Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
Wheel of Fortune fans can be described only as passionate and opinionated when it comes to the show’s puzzles and host choices, but some of them also have thoughts about the prizes contestants stand to win.
Viewers are talking after a contestant named Ricky Lowery competed on the Tuesday, March 4, episode of the game show, where he solved his way to the top spot. As the big winner of the episode, Lowery earned a shot at the show’s Bonus Round and picked “Phrase” for his puzzle. That’s when host Ryan Seacrest informed Lowery that the prize options for the night were a car, $75,000, and $100,000.
The contestant, who had already won a trip to Aruba earlier in the episode, managed to guess “Gone,” the first word of the final puzzle, which read, “G_NE HA_ _ _ RE.” The answer was revealed to be “Gone Haywire,” with Lowery missing out on the bonus prize. Seacrest, 50, revealed the contestant could have taken home a Mini Cooper if he had been able to come up with the correct answer.
The car prize reveal seemingly disappointed a number of fans of the show, who took to the Wheel of Fortune SubReddit to share their thoughts.
“Car for a final prize?,” posted one user who started the conversation before they added, “That seems like a much worse option, right? Most spins are ~$40k these days so a mini cooper convertible worth $41k seems like a terrible alternative.”
A second user added, “Also you have to pay the tax on it. It’s the same thing if you win a trip. I’d rather have all cash.”
A third user noted, “It’s kind of like, though, when this girl won a car on The Price Is Right a couple of weeks ago, and she told Drew, ‘My car literally died yesterday.’ I think for some people, it is a welcome prize. I guess, of course, they don’t have to take it if they don’t want it.”
airs weeknights on ABC.
Read the full article here
