A famous Deal or No Deal catchphrase stumped a contestant on Tuesday night’s (January 7) episode of Wheel of Fortune, causing them to miss out on a massive $70,000 cash prize.
The contestant in question was law student Nicole Robinson from Sugar Land, Texas, who told host Ryan Seacrest she has been cancer-free for five years. Robinson faced off against Channing Hans from Los Angeles, California, and David Quinn from Chicago Heights, Illinois.
Robinson proved to be a force to be reckoned with from the very start, nailing the Round 1 puzzle and the Mystery Round puzzle to give her an early lead of $5,200, plus the Wild Card wedge.
Her game slowed down a little in the Express Round as Quinn made a comeback, solving the puzzle to take the lead with $10,000, in addition to a trip to Los Cabos.
Not to be deterred, Robinson stepped up her game in the Triple Toss Up, solving all three puzzles before going on to nail the final Speed-Up puzzle. This gave her an episode-winning total of $13,000 and saw her through to the Bonus Round.
After selecting the “Thing” category and introducing her husband, Cory, her son Cole, and her sister, Crystal, Robinson picked the additional letters “A, C, G, and H.” Unfortunately, only one of those letters appeared in the two-word puzzle, which read, “_ _ N A L / _ _ _ E R .”
As the ten-second timer began, Robinson struggled to figure it out, guessing “Canal Liner” and trying to sound out the words.
Unable to come up with the correct response, Vanna White revealed the answer to Robinson as “Final Offer,” a saying well-known among game show fans, as it served as a catchphrase for Howie Mandel and contestants on Deal or No Deal.
Seacrest then opened the prize envelope to reveal Robinson lost out on a huge $70,000. “Still, you’re walking away with $13,000,” the American Idol host said. “It was nice to meet you, and I’m glad you’re doing well.”
Wheel fans jumped onto social media to react to the Bonus Round, with many pointing out the connection to Deal or No Deal.
“That puzzle gave Deal or No Deal vibes,” wrote one YouTube commenter.
“A deal or no deal sort of vibe here. A great tribute to host Howie Mandel,” said another.
Another added, “Howie: “This is your final offer. (Contestant’s name), deal or no deal?”
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“I got the top word, but not the bottom word. This was a tricky one, for sure. That’s alright, because Nicole’s got $13,000. Great job!” said another.
“This puzzle was ridiculously tough. You either call the “F” or you get no consonant help. possibly if she called the “O” for a vowel. But really, it’s go big or go home: either call the “F” or like 99.9999% sure you’re not solving this puzzle,” one commenter wrote.
“I honestly thought the top word was canal. But then the bottom word would make no sense so I got lost,” another added.
What did you think of Tuesday’s Bonus Round puzzle? Did you get it correct? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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