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Wheel of Fortune viewers are again frustrated with the show for what they deemed a “ridiculous” Bonus Round puzzle that cost one contestant a shot at $40,000.
On Tuesday’s (March 5) episode, Joey Covey, a registered nurse from Willowbrook, Illinois, took on Monica Victor, a runner from New York, New York, and Melissa Ito, a karate black belt who talked about her training in close-quarter combat.
Covey dominated the episode from the start, amassing $18,650 by the halfway point and leaving his opponents in the dust. He continued to storm ahead in the subsequent rounds, increasing his total winnings to $36,349 and bagging a trip to Italy for good measure.
Not only did Covey secure his spot in the Bonus Round, but he also entered with a Million-Dollar Wedge in play. With the pressure mounting, he picked “What Are You Doing?” for his final category and the additional letters “C, H, I, M, and G.”
Covey was faced with a four-word puzzle that read “S T _ _ _ N G / _ _ _ _ E / T H E / _ R _ _.”
Despite proving to be a puzzle-solving master throughout the episode, Covey was stumped by the final puzzle. He could only come up with the first word, repeating “Staying,” but was unable to figure out the rest.
After the ten-second timer ran out, Vanna White revealed the correct answer as “Staying Above The Fray.”
“It’s okay,” Covey said, taking his loss in good spirits.
“Now we don’t want to see the million,” long-time host Pat Sajak said as he opened the prize envelope. “You’d rather see, like, a Bic pen or something like that.”
Sajak unveiled the envelope to reveal Covey lost out on a bonus $40,000, which still stung, but not as much as $1 million.
While Covey took his loss on the chin, some viewers at home felt he was faced with a “ridiculous” puzzle.
“Tonight’s Bonus Round was ridiculous. No one would have gotten “Staying Above the Fray,”” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).
“The puzzle was hard today #WheelofFortune, staying above the fray,” added another.
“I got “Staying Above The…” but “Fray?” It’s 2024 for goodness sake,” wrote another fan in the YouTube comments. “They always screw us in the BR when we “win too much” in the regular game unless they have too many flops earlier in the week.”
Another added, “I actually got this, although I feel like this should be classified as a phrase instead.”
“Please stop using the “Staying above the fray” as your final clue! It has been three times in the past year. Every time you get complaints bc of this,” commented another fan.
The show has used a version of this puzzle in the past; most notably, it cost a contestant $100,000 in Season 34, though that read “Joining The Fray.”
What do you think? Were you able to figure out this puzzle? Let us know in the comment section below.
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check your local listings