, went home with $11,600 and $4,000, respectively. For the Bonus Round, Venckus was joined by his wife, Stacy, also a retired teacher, and his parents.
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He then went ahead with the 'What are you doing?' category in the Bonus Round. The Wheel then gave him the standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” after which he selected “C, D, M, and A.” Then, his puzzle looked like “_ _ _ _ _ N_ T_E C_R_.” Looking at the puzzle, Venckus was baffled and could only say, “Something the corn.” Eventually, he lost the game, as the correct answer was “Popping the cork.”
After the loss, Seacrest said, “I think you needed a little more of a head start.” However, when the host revealed that the contestant had lost $100,000, viewers caught him smiling. Taking their frustration to Reddit, one fan wrote, “Why does Ryan think it’s funny when someone loses $100,000? Since Ryan took over, has anybody noticed Ryan smiling and pretty much laughing when $100,000 is lost in the Bonus Round?” Other netizens were seen stating, “Could just be nervous energy. If I were on the show and lost $100,000 I’d prob laugh too. It would be the only thing keeping me from cursing and crying lol.” In another such incident, fans claimed that an ABC7NY local news meteorologist, Jamel Vanderburg, lost as the buzzer ran out soon on 'Wheel of Fortune.' They also blamed Seacrest for not speaking up about the time left on the buzzer.
