‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Shocked as ‘Greedy’ Contestant Loses $23,550

Wheel of Fortune viewers were left stunned on Thursday night (April 11) when a contestant kept spinning the wheel despite being only two letters away from an easy puzzle solve.

The contestant in question was Randy Rose, a married father of two from Clifton, New Jersey, who told Pat Sajak that his wife signed him up for the show. He explained how he was looking through his emails, saw the message about the Wheel audition, and was about to delete it until his wife stopped him and confessed that she’d put him forward for the show.

Rose faced off against Cornita McQuitery, an Air Force cyberspace officer and commander at the 26th Network Operations Squadron from Montgomery, Alabama, and Kaeley George from Colorado Springs, Colorado, who said she was playing for her Nana.

Things got off to a strong start for Rose, who tied with McQuitery on $6,000 each after the Mystery Round. He then had control of the wheel during the Express Round as he aimed to solve a puzzle under the “What Are You Doing?” category.

But it was fans at home who began asking, “What are you doing?” as Rose continued to spin the wheel and select more letters, even after the seven-word puzzle was almost complete. He even used some of his winnings to buy all the vowels.

“No sweat,” Sajak said as Rose span again and barely missed landing on the Bankrupt wedge.

Wheel of Fortune/YouTube

“This is getting out of hand, Randy. What do you want to do?” the long-time host asked as Rose opted to spin the wheel again and narrowly avoided another Bankrupt wedge.

It was clear to most people that the puzzle answer was “Unwinding At The End of the Day,” and yet Rose kept spinning, selecting a “T,” which meant only two letters were missing from the board.

At this point, it seemed a sure thing, but shockingly, Rose chose to spin again. It was unclear whether he really didn’t know the answer or if he just wanted to add more money to his total.

Unfortunately for Rose, his luck ran out, as he landed on Lose A Turn and lost everything, including $23,550 in cash and a trip to Costa Rica.

I really wanted Randy to win this puzzle, he was playing with fire that entire round. #WheelOfFortune pic.twitter.com/IoeBMjbXFw

— AC  (@ACinPhilly) April 11, 2024

A surprised-looking McQuitery then swooped in with the correct answer, bagging herself the money and the vacation.

“Now, Randy has been a terrific player all evening and you sit at home wondering how could that happen? But it does, sometimes there’s a word that doesnt come into focus,” Sajak said, seeming to be on the side that Rose simply couldn’t figure out the puzzle.

However, some viewers felt like Rose was being “greedy,” and that’s what ultimately cost him big time.

“Randy is either the most selfish player in the history of #WheelOfFortune, or he legitimately didn’t know the answer to that simple puzzle. Not good either way. Unbelievable,” wrote one fan on X.

Another said, “Randy got greedy, kept spinning and lost all that damn money. Over 20,000 dollars. Serves him right.”

“I really wanted Randy to win this puzzle, he was playing with fire that entire round,” said another.

Another added, “Randy’s wife is gonna curse his ass OUT when he sees her.”

“Randy thought the odds were ever in his favor lol,” wrote one commenter, while another added, “The greed is real, Randy. That’s a $51K swing in the game.”

“THE GREED OF THIS GUY ON WHEEL LOL COME ON MAN SOLVE THE PUZZLE!!!!” exclaimed another.

Rose’s mistake cost him, and it allowed McQuitery to pull away and win the episode with $16,500 cash and a trip to Costa Rica.

What did you think of Rose’s blunder? Did he not know the answer? Or was it greed? Let us know in the comments below.