'Wheel of Fortune' fans say this puzzle was too cruel — contestant lost $60K over a minor miss
One of the longest-running game shows on television, 'Wheel of Fortune' continues to make headlines thanks to its iconic format. The show, where contestants spin a wheel to guess letters and solve word puzzles for big prizes, recently shocked fans when a contestant missed out on a major win. The contestant had been performing exceptionally well until the Bonus Round, and it's easy to see why fans were outraged by the outcome.
The contestant in question, Kylene Foster, dominated much of her episode. Foster kicked things off by solving both toss-up puzzles, taking an early lead with $2,000. She kept her streak alive by solving the first main puzzle, “Exciting Innovations,” and later capitalized on her opponents’ Bankrupt spins in the Mystery Round to secure another win.
Foster's momentum continued with the 'Prize Puzzle' round, where she won a trip to the Canadian Rockies and also nailed some of the Triple Toss-Ups. By the end of regular gameplay, she had built up a strong lead with $20,950, as per Collider. Heading into the bonus round, she selected the category 'What are you doing?', which can often be tricky. The standard letters (R, S, T, L, N, E) revealed only an “N.” Her choices—C, H, B, and O — added just one more letter: an “O.”
The puzzle looked like “O N O ,” and though she made several guesses — including “Boxing Old” and “Boring Old”—none were correct before time ran out. The correct answer was “Dozing Off.” Even host Ryan Seacrest admitted it was a tough puzzle. She had missed out on a $40,000 bonus, which would have brought her total winnings to more than $60,000. For the unversed, the Bonus Round on 'Wheel of Fortune' has undergone several changes since its introduction in 1981.
Initially, contestants chose five consonants and one vowel before attempting to solve a puzzle within 15 seconds. This “Five-and-a-Vowel” format eventually evolved in 1988 into the current system. Now, contestants are automatically given RSTLNE and then select three additional consonants and one vowel, with just 10 seconds to solve the puzzle. Over time, the puzzle difficulty increased, puzzle lengths decreased, and 'Thing' became the most common category. By Season 35, players could choose from three categories. Prize selection also evolved, from picking physical prizes to drawing from five W-H-E-E-L envelopes to spinning the 24-space Bonus Wheel introduced in 2001, according to Wheel of Fortune Wiki.
Many fans have voiced frustration with the Bonus Round, especially under a popular Reddit thread discussing its controversy. A fan said, "The problem with the lack of bonus round wins is that they backed themselves into a corner with the $40,000 cash minimum. They can’t drop it now without the show looking cheap. So we get bonus puzzles like CHEWY TAFFY or FUZZY CARDIGAN to control the budget." Another added, "That's why we need the old bonus round format back with the five envelopes." A fan commented, "Eggs cost $12 but WoF prizes haven't increased in 5 years or something." You could legit win the bonus round and still not have enough to even buy a new car. I'm not even exaggerating (consider taxes)." A fan simply remarked, "At this point I’m convinced that the $40k is 21 of the 24 wedges."