Monday night viewers Wheel of fortune They were left scratching their heads when the prize puzzle was revealed.
Tom Stedinke, a married father of two from Watkins Glen, New York, won himself a trip when he successfully completed a puzzle in the “Living Things” category. Stadnicki — and viewers at home — were shocked to learn that his trip would be to South Dakota.
“You know, this is a really cool trip you haven’t been on; we’re taking you on a tour of South Dakota!” said host Pat Sajak, who has hosted the show since 1981.
People were not satisfied with the award and took to X, formerly Twitter, to support Stadnicki, who was not getting his dream vacation. Others pointed to the fact that contestants are usually gifted luxury overseas vacations.
“You always see these people winning vacations to tropical destinations. Wheel of fortune… and then tonight it’s South Dakota. Oh boy,” one person wrote.
“Dude just won a trip to South Dakota. Wheel of fortune. He couldn’t have looked more excited,” someone else joked with three laughing emojis.
“Wow. Wheel of Fortune guy wins a trip!!! South Dakota. He and the rest of America couldn’t be more disappointed,” wrote another.
A fourth person added: “Dude Wheel of fortune Just won a vacation in South Dakota. LMAOOOO, I’ll be hot.”
After introducing a video showcasing the prize, announcer Jim Thorton promoted “famous landmarks” like Mount Rushmore. It was during this segment that viewers noticed a glaring error, pointing out how one of the “famous landmarks” he showed was the Devil’s Tower. This is a national monument in Crook County, Wyoming, not South Dakota.
You always see these guys winning vacations to tropical destinations on Wheel of Fortune… and then tonight it’s South Dakota. oh boy.
— Jake (@TwinsJake) March 25, 2024
Newsweek Sony Pictures Television, which owns the game show, emailed Thursday for comment on this story.
A different X user wrote, “Did they just show the Devil’s Tower when explaining the South Dakota tour? Time to break out the map and apologize to the people of Wyoming.”
“Wheel of fortune Need to work on their geography! The travel giveaway for the prize puzzle was a trip to Western South Dakota, and the first picture they showed was of Devil’s Tower in Wyoming! Lol,” said another.
“Tom won a trip to South Dakota and the first photo @WheelofFortune showed for the trip is Devil’s Tower, in Wyoming,” wrote a third person.
Someone else added: “#wheeloffortune just visited South Dakota and posted a picture of Devil’s Tower, which is in Wyoming!”
It was a memorable night for Stadnicki, as he shocked Sajak and the audience by solving another puzzle of the night with just one letter on the board.
With only an “S” on the board and the category “On the Map,” contestant Stadnicki was able to solve the puzzle, which was: Glacier Bay Alaska.
“How did you do that?” Sajak asked in surprise.
“I looked at the maps a lot before this game,” Stadnicki replied.
Still surprised, Pat replied:
“Oh, did you? That’s exactly what I would have said. I would have said it like eight syllables down the road.”
With a total of $33,048, Stadnicki advanced to the bonus round but couldn’t solve the final puzzle.
Credit : www.newsweek.com
