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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Blasted After Contestant Loses $100,000 on ‘Ridiculous’ Puzzle

Wheel of Fortune/YouTube

Wheel of Fortune has been slammed by fans after a contestant lost out on $100,000 after being given a “ridiculous puzzle.” Viewers said it was the “toughest puzzle ever” with some saying that it was “impossible” to solve.

The controversy came as the episode on Friday May 2 capped off a week when none of the Bonus Round contestants won their puzzles.

The player who missed out was Kristyn Hobbs, from Fort Cobb Lake, Oklahoma, who competed against Annelorrie Brown, from Wellington, Illinois, and David Fisch, from Brooklyn, New York, on Friday, May 2. Hobbs shared that her husband recently built her a greenhouse and she planted over 1,500 seedlings.

She solved the first two toss-ups, putting $2,000 in her bank. The game didn’t start off well as all three game show contestants landed on Bankrupt during the first puzzle. Brown, a self-proclaimed fashionista, solved most of the puzzle, but couldn’t figure out the last letter. Fisch, who loves layovers in airports, wound up solving the puzzle, giving him $1,000.

The same thing happened on the next puzzle. Fisch solved most of the letters. When he called a wrong one, Hobbs solved “I want to hold your hand-me-downs,” winning the money. Fisch explained that he wasn’t thinking of the word “hold.”

During the third puzzle, Hobbs landed on the Wild Card to use in the Bonus Round. She also rode the express train but guessed the wrong letter and went Bankrupt. She solved “Exploring the Jungle” and won a trip to Peru. This gave her a total of $14,000, putting her in the lead.

Hobbs solved two out of the three Triple Toss-Ups. Fisch solved the other one. He also solved the final puzzle — “Clever Endeavor.” Fisch ended with $14,400. Brown had no money so Wheel of Fortune gave her $1,000. Hobbs had $18,000 and a trip to Peru. She advanced to the Bonus Round.

During the Bonus Round, Hobbs brought her sister, Shannon, and her friend, Amy, with her. After spinning the wheel, she landed on the ampersand.

Hobbs chose “What are you doing?” Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” She chose “G,C,H, and I.” Hobbs lost the Wild Card after going Bankrupt in the previous round.

Her puzzle then looked like “R_ _ _ _GING IN THE  _ _C_ _ _R_.” As the clock counted down, Hobbs didn’t guess anything.

“It’s a big puzzle to solve,” host Ryan Seacrest said. The puzzle was “Rummaging in the Backyard.” He revealed the envelope, which had $100,000 in it. Hobbs threw her hands on her head and groaned.

At the end of the show, Seacrest told his cohost, Vanna White, that he got excited because he knew the $100,000 was in the envelope, but then Hobbs didn’t win it. None of the Bonus Round contestants that week won.

However, fans called Hobbs’ Bonus Round puzzle ridiculous. “The writers who concocted that ridiculous puzzle are responsible for the loss, not Kristyn. Be honest: how many times in your life have you said the phrase, ‘I’m rummaging around in the backyard’—? You might say, ‘I’m rummaging around in the… closet…garage…junk drawer…’etc., but not the backyard. Unless your backyard is a junkyard! This was impossible in 10 seconds for the contestant,” a YouTube user wrote.

“No one rummages in the backyard!!!” said another.

“That’s gotta be one of the toughest bonus puzzles I’ve ever seen,” commented a third. It was “impossible,” added another viewer.

“I got rummaging, but I couldn’t get ‘backyard’ obviously because nobody rummages through their backyard,” said another. 

Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check local listings