Why ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Fans Think Contestant Was ‘Ripped Off’

Mauricio is a Newsweek writer based in Miami. His focus is reporting on entertainment and celebrity news. He has in depth knowledge of pop culture and has covered breaking and existing stories extensively. Mauricio joined Newsweek in 2024 from the Associated Press and had previously worked at Only In Dade and Ranker.com. You can get in touch with Mauricio by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English, and Spanish.

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There are times when Wheel of Fortune judges have to make some hard calls when it comes to contestants’ answers on the game show, and it’s usually divisive for fans.

Denise Zinzi, from Oakton, Virginia, appeared on the Tuesday, February 11, episode of the beloved game show, where she competed against Yumemi Turk from Torrance, California, and Chris Wiley from Meridianville, Alabama.

Outrage from fans was sparked during the Mystery Round of the episode, where contestants had to solve a four-word “Before and After” puzzle. The puzzle read: “L O V E / L E T T E R / O _ / R E S I G N _ T I O N” when Zinzi attempted to guess the answer and said, “Love Letter Of Resination” without clearly pronouncing the “G” in the latter.

After a short pause, host Ryan Seacrest confirmed that the response was not correct and said, “No, that’s not it.” Turk then answered, “Love Letter Of Resignation,” making sure to emphasize the “G.” Judges and Seacrest deemed his answer correct, giving him the winnings.

A number of Wheel fans have expressed their opinions on the ruling on Reddit, with some believing that Zinzi’s answer was unfairly judged.

“I think they ripped Denise off, with the ‘Letter of Resignation’ puzzle tonight. Bless her heart,” wrote one viewer, while another noted, “She was ripped off, she had already put the G on the board, she was obviously saying ‘resignation.'”

A third viewer seemed to think that the mispronunciation may be because of a regional accent and wrote, “Wondering if she has an accent. Strange you couldn’t hear the “G”. “Resination” with the G on the board. Feel bad for her.”

A fourth disagreed and wrote, “She was absolutely not ripped off. She didn’t know the word. She made one up.” A fifth simply added, “Resination is not the same as resignation.”

Seacrest, 50, took over as host of Wheel in 2024 following Pat Sajak’s exit after over 40 years on the show and has been receiving both praise and critique for his hosting skills.