Teacher’s dream of $40K dashed in ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Bonus Round — but viewers say 'the puzzle was easy'
'Wheel of Fortune' contestant Aleeza Santillan, a primary school teacher from California, failed to win a brand-new house from Margaritaville or add $40,000 to her total earnings during the Bonus Round. During the initial game, Santillan competed against school psychologist Julia Laube from Wisconsin and harmonica expert Todd Rose from Oklahoma, as per TVInsider. The teacher breezed past the toss-up rounds and collected $1,000. After losing the next two rounds, she increased her total earnings to $13,420 by solving the Express Round. Santillan also won a luxurious trip to Cape Cod during her winning streak.
The primary school teacher left her opponents, Laube and Rose, behind to advance to the Bonus Round with total earnings of $15,420. Right before spinning the wheel, she introduced her parents to the host, Ryan Seacrest. "I'll be honest with you, during the break, I went over and met those people. I like them. Introduce them to everybody else," Seacrest gushed. "Yes. This is my mom and my dad over there," Santillan remarked as her mother waved cheerfully, calling her pet name. "Hola, chikabee." "What’d she say?" the seasoned host curiously inquired.“Chikabee. It’s a little nickname she calls me,” Santillan explained. “Oh yeah. Of course she did. All right, Chikabee. We're gonna let you spin the wheel,” Seacrest teased with a smile.
Santillan had an impossible task at hand: the previous 18 contestants had lost the grand prize during the Bonus Round. The primary school teacher hoped to win and walk away with a brand-new house. She chose the 'Place' category, the puzzle board displayed the traditional letters, and Santillan added “D, M, C, and O.” After that, the puzzle read: “N E _ _ _ _ O R _ O O D / _ _ _ R M _ C _.” Santillan couldn't guess the correct answer, and soon the buzzer gave away ten seconds. She wrongly guessed “brunch” and “church” before Vanna White revealed the answer, “Neighborhood Pharmacy.” Santillan missed the $40,000 bonus, which would have brought her total winnings to $54,000.
However, loyal fans called out the latest losing streak as 'foul play.' They stated that it was the 19th consecutive loss in the Bonus Round. Speculating that the reality show doesn't want to give out any more money, viewers accused the game show of going over budget. "Another loss, 19 in total. One more week. Let's end this month," a fan pointed out in the YouTube comment section. "Jeeze! This is not believed. How the heck did she not solve it? I got that word instantly. As the extra letters came up, that looked like it was a good sign. Maybe because of the lights," a viewer complained. "She shoulda have thought quick, and it would lead to the breaking of the losing streak," an online user chimed in. "Come on, man!! That puzzle was easy!! 19 fails in the bonus round this time!! It’s like we’re close to reaching 26 cases on deal or no deal," another fan lamented.