One contestant’s loss was one other one’s achieve on Monday’s (December 30) episode of Wheel of Fortune after a catastrophic puzzle blunder modified the course of the sport.
Monday’s episode noticed a face-off between Mike Tomani from Rochester, New York, Gaelyn Nease from Tallahassee, Florida, and Carmetta Wells, from Los Angeles, California, who was on the point of have fun her birthday on New 12 months’s Eve.
Tomani received out to an early lead, amassing $17,700 after the Thriller Spherical, whereas Nease and Wells trailed with $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. Nonetheless, Tomani stalled within the Categorical Spherical, leaving Nease and Wells to battle it out.
Nease had an opportunity to get again into the sport by fixing what seemed to be a straightforward three-word puzzle within the “Meals and Drink” class. The board learn, “NE _ / _ OR _ / _ HEESE _ A _ E” when Nease tried to unravel the puzzle. However she mentioned “New Your CheeseSTEAK” as a substitute of “CheeseCAKE.”
“This woman actually mentioned cheesesteak,” wrote one X person.
“My jaw dropped. WTF?!?” replied one other.
A brand new all-time horrible reply on #wheel @johnkriesel @CoryCove pic.twitter.com/dNtEE0QDrP
— Anders Kronberg (@Anders_Kronberg) December 31, 2024
One other added, “I can’t determine whether or not to snicker or really feel sorry for this younger woman.”
“NEW YORK CHEESESTEAK?! WHO SCREENS THESE PEOPLE???!!!” mentioned one other.
“I’m nonetheless chuckling to myself. It was the pause after “cheese” the place she realized steak didn’t match that basically did me in,” added a fan on the Wheel of Fortune Reddit discussion board.
“I cringed so onerous. Couldn’t have a look at her the remainder of the episode out of second hand embarrassment,” mentioned one other.
One fan added, “I used to be laughing so onerous my abdomen harm. I imply, I get it, the stress and all. However for crying out loud, take a second, suppose, compose your self.”
Nease’s incorrect response allowed Wells to leap in with the right resolve, profitable herself a visit to the Conrad New York Downtown plus a Dick Clark’s New 12 months’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest VIP expertise price $8,000.
Wells continued her success from then on, nailing each puzzle within the Triple Toss-Up spherical (together with a powerful one-letter resolve!) to provide her a remaining rating of $28,250, securing her spot within the Bonus Spherical, with a Wild Card wedge as well. Tomani completed second with $17,700, whereas Nease crashed and burned with simply $2,000.
After choosing the “Phrase” class and the extra letters “M, D, Y, I, and the Wild Card alternative H,” Wells was confronted with a four-word puzzle that learn: “I / H _ _ E / _ N / I D E _.”
It didn’t take lengthy for Wells to reply, “I Have An Concept,” nailing the puzzle and including an additional $40,000 to her winnings, giving her a complete of $68,250 money, plus a visit to New York Metropolis.
“I can’t wait to have fun with you in Instances Sq. for New 12 months’s,” Seacrest informed the overwhelmed Wells.
Followers cherished Wells’ victory and her calm strategy to the sport.
“Could I be as cool, calm, and picked up as Carmetta after I finally go on Wheel,” mentioned one YouTube commenter.
“Technique to go, Carmetta! You solved that puzzle in a flash!” one other added.
“This woman who gained tonight is a legend,” wrote on Reddit person.
One other added, “She was superior!! Wished it was extra then $40,000!!”
“Congratulations to Carmetta method to go! Tremendous fast resolve in each puzzle she solved,” mentioned one other.
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