{"id":41339,"date":"2025-12-24T02:59:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T02:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/storypress.site\/?p=41339"},"modified":"2025-12-24T02:59:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T02:59:31","slug":"a-near-miss-on-wheel-of-fortune-leaves-viewers-rooting-for-the-contestant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/storypress.site\/?p=41339","title":{"rendered":"A Near Miss on Wheel of Fortune Leaves Viewers Rooting for the Contestant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"81\" data-end=\"509\">A recent Bonus Round on\u00a0<strong data-start=\"105\" data-end=\"146\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Wheel of Fortune<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0delivered a moment of suspense that stayed with viewers long after the final spin. One contestant came within seconds of solving the last puzzle\u2014just short of winning a brand-new Mercedes-Benz. Although the luxury prize slipped away, the atmosphere on stage remained supportive, and the contestant walked away with impressive winnings and a memorable experience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\"><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"511\" data-end=\"944\">The episode first aired on May 16 and later returned on August 29 during the show\u2019s Bragging Rights Week, a special theme that paired friends against one another. Representing the Chicago area, Wanda Ruff competed alongside Joyce Underwood and Terri Houston, creating a friendly yet competitive dynamic throughout the game. The match stayed close, but Ruff gradually pulled ahead through consistent puzzle-solving and smart gameplay.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"946\" data-end=\"1328\">By the end of the main rounds, Ruff secured the lead with $21,398 in cash along with a vacation to Portugal. Houston finished with $7,700, while Underwood earned $2,000. In the Bonus Round, Ruff faced the category \u201cThing\u201d and worked with a partially revealed puzzle reading \u201cA PATCH _ _ TH_C _ _ _.\u201d Despite making strong progress, time ran out before she could complete the phrase.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1330\" data-end=\"1865\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The correct answer\u2014\u201cA PATCH OF THICK FOG\u201d\u2014was revealed moments later. When host\u00a0<strong data-start=\"1410\" data-end=\"1451\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ryan Seacrest<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0opened the prize envelope to show the Mercedes-Benz, the audience responded with audible sympathy. Seacrest quickly highlighted Ruff\u2019s overall success, reminding viewers of her substantial winnings. After the episode aired, fans shared supportive reactions online, praising her performance and acknowledging just how challenging the final puzzle had been\u2014proof that even a near miss can still be a winning moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent Bonus Round on\u00a0Wheel of Fortune\u00a0delivered a moment of suspense that stayed with viewers long after the final spin. One contestant came within seconds of solving&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Near Miss on Wheel of Fortune Leaves Viewers Rooting for the Contestant - Story<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/storypress.site\/?p=41339\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Near Miss on Wheel of Fortune Leaves Viewers Rooting for the Contestant - Story\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A recent Bonus Round on\u00a0Wheel of Fortune\u00a0delivered a moment of suspense that stayed with viewers long after the final spin. 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