Daisy Maldonado
Dec 23, 2021
ABC.
It came down to only a few seconds that made a giant difference for a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune.
The game show player, Charlene Rubush , ultimately missed out on winning an Audi Q3 SUV due to a technicality—and viewers swear she was robbed.
Rubush was solving a puzzle during the bonus round and only had a few more empty squares to solve but the delivery of her guess cost her the prize.
During her ten seconds, she guessed the phrase “Choosing the right card,” which was wrong. On her second try, she blurted out, “Choosing the right ― word,” but not before slightly stumbling on her words.
The phrase was correct, but TV host Pat Sajak told Rubush her answer needed to be more continuous to count. The prize was then revealed to be the car, which she did not receive.
Rubush had pausing for about seven seconds and said “word.”
Watch it for yourself:
Come on @WheelofFortune, the woman literally chose the right word. Give her the car. https://t.co/aAaMyFeEZl— Alex Jacob (@Alex Jacob) 1640139943
“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.
He added: “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.”
Online, people defended Rubush and showed their outrage with how the moment was handled.
@ ‘wheel of NO fortune’ you owe that woman a car! She got screwed! @Audi please step up - give Charlene a damn car… https://t.co/qm1NCucNZc— jamie k (@jamie k) 1640133508
they cheating that lady out of her audi on wheel of fortune bc she very much guessed it in time …— azu ♡’s attack on titan (@azu ♡’s attack on titan) 1640132818
#WheelofFortune robbed that girl of an Audi. Shame.— Kali 🥥 (@Kali 🥥) 1640132929
Wheel of Fortune, you just lost a viewer. "I am choosing the right word" to never watch this show again.… https://t.co/54jsC69q4Z— TalinOrfaliGhazarian (@TalinOrfaliGhazarian) 1640135168
Luckily, Audi themselves also saw the commotion that was caused online, and had a special message for Rubush.
"You’re a winner in our eyes, Charlene. Now, let’s get you a prize. Time to #GiveHerTheQ,” the brand wrote.
You're a winner in our eyes, Charlene. Now, let's get you a prize. Time to #GiveHerTheQ3. https://t.co/x0e3j1CqY9— Audi USA (@Audi USA) 1640211741
All’s well that ends well!
Top 100
The Conversation (0)