‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant misses bonus cash but still wins big with a romantic trip and happy hubby
Jade Ball from Las Vegas, Nevada, missed out on $40,000 in the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Bonus Round, but went home with a happy heart and an ecstatic husband. Appearing on an earlier episode, she was competing against Taylor Anderson, a Mooresville resident, and Yolonda Christopherson from Perham, Minnesota. Ball brought her A-game right from the start, winning $6,150 after the Mystery Round. After answering a tricky puzzle in the Express Round, Ball had earned $17,350 in cash and a trip to Ireland worth $9,650. As reported by Andy Nguyen's blog, Christopherson stood runner-up, taking home $8,400, and Anderson finished last, winning $3000.
Heading to the Bonus Round, Ball, joined by her husband on stage, chose "What Are You Doing?" as her category. “This is my amazing husband, Pearce. I have been with him for 12 years,” she told host Ryan Seacrest. The two blew kisses at each other, and Ball spun the wheel. Seacrest picked up the Golden Envelope and gave her the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. For her additional letters, Ball chose the unusual C, H, M, and O. Only one of those letters fit the one-word puzzle, which now read: “_H_S_ER_N_”.
Seacrest started the 10-second timer, and Ball's expression showed that she had little or no clue about the answer. After about three seconds, she tried a few guesses—'fishing', 'acering', and 'Chasering'. But 10 seconds ran by fast, and none of her answers were correct. "It would've helped to probably have the W there," Seacrest, who replaced Pat Sajak in the last season of ‘Wheel of Fortune’, said as he revealed the answer: 'Whispering'. "That's alright; let me show you what this is," Seacrest continued as he opened the envelope with $40,000 written on it. "It's okay," Ball replied with a smile, and Seacrest agreed. "It is okay! You're going to Ireland...$19,350, and you are so fun," he said, "Thanks for being here. Nice to meet you, Jade."
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Fans were divided on the difficulty of the puzzle. While some expressed that Ball should have won the extra $40,000, others said that the puzzle was a tough one. “Come on jade! Whispering was so easy in that round!” a fan wrote, while another commented, “This was a tough one for me. I think the "I" would've helped out a bit.” I see why she couldn’t get it, she needed more letters," wrote a third, while another quipped, "Yeah, I didn't get this one either, so no shade to Jade. Heh, that rhymes."
