SHE SAID IT!
Wheel of Fortune contestant ‘ripped off,’ fans rage as they claim player solved $50k puzzle ‘before time ran out’
Pat Sajak even admitted, "So Close!"
WHEEL of Fortune may have another "Pink Orchid" situation on its hands as many fans are convinced Friday's winner was cheated out of the $50,000 bonus prize.
Viewers spun to social media where they claimed that Tamara correctly solved the full bonus puzzle at the very end of the 10-second timer.
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The Philadelphia-based contestant, who is married to her college sweetheart and shares two children, won the game by a narrow margin with $21,132.
With a Cruise wedge in tow and her close friend off-stage, she proceeded to the bonus round, where she chose the category "What Are You Doing?"
Along with the provided "RSTLNE," she chose "G, D, B, A" as her additional letters.
Her additions left the puzzle reading as: "_ _ _ N_NG' 'A' 'B_ _ _' '_L_B'.
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Host Pat Sajak encouraged: "Pay attention to what's up there, you can do this!"
When the ten-second timer began, Tamara began putting it together: "Fanning a- Book club."
She then made a full guess, which sounded to fans like either "Running a Book Club with a "J" at the beginning or "Joining A Book Club," which was the correct answer.
The timer ran out, however, and the incorrect buzzer rang and the full puzzle was displayed.
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"Oh, I know," Pat lamented." By the time you got to 'Book club' the time was running out on you."
Pat revealed she lost out on an extra $50,000 per the prize card and the trip wedge to Antarctica, joking she has to "settle" for $21,132.
He shook her hand, and her sarcastic gaze turned to a smile as she said: "Thank you, Pat." - the host added: "That was close!"
However, Wheel of Fortune fans were unconvinced she wasn't just close, and quite a few made clear they heard Tamara say the full puzzle in time.
'YOU MESSED UP- AGAIN!'
One X user wrote: "@WheelofFortune that's bulls**t she got that puzzle before the buzzer!! You've ripped off another contestant!"
Another wrote: "@WheelofFortune, I'm pretty sure she got it at the buzzer. She’s a winner."
A third wrote: "The contestant got the puzzle right - you messed it up again!"
A fourth wrote: "What the hell. I thought she said that in PLENTY of time!!! And I thought the rule was as long as you BEGAN before the buzzer, you could finish!!"
A fifth questioned: "Ummmm she got it, didn’t she? Like right on the buzzer."
A sixth roared: "She said it! In the middle of the bell she had half of the 'What Are You Doing' [puzzle] out! Give her the prize!!"
An additional fan asked: "WHAT just happened?!? The contestant got it. 'Joining a Book Club' BEFORE time ran out - barely - but before time ran out."
PINK ORCHID PALOOZA
Just last month, fans were convinced that Megan Carvale was robbed of $40,000 after being ruled incorrect despite giving the right answer during the bonus round.
The category was "Living Thing," and much of America thought they heard her say "Pink Orchid" - the now-infamous correct answer - at the jump, while others heard "Something Orchid."
The viral contestant cleared the air during an appearance on GMA: "I wish I said 'Pink [Orchid],' because I'd be $40,000 richer.
But I said 'Something [Orchid].'"
Contestant Joey Johnson, who shared a tape day with Megan, also exclusively told The U.S. Sun: “I was shocked at the outcry about the episode.
"Because in real time it didn't occur to us that it sounded like she said Pink Orchid.
"A couple of us said, 'It sounded like Pink Orchid;' we asked, 'You didn't say Pink Orchid, right?' And she said no."
“They let us know right at the beginning there's a rules specialist, so it's not rigged.”
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"They tell you too: 'If you feel like something is wrong, you have the right to voice that and stop the taping.
"They encourage you to say something if you feel like you're being wronged."
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