This Week, Wheel of Fortune abandoned the rulebook, and viewers are flooding the internet with praise. A first of the historic game show, the episode that aired on Monday night saw the inclusion of no strangers. They were replaced, however, by three old friends and co-workers at a fire department in Rhode Island who came to the stage to contest with each other over cash prizes, bragging privileges, and to become the overall winner as the Best Wheel of Fortune contestant.
Melissa (Missy) Porter, Darrin (Poppa) Gallagher, and Tim Stebenne, who have been working together side-by-side more than 20 years, were not just playing to win money. They were playing a match of pride. And their amicable rivalry led the show. Porter quipped about meatballproduction when the show is on, Gallagher had years of service on his side and Stebenne idolized himself as David against the Goliaths.
The observers praised the new format on social media. Said one graphics-crazed Instagrammer, “This is so much awesome as compared to playing in teams.” One more one added, I am confused but hooked to this dynamic. The twist led to discussions on Reddit and Twitter, with users claiming the sportsmanship contributed a human angle to the game of high stakes.
The episode did not only stand out because of the players but also because some of the twists that fans loved also came back. It also featured a resurrection of the Jackpot round beginning at zero and building in increments of $500 on every spin. The completeness of the puzzle would go to whoever has managed to solve the puzzle without landing on the dreaded card, the Bankrupt. The much-dreamed wedge of $1 Million also appeared, with the host Ryan Seacrest keeping it in play should no one successfully landed on Bankrupt during the round so that it could be in the Bonus Round.
Regarding game play, it was neck to neck. Early toss ups were nailed by Gallagher and Porter. After solving the game of “Love-Hate Relationship,” Stebenne won a trip to Iceland, and she won a second one as well. Later, Gallagher won a second vacation prize when she solved the puzzle, Lush Rainforest of Panama. Gallagher got ahead by the Triple Toss-Ups and took all three at $10,000.
Finally, Porter finished well with Running Neck and Neck for 6000 dollars giving her a total of 7,000 dollars at the end of the night. Stebenne departed with 12700 dollars. However, royalty went to Gallagher–and a vacation in Panama, along with 20,150 dollars.
The Bonus Round however was a heartbreaker. In the category, What Are You Doing? Gallagher chose his letters and was left gazing at TAK_NG A _ _ _ _ . His best guess was at “Taking a…”, and then he struggled to think of that last word: whiff.
Seacrest said he had lost a prize of 40,000 dollars. The audiences were swift to their response that this was the 11th straight Bonus Round loss.
One youtube no caller no show denizen paraphrased it: give somebody a win at this point. One joked, Who still uses the word whiff?
Even though the Bonus Round failed, audience appears to be excited about the readiness of the show to innovate. The program offers new formats, new faces, and surprises to stay on their toes even with viewers having known and loved the program since its invention: Wheel of Fortune can be seen to be leading near-to-the-new era.
