A Wheel of Fortune contestant blew his chance at an extra $40,000 in a bonus puzzle gaffe that he may never hear the end of. Fans were quick to point out a series of puzzling choices that led to his big disappointment. If only he could have heard the social media cries somehow!
The big miss involved Luke Madson, a Navy member of 11 years from Chesapeake, Virginia. On Monday, December 16’s episode, he proceeded to the coveted bonus round with $25,274 in cash and the selection of the dreaded “Phrase” category. Joined by host Ryan Seacrest, he sized up the two-word puzzle. Madson’s second mistake, according to fans, was selecting the additional letters “A, C, M, B.” Vanna White added a mere one letter, an extra “A.” The puzzle read as, “‘_’ ‘_ EAR _’ ‘_ _ _’
Host Seacrest didn’t mince words about the mistaken letter choices: “Oh man,” he said. “It’s gonna be a hard one here.” The 10-second timer began, and Madson wasn’t even close, “I merely hit? I dearly miss?” The puzzle was revealed to be “I HEARD YOU.”
Seacrest once more was candid about Madson’s odds given his letter picks. the contestant uttered, “That’s tough” after it filled in, and the host said, “That’s going to be hard, I don’t know how you would have gotten there.” Seacrest opened the prize card to reveal it was the $40,000 amount, concluding with a handshake and Madson going home with his previous haul.
The game show shared the tough break on YouTube, where fans shared that Madson could have cracked the puzzle open had he picked different letters, and not forfeited a crucial Wildcard Wedge he had earlier in the game.
“I got it with just the RSTLNE,” one fan posted.
“What sucks more is that i literally solved it myself!” echoed another.
“Has to be I for the vowel. This was so easy gosh If you get ‘hear you’ get ‘heard’ and go from there,’ argued a third.
“It’s too bad Luke had to forfeit the Wild Card to the Bankrupt. That would have came in handy,” pointed out a fourth.
“I got it close, but said “I Heart You,” said one more.
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Meanwhile, fans are largely enjoying Seacrest, who replaced the legendary Pat Sajak after four decades this season. His debut month was the strongest ratings month for WoF in the past three years, and he’s endeared fans with his contestant interviews, which he does without cue cards. That said, no transition is letter-perfect.
In September, Seacrest suffered what fans dubbed his “first blooper”, involving a prolonged reaction to rewarding a bonus round. Fans also called out the host for ruling against another player before the bonus round timer was up. Last month, fans called out the host for not reminding a player to pick a letter, leading to him losing the game in a misunderstanding and by a mere $147. Most recently, controversy ensued when the host denied a player’s correct puzzle solve because she didn’t ring in first, despite being the only player left allowed who could answer it.
What did you think of the latest WoF bonus puzzle miss? Did you solve it? Let your opinions be heard in the comments section below!
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