'Wheel of Fortune' Fans up in Arms After Contestant Loses on Technicality

Stephanie Downs

12/23/2021 12:45 am EST

Wheel of Fortune was not able to give contestant Charlene Rubush the big prize after she failed to correctly guess the final puzzle. While Rubush did say all of the correct words for the final puzzle, she did not say them in a "continuous" fashion, leading host Pat Sajak to tell her that they couldn't give her the prize. Now, fans have flocked to social media to share their outrage over the situation, with some even threatening to boycott the show for the decision.

On Tuesday's episode of Wheel of Fortune, Rubush was tasked with solving a puzzle under the category, "What Are You Doing?" She initially guessed that the answer was "choosing the right card," which wasn't correct. She subsequently amended her answer and said "word" before the buzzer sounded, per Monsters and Critics. However, since she did not say "choosing the right word" in one "continuous" phrase, the show did not award her with the final prize, which happened to have been a new car.

On Twitter, viewers were incensed that the show did not award Rubash with the win. They didn't hold back their feelings on the topic in the slightest.

Big 2021 Vibes

"You know, this one's tough because you said all the right words, including the word 'word' but, as you know, it's gotta be more or less continuous," Sajak said during the episode. "We'll allow for a little pause but not four or five seconds. I'm sorry. You did a good job in getting it, but we can't give you the prize, and it was the Audi."

How?

"I hope you give her the car she deserves," one fan wrote. "As much as I like the show I will not watch until I hear she got it."

Give Her The Car

Fans are calling on Wheel of Fortune to give Rubush the car. They believe that the show made the wrong call.

Confused

Some viewers were confused about how the whole thing went down. After all, she did say the phrase before the buzzer.

Robbed

This fan brought up that she lost the car on a Christmas episode, no less. That's not the holiday spirit.

So Wrong

"Give her the damn car," another viewer weighed in. "She said in the time allowed, she said all the words in order. Just so wrong!"

Wow

Viewers were simply shocked by the fact that Wheel of Fortune did not give her the prize. But, maybe she'll end up with a car after all if Audi has its way.

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