Another Wheel of Fortune contestant’s inability to solve a seemingly easy puzzle has viewers losing their cool.
In recent months, fans of the long-running weeknight game show have turned their noses up at contestants who have fallen short.
Although watching Wheel of Fortune from the comfort of one’s home is a stark contrast to playing in front of a live studio audience with a buzzer, many fans grow irritated when contestants fall short on their TV screen.
Such was the case following a recent episode in which a contestant named Ashley timed out before she could solve a Bonus Round puzzle.
The category was “What Are You Doing?” As is customary, Ashley was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E.
Ashley then chose the letters H, D, and A as Pat joked that it was “too early to panic” as she expressed some nervousness.
Once all the letters were revealed in the puzzle, Pat told her, “Now you can panic.”
With 10 seconds on the board, Ashley was left with ” _ R _ _ S _ N _ / T H E / A _ S L E S” as Pat Sajak wished her good luck.
Wheel of Fortune contestant falls short on another Bonus Round puzzle
“Braising The Aisles… uh, Grazing The Aisles,” Ashley pondered before the buzzer sounded, indicating she had run out of time.
“You don’t braise ’em, you don’t graze ’em,” Pat teased, revealing the correct answer was “Browsing The Aisles.”
Ashley was a good sport about her incorrect answer, even after learning she had lost out on winning a BMW.
Despite missing out on a German luxury vehicle, Ashley still walked away with $23,398. Not bad for less than an hour’s worth of work.
Wheel of Fortune critics put contestant on blast: ‘Another easy bonus round puzzle unsolved’
Following the episode, Wheel of Fortune viewers headed to a clip of Ashley’s segment on YouTube, where some were angered that Ashley couldn’t come up with the correct answer to her puzzle.
“NOT AGAIN!” griped one viewer. “I KNEW THE PUZZLE AND SHE DIDN’T?!”
Another Wheel of Fortune viewer said of Ashley’s clip, “Another easy bonus round puzzle unsolved.”
“Have the tests to get on [Wheel of Fortune] gotten easier or is the pressure getting tougher?” they continued. “Its getting hard to watch.”
Another YouTube commenter called Ashley’s loss a “heartbreaking” one.
“This was a very easy puzzle i mean the b should have done the job or the w as well,” penned another complainer. “What was she thinking [choosing] a d?”
Pat Sajak’s imminent retirement
With it being Pat’s last season as Wheel of Fortune’s host, some fans think he — like many viewers as of late — has grown tired of contestants’ mistakes on seemingly easy puzzles.
So much so that they believe Pat should call it a day and retire earlier than he plans, following Season 41 of Wheel of Fortune.
It won’t be long before Pat will hang up his hat as Wheel of Fortune’s host and exit after 43 years on the show.
As Monsters and Critics reported, Pat’s hosting duties will be filled by another legendary television personality, Ryan Seacrest, who debuts on Wheel of Fortune later this year.