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Fans boo after 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant gets 'unfair' puzzle with worth $1 million

The fans couldn't keep their cool.

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Contestant gets a very tough 'Wheel of Fortune' puzzle.

The usually respectful crowd at a “Wheel of Fortune” taping aired on Wednesday, May 22, couldn’t hold back after they felt that a puzzle given to finalist Rob Dodson was too harsh. A big reason for their outrage (and why the puzzle was so tricky) was because $1 million was on the line.

Before the puzzle, Dodson chose from a selection of cards that held the prize he would win for solving it. Amongst the cards was the $1 million jackpot, so, understandably, tensions were high. Did Dodson choose the million-dollar card? Will he solve the puzzle under the “What Are You Doing Category”?

Well, things didn’t start too great.

After the usual R, S, T, L, N, and E were put up on the board, Dodson was looking at “_ _ _ _ _ L _ N _.” He quickly guessed C, H, P and A, none of which appeared on the board. He then guessed “funneling” and “finding,” but they didn’t work.

The final answer: “Quibbling.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

After the solution to the puzzle was revealed, the audience began to boo because they didn’t think it was fair. It had 2 Bs in the short answer, started with a Q and was a word that isn’t used often in casual conversation. The crowd’s reaction was an excellent show of support for Dodson, who encouraged the crowd to keep going by raising his hands.

Host Pat Sajak, 77, pushed back against the boos, jokingly asking the audience, “Who asked you?”

So, would Dobson have won the $1 million if he guessed quibbling? Nope. The card he chose would have earned him an Infiniti car if he had guessed correctly. But all in all, it wasn’t a bad outing for Dodson, a father of 2 from Aurora, Ohio. He managed to win $33,500 against Venetia Brown ($7,550) and Jessica Huffman ($2,000).

The tough puzzle earned a lot of boos on social media as well. Twitter was lit up with people who thought that Dodson got cheated by being given a challenging puzzle with a word seldom used in conversation.



Big changes are in store for “Wheel of Fortune” in the coming weeks. The final episode with Sajak as host will air on June 7. Sajak has been the host of “Wheel” since 1981. Vanna White, his co-host since 1982, will remain with the show. “I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come," she wrote on X last year after Sajak announced this would be his last season. "Cheers to you."


Sajak has been a beloved host on "Wheel of Fortune," earning 19 Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Game Show Host and winning three times. In 2019, he set a Guinness World Record for the longest career as a game show host for the same show, beating the previous record held by Bob Barker.

ryan seacrest, seacrest out, uso, wheel of fortune, tv personalities Ryan Seacrest, television and radio host and producer, hosts the 2016 USO Gala, Washington, D.C., Oct. 20, 2016.via Jim Greenhill from McLean, USA/Wikimedia Commons

A familiar face replaced Sajak, Ryan Seacrest, best known for his work on “American Idol” and “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year's Eve.” "I can't wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White," he said after it was announced he was the new host. So, how did he do after taking over the coveted role of host? The first week that Seacrest took over for Sajack, the ratings took a giant leap, bringing in the most viewers since 2015, making it he number one syndicated show that week. Time will tell if Seacrest can replace Sajak's magic, but he has time; reports show that he has signed on for the gig into the 2030s.

This article originally appeared last year and has been updated.

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‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant immediately regrets his hilariously wrong answer to an easy puzzle

“I can’t breathe. I am laughing so hard."

via WheelRob/X

Will Jodran has a hilarious answer on "Wheel of Fortune."

The Monday, November 11, Veteran’s Day episode of “Wheel of Fortune” featured military veterans competing for cash and prizes. But it’ll probably be best remembered for a hilarious answer given by Coast Guard veteran Will Jordan.

Jordan is a veteran police officer working as a school resource officer in Newington, Connecticut.

During Round 1` under the “Phrase” category, Jordan faced a 6-word puzzle that read “_ _ _ E / _ O U R S E _ F / A / R O U N _ / O F / A _ _ _ A U S E.” At that point, Jordan thought he had the answer and proudly proclaimed, “I’d like to solve.” His answer was as strange, to say the least: “Treat Yourself A Round Of Sausage.”

First of all, sausage doesn’t start with an “A.” Second, have you ever heard anyone say they’re going to eat a “round” of sausage? People will treat someone to a round of beer or golf. But sausage, not so much.



When the phrase came out of his mouth, Jordan seemed to realize he was wrong by yelling quickly, “No.” Kitina Thomas, a retired Air Force vet from San Antonio, Texas, followed up Jordan’s incorrect guess with the correct answer: “Give Yourself A Round Of Applause.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” host Ryan Seacrest said. “Although, Will, I kind of like yours better. That sounds better than just clapping right now.” At the end of the game, Army Reserves veteran Chantel Toran took first place with $13,000, Thomas made $10,500, while Jordan finished in third with $8,000. He says he will use the money to take his family on a cruise.

Viewers took to social media to share their thoughts on Jordan’s hilarious answer.

“I think he realized he didn’t know right after he said he’d like to solve,” an X user wrote.

“I don't know how Vanna keeps a straight face the whole time. Hahaha,” an X user added.

“I can’t breathe. I was laughing so hard. He was so confident, too. “I’D LIKE TO SOLVE!” said one Reddit user.



When the game was over, Jordan told Maggie Sajak, former host Pat Sajak’s daughter, that he was so starstruck that it screwed up his performance. "I tell you when the lights go on and you know the stars—Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White. I just went blank."

But he hoped Sajak’s father would get a kick out of his outlandish answer. "If your dad in retirement is watching this show, maybe cracks a beer and gets a laugh, then it was worth it,” Jordan said. Pat Sajak, who hosted “Wheel of Fortune” for 41 seasons, recently handled over the reigns of the show to “Kelly and Ryan” host Ryan Seacrest.

Ultimately, Jordan is a little scared about what he may have to deal with when he returns home to Connecticut. "I'm sure I'm going to have sausages in my locker and police car when I get back. We'll try to have some fun with it,” he joked.

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'Wheel of Fortune' contestant dubbed 'best ever' after his instant $67,000 winning move

Pat Sajak was left speechless.

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Imagine winning that much money in milliseconds.

Over its decades-long syndication run, “Wheel of Fortune” has given audiences their fair share of epic wins (not to mention royally embarrassing misses). But regardless, seeing someone effortlessly wordsmith their way into winning big money never gets old.

And this big win came in a matter of milliseconds.

Alex Harrell, a father from Stafford, Virginia, who has served over nine years in the Marine Corps as an Osprey pilot, had already dominated the episode—racking up $27,105, a cruise and a trip to Aruba, per TV Insider.


This brought the young Marine to the Bonus round, where he selected the “Food and Drink” category and the letters “H, G, P and O.”

Up on the two-word puzzle screen, “T _ P _ O _ _ / P _ _ _ _ N G” appeared.

Before Pat Sajak is even able to say “if you need more time,” Harrell had his answer.

“Tapioca Pudding.”

Shaking his head in astonishment, Sajak opened the envelope to reveal Harrel won an additional $40,000, which gave him an overall total of $67,150, plus his trips.

“Way to go, Alex. Best contestant ever tonight!” wrote one viewer on YouTube.

Another added, “intense bonus round, he rocked it.”

Folks on X shared a similar sentiment.

One person wrote, “WOW!! Alex did Excellent!!! That’s the way we like it…and thank you for your service.”

Another seconded, “I'm assuming he's gonna go back to the Hyatt and roll around in the bed with all that dough.”

Now one has to wonder…does Harrell have a knack for words? Or is he just that big a fan of pudding? Either way, it paid off.

Watch his iconic win below:

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After 37 years, Vanna White finally got to host an episode of Wheel of Fortune

For 37 years, we've seen Vanna White glamorously and quietly turning the letters on Wheel of Fortune. During the show's history, she's worn over 6,700 gowns, and has clapped an average of 606 times a show. But until now, she's never hosted a full episode. Now, she's finally getting her turn to ask contestants if they'd like to buy a vowel.

Pat Sajak had an emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine, leaving the show without a host. White was asked to step in, something she had never thought about. "I've never even thought of that in 37 years," White said in an interview, "and to be asked almost on the spot, 'How do you feel about hosting the show?' Like, what?!"

White will host the show for three weeks while Sajak recovers, although they won't air in that order.


RELATED: Alex Trebek made a very sad announcement, but his positivity and humor has everyone fighting with him.

While White filled in for Sajak, Minnie Mouse filled in for White. White was nervous during the show, but did great despite only having a few hours to prepare. "I literally had a 30-minute rehearsal of hosting the game. I did one, and then we did the shows! I'm very green, let's put it that way," White told People Magazine. "I think for listening Pat for 37 years, I understood the game and how he hosted it. I was very familiar with the show."

Fans were excited to see White finally step behind the wheel.








RELATED: Ellen and George W. Bush's friendship begs the question: Should we all just get along?

There have been jokes made that it took White 37 years to get a promotion, but there's a sad truth behind it. Hosting game shows has largely been left to men, with women relegated to standing on the side and looking pretty.

Hollywood Game Night host Jane Lynch said, "I'm always surprised" when to comes to how few female game show hosts there have been. "'Hollywood Game Night' might have started this revival, but there's still no more female hosts," Lynch told the Huffington Post. "I'm the only one. There's just kind of an inability to open up the mind, I think, to females hosting things."

Meredith Vieira was able to have a lengthy run as the host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, serving as host from 2002 to 2013. However, female gameshow hosts have been few and far between. When British show The Weakest Link was turned into American TV, Anne Robinson hosted the American version for only one year.

White says that women should be able to host game shows, too, even if "you don't see a lot of it." Gameshow hosts shouldn't be limited to the likes of Pat Sajak. "Everybody's entitled to host the show: female, male, everyone," White said. "It would be fun to see more women up there doing that. If that's what they want to do."

Even if we don't see more of White donning the hosting duties, hopefully we'll see more female gameshow hosts in the future.

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