'Wheel of Fortune' Fans Call Out 'Horrible' Puzzle After Contestant Loses $50,000
Wheel of Fortune contestant Mark Henderson might've gone home from the Sept. 12 episode with $13,990, but fans felt that his chance to win more money in the bonus round was thwarted by a bad puzzle.
During the Tuesday night episode's bonus round, Henderson began a puzzle under the category "Phrase," with the board reading “___RL_NG _ RO_N_.”
Before the countdown started, host Pat Sajak said to Henderson, “Well, it’s a phrase. You have 10 seconds to try to do something with that.”
Henderson stared on in confusion before saying a last-minute guess of “Carling Brown," with Sajak saying encouragingly in response, “Well, you said something!" The puzzle answer was then revealed to be "Whirling Around."
Henderson was a great sport after his loss, but fans were a bit irritated with the show, questioning the final puzzle choice.
A fan replied to a Wheel of Fortune post on X (formerly known as Twitter) to complain, writing, "No one says 'Whirling Around!?' Another horrible final puzzle in the category of phrase."
No one says “Whirling Around!?” Another horrible final puzzle in the category of phrase. ?? pic.twitter.com/ybF6a1dSGU
— Man For Mindy (@manformindy) September 12, 2023
This led to a little debate in the replies, with one arguing that it is a common phrase, while another shared that their guess was "Twirling Around."
Agreeing with the first reply, another fan tweeted after watching the episode that "Whirling around...is not a phrase ?? #wheeloffortune." A third reacted the same way, not believing that the answer belonged to the "Phrase" category.
The current 41st season of Wheel of Fortune—which will be Sajak's last as host—got started on Sept. 11, but the premiere episode didn't go as smoothly as expected, with the show preempted by football in many areas of the country.
Unfortunately, as Monday Night Football continues, many fans won't be able to catch each week's Monday episode as it airs.
In response to the tough news, Sajak empathized with fans in a message on X, writing, "Because of football and squabbles between stations and carriers, a lot of you won’t be able to see some episodes of Wheel this season. We’re as sorry as you are, but we are powerless to do anything about it."
Despite that, fans are making the most of new episodes and are excited to see what the rest of Wheel of Fortune season 41 has in store.
Next: Fans React After Wheel of Fortune Season 41 Premiere Is Postponed
