One contestant’s loss was another one’s gain on Monday’s (December 30) episode of Wheel of Fortune after a catastrophic puzzle blunder changed the direction of the game.
Monday’s episode saw a face-off between Mike Tomani from Rochester, New York, Gaelyn Nease from Tallahassee, Florida, and Carmetta Wells, from Los Angeles, California, who was getting ready to celebrate her birthday on New Year’s Eve.
Tomani got out to an early lead, amassing $17,700 after the Mystery Round, while Nease and Wells trailed with $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. However, Tomani stalled in the Express Round, leaving Nease and Wells to battle it out.
Nease had a chance to get back into the game by solving what looked to be an easy three-word puzzle in the “Food and Drink” category. The board read, “NE _ / _ OR _ / _ HEESE _ A _ E” when Nease attempted to solve the puzzle. But she said “New Your CheeseSTEAK” instead of “CheeseCAKE.”
“This lady really said cheesesteak,” wrote one X user.
“My jaw dropped. WTF?!?” replied another.
A new all-time horrible answer on #wheel @johnkriesel @CoryCove pic.twitter.com/dNtEE0QDrP
— Anders Kronberg (@Anders_Kronberg) December 31, 2024
Another added, “I can’t decide whether to laugh or feel sorry for this young lady.”
“NEW YORK CHEESESTEAK?! WHO SCREENS THESE PEOPLE???!!!” said another.
“I’m still chuckling to myself. It was the pause after “cheese” where she realized steak didn’t fit that really did me in,” added a fan on the Wheel of Fortune Reddit forum.
“I cringed so hard. Couldn’t look at her the rest of the episode out of second hand embarrassment,” said another.
One fan added, “I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I mean, I get it, the pressure and all. But for crying out loud, take a moment, think, compose yourself.”
Nease’s incorrect response allowed Wells to jump in with the correct solve, winning herself a trip to the Conrad New York Downtown plus a Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest VIP experience worth $8,000.
Wells continued her success from then on, nailing every puzzle in the Triple Toss-Up round (including an impressive one-letter solve!) to give her a final score of $28,250, securing her spot in the Bonus Round, with a Wild Card wedge to boot. Tomani finished second with $17,700, while Nease crashed and burned with just $2,000.
After selecting the “Phrase” category and the additional letters “M, D, Y, I, and the Wild Card choice H,” Wells was faced with a four-word puzzle that read: “I / H _ _ E / _ N / I D E _.”
It didn’t take long for Wells to answer, “I Have An Idea,” nailing the puzzle and adding an extra $40,000 to her winnings, giving her a total of $68,250 cash, plus a trip to New York City.
“I can’t wait to celebrate with you in Times Square for New Year’s,” Seacrest told the overwhelmed Wells.
Fans loved Wells’ victory and her calm approach to the game.
“May I be as cool, calm, and collected as Carmetta when I eventually go on Wheel,” said one YouTube commenter.
“Way to go, Carmetta! You solved that puzzle in a flash!” another added.
“This lady who won tonight is a legend,” wrote on Reddit user.
Another added, “She was awesome!! Wished it was more then $40,000!!”
“Congratulations to Carmetta way to go! Super quick solve in every puzzle she solved,” said another.
What did you think of Monday’s game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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