Fans of the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune are in an uproar after a contestant was seemingly robbed of a $50,000 prize during the bonus round. On a recent episode, contestant Tamara Atkins, who works as the Director of Oncology Patient Solutions and Alliances in Pennsylvania, chose the “What Are You Doing” category for her final puzzle.
The clue, which read “_ _ _N_NG A B_ _ _ _L_B,” had her guessing frantically before finally blurting out “Joining a book club” in the dying seconds of the round. However, host Pat Sajak did not acknowledge her guess and the contestant ultimately lost out on the grand prize.
During the round, Sajak had encouraged Atkins to “talk it out” and use the large letter board in order to solve the puzzle. Despite her efforts, Atkins was unable to finish the puzzle before the time ran out.
Sajak then revealed that the correct answer was “joining a book club” and that the golden envelope prize was worth a whopping $50,000. However, instead of walking away with the grand prize, Atkins ended up with a still substantial $21,132. While she appeared to be happy with her winnings, fans quickly took to social media to voice their outrage.
Many fans of the show claimed that Atkins had given the right answer before the time ran out and should have been given the $50,000 grand prize. One person declared that “Tamara won the bonus round on Wheel of Fortune,” and pointed out that she had already mentioned “book club” before eventually saying “joining a book club.”
They believed that she had given the correct answer before the buzzer and accused the show of robbing her of her winnings. Another fan called it “bulls**t,” stating that the contestant had gotten the puzzle right and that they had “ripped off another contestant.”
This isn’t the first time that fans have been upset with the show’s decisions. In a previous episode in January, fans rallied behind contestant Megan, who they claimed “definitely” gave the right answer but was not awarded the $40,000 grand prize.
While some fans were adamant that Atkins had said “joining a book club,” others were not so convinced. Some viewers were quick to point out that they heard her say “running” instead of “joining,” while others insisted that she had not said the full phrase “joining a book club.” These conflicting opinions only added to the controversy surrounding the show’s decision.
Some viewers disagreed with their assessment and defended Sajak’s decision. They maintained that Atkins had not given the full answer before the buzzer and had only said “running a book club.” They argued that this was a completely different phrase and therefore, the contestant did not deserve the grand prize. Others pointed out that at the beginning of the round, Atkins had guessed “fanning” before switching to “book club,” and therefore, she did not say the right answer until the time had already run out.
With the controversy surrounding this latest decision, fans of the show are left wondering if Wheel of Fortune will make changes to their rules to avoid future disputes. While some viewers were happy with the $21,132 prize, others couldn’t help but feel that the contestant was cheated out of $50,000. Whether or not the show will address these concerns remains to be seen.
