Wheel of Fortune isn't the first show that comes to mind when you think of fan backlash and drama, but the hit game show has come under fire by fans recently, and for good reason. Fans are complaining that the bonus round has become too difficult, leading to a record 11 losses in a row. This became especially frustrating on a recent episode when a group of firefighters took the wheel, and the bonus round puzzle was once again a difficult word, costing the contestant $40,000. Now, fans are taking to the internet to call out Wheel of Fortune for the extra difficult puzzles as of late, claiming it's ruining the show to see so many losses in a row.
Another Difficult Word Resulted In the 11th Bonus Round Lost on 'Wheel of Fortune'
The May 12th episode of the game show saw a group of firefighters go head to head solving puzzles, and it was Darrin Gallagher who made it to the Bonus Round after taking the lead by winning all three Triple Toss-Ups. He chose the category "What are you doing?" and chose the letters K, D, G, and A, to accompany the R, S, T, L, N, E, which the show provides.
Altogether, the letters formed on the board, and gave a pretty promising hint: "TAK_NG A _ _ _ _ _". But Gallagher was left speechless and was unable to come up with an answer that felt right. The puzzle was revealed to be "TAKING A WHIFF", to which Gallagher said he never would have gotten, even if he had chosen an "F" as one of his letters. Host Ryan Seacrest even seemed to agree that he wouldn't have gotten the correct word, which makes the ultimate loss all the more frustrating.
Fans immediately took to the comment section to call out the show for the difficult puzzle. One YouTube user commented that it was yet another tough word, while another begged for the contestants to "Just win something!" Another user piped in and pointed out that the use of the word was strange:
"That was a hard one surprisingly. I knew the first part was 'Taking A' without the letter selection. But that last word was odd because there was no T or R. I've heard of Take A Whiff, but not Taking A Whiff."
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On the bright side, the episode introduced a new twist that seemed to land quite well among fans. Rather than choosing three strangers to compete against one another, the show opted for a "Bragging Rights" theme and brought in three longtime friends and co-workers to face off against one another and earn the title of "Best Wheel of Fortune player". Not only do they earn money, but they earn bragging rights, and it was a surprisingly delightful twist for the show.
Fans of the show praised it for the twist, with some saying that, while it shouldn't be the norm, they'd love to see it more often. Another said that they're rooting for each of them as individuals but as a team, which is as confusing as it is fun. Another fan made a great point, saying:
"I like the concept of Bragging Rights. How many of us have sat on our couches competing against friends and/or family members? So to see that play out on television is interesting."
And it's true, we're all guilty of watching Wheel of Fortune, either by ourselves or with others, and pretending we're a contestant. Whether it be competing against loved ones to see who can get the right answer first, or just challenging yourself to see how many puzzles you can get before the contestants on the show. So the "Bragging Rights" theme made for a fun new twist that Wheel of Fortune should absolutely revisit every so often, especially since it helped ease the annoyance of yet another Bonus Round lost.
Wheel of Fortune is on weeknights on ABC.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Wheel of Fortune TV-G Game Show Family 7.5/10 Release Date September 19, 1983 Cast See All Pat Sajak Vanna White
Creator(s) Merv Griffin Powered by Expand Collapse