‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Lash Out at Pat Sajak After Contestant “Robbed” of $100k Win: “You Owe Her”

A college student just lost out on $100,000 during Wednesday’s (April 6) episode of Wheel of Fortune – and fans are upset.

Texas Women’s University student Alexa Hoekstra was competing on the show’s College Week Spring Break special when she moved onto the bonus round with $19,950 in earnings.

The bonus category was “What are you doing?” With just 10 seconds on the timer, Alexa tried to guess the answer to the puzzle, which was “Just Winging It.” It sounds like she guessed it correctly but Sajak didn’t say she was correct. She also could have guessed “Just Winning It,” which would explain why she wasn’t correct.

For a moment, it sounded like Pat Sajak was going to tell her to repeat herself, but thought against it. Viewers at home said it sounded like she correctly guessed it, but she kept guessing other answers after Sajak didn’t confirm.

@WheelofFortune I think you folks just denied this girl $100k …I sure heard “Just Winging It”… pic.twitter.com/km8B2HGXgM

— Gord Garrity (@Gord_Garrity) April 6, 2023

The timer ultimately ran out. “You were right there,” Sajak said when the buzzer rang.

“So close,” Alexa replied.

Sajak went on to reveal that the prize money was a whopping $100,000. “Oh man, you know,” he said, as viewers groaned from the audience. “Hey, I can’t help it… I feel terrible.” He later added, “But anyway you win $19,950 – still an impressive haul.”

Fans at home slammed the show for not giving Alexa the win. Multiple viewers thought she clearly said “Just Winging It” and felt that the game show had “robbed” her.

“I’m absolutely certain that the first thing she said was ‘Just winging It.’ You owe that young woman an apology and $100,000!” one viewer tweeted.

“The girl definitely said just winging it and then lost 100k. Rewatch the tapes. Wish she should have spoken up!” another fan wrote.

Another added, “Lifelong watcher here! Alexa got robbed tonight. Her first attempt was “Just winging it!” I’ve rewatched it a dozen times – you guys goofed. Give her the $100K she rightly won!”

Poor Alexa. At least she came out on top and got to leave with her earnings.

Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7/6c. Find local listings on the Wheel of Fortune website.