Ryan Seacrest found himself in hot water with “Wheel of Fortune” fans after a hosting slip-up cost a contestant a $10,000 win.
During the Tuesday, September 16, episode, Dallas teacher Pia Wilson had the final puzzle within reach, but when Seacrest, who also hosts “American Idol,” talked over her at a crucial moment, the clock ran out and the prize slipped away. Viewers quickly took to social media to accuse the host of “robbing” her of the cash.
Final Puzzle Blunder
Before making their way to the final puzzle on “Wheel of Fortune,” Wilson solved two of the three Triple Toss Ups. It was her first wins of the night, giving her a total of $4,000.
It was then time for the final puzzle, in which the category was “What Time Is It?” Wilson spun the wheel, landing on $700, making the consonants $1,700 for the board.
As the puzzle played out, the only six consonants in the puzzle were guessed, so the “Only Vowels” bell sounded. Wilson had $10,200 in her bank at this point. After the buzzer went off, Seacrest said, “Vowels only at this point. Just guessing vowels.”
The special education teacher was about to guess “A,” but her three-second timer went off, so it shifted to her opponent’s turn. He guessed “At The Last Minute” to win the round.
While the time ran out on Wilson to guess that vowel, fans were not happy. Seacrest appeared to talk the entire three seconds and didn’t allow Wilson to guess a letter or solve the puzzle.
Fans React to Ryan Seacrest’s Mistake
While Wilson appeared to be a bit mad at the end of the episode, Seacrest did congratulate her for getting the $4,000 during those Triple Toss Ups. However, fans of the show were just as upset. They voiced their opinions on a Reddit thread titled, “PIA was robbed.”
One user happened to be at the taping of the show and gave their take on things, stating. “Was at the taping for today’s show back in April. There was indeed controversy at the end of the Speed Up. Pia was taken aback by the only vowels left sound and appeared to be waiting for Ryan to finish explaining what it meant, though she had the puzzle figured out.”
The user went on to say, “Ryan asked her after the cameras stopped rolling if she knew it, and she indicated that she did. A group quickly gathered around her, and after some discussion, it was decided that they would play an additional $2500 Top Dollar Value spinning round that wouldn’t count in the standings, where Pia would start, and 3 consonants would be revealed before the first spin. In the end, she won that round. Had never heard of anything like that happening before.”
Other Reddit users voiced their thoughts, including one saying, “Yes! I was shocked. The timer shouldn’t start until he stops talking.”
Another person wrote, “Just horrible. I feel so bad for her! Ryan really screwed up this time 😒,” while another user commented, “Totally robbed, she has no time at all.”
Many users called for the show to bring her back since she was robbed. What do you think? Do you think she was robbed?
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