A WHEEL of Fortune contestant has put an enlightening spin on one of the game show’s most infuriating moves.
Elizabeth Sanchez exclusively told The U.S. Sun she had “mixed feelings” about her bonus puzzle that cost winning a new car – and exactly why players buy vowels.
ABCWheel of Fortune contestant Elizabeth Sanchez won $19.1K last Monday[/caption]
ABCShe revealed that vowels: ‘Help you solve the puzzle, but you also buy time’[/caption]
Wheel of Fortune fans just hate it when contestants spend their precious time- and their earnings – on vowels.
Buying a vowel costs $250 a turn (whereas consonants are free) and when someone keep picking them, especially on a nearly solved puzzle, viewers just go insane.
One fan recently tweeted: “People are buying too many G*d damn vowels on Wheel of Fortune these days. They buy all the vowels, spend all their money and still can’t solve the G*d damn puzzle!”
“Biggest pet peeve, I haaaate when they buy vowels they know are already there,” another fan replied.
‘IT HELPS YOU DECIDE WHAT TO DO NEXT’
The Pembroke Pines, Florida-based mother-of-one exclusively told The U.S. Sun it’s a crutch that’s helpful when you’re actually competing even if it hurts to watch from home.
“One of the things you see on Twitter is ‘why do you buy vowels?’” she said after competing on March 6th episode.
“Clearly you buy a vowel because you wanna know – it helps you solve the puzzle.
But you also buy a vowel to buy time.”
Elizabeth continued: “Because you need to decide what you’re gonna do next. What is your next move?
Are you going to solve are you gonna spin?”
“When you’re in the studio it’s 110 times harder than when you’re sitting at home, hands down.”
“So much pressure, you are figuring out spinning the wheel (which is “heavy”), deciding what letter you’re going to pick, looking at the letter board making sure you call a letter hasn’t already been called. Do you wanna buy a vowel?” she dished.
With so many choices on the board, sometimes going with an option that is the safest means living to spin another day.
‘MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE BONUS PUZZLE’
Elizabeth told Pat Sajak, 76, during her interview that: “We have a little girl Olivia, she’s smart sassy, and stunning!”
She revealed on stage to the longtime host that her toddler: “told me to win the car for her new car seat!” as the crowd laughed.
“How old is she two? She told you that?” Pat joked – to which Elizbeth replied with a humble: “Maybe.” at the time.
The contestant told The U.S. Sun that while she may have been “spinning the story” for a laugh she “could bring out the tissues right now” as she had been in the market for a new car.
Specifically, a Chevy, which wound up being the exact prize she lost out on.
Elizabeth chose “around the house” as her category and four additional letters of “J, Y, O, and H”.
The two-word puzzle read: “__N_Y” “J_R”
She guessed: “Jar…funny jar…” but couldn’t get to “Candy Jar.”
Elizabeth did not mince words about whether she thought “Candy Jar” was fair as fitting the category.
“I personally dont think so. Because I know a lot of people that dont necessarily have candy jars at home.
“That’s the reason why I automatically thought it was either ‘honey or money.’ But once I saw the H and O didn’t light up I didn’t bother to say money.”
“I mean, when I think of a candy jar I think of a convenience store that used to sell ten-cent candy or even a pharmacy or a doctor’s office.”
“But even then a doctor’s office is like a candy dish – you dont necessarily a Candy Jar.”
I have mixed feelings about it.”
I honestly for me did not think that was going to be the final puzzle.
When it lit up I was like it’s so easy why didn’t get that, but I also did tell myself, well who has a Candy Jar in their house?”
‘WHO CONSIDERS JOGGING FUN?’
Another contestant, Ben Tucker, recently went viral for clapping back at Pat after missing his puzzle “Taking a Quick Jog” under “Fun and Games.”
“Well, you see, I don’t consider jogging ‘Fun and Games,’” Ben half-joked.
Elizabeth told The U.S. Sun she agreed this was “the greatest example” of a player losing on a bonus prize over a puzzle that didn’t quite fit its category.
“Because at the end of the day, who considers going out for a jog or exercising as fun and games?
“I like the fact that he called them out on it in a fun cheeky way.”
“Who really thinks of jogging as fun?
That said, Elizabeth loved her experience and said: “Vanna White was super cool – at first she was dressed in jeans in a tee shirt, she had a hat on.
“She was like ‘hi guys!’ and we were like oh my god, it’s Vanna.”
Pat doesn’t show up until the actual taping, meanwhile.
“I told them this was the best day of my life but don’t tell my husband because he thinks our wedding was the best day of our lives, they started laughing.”
The U.S. SunElizabeth Sanchez told The U.S. Sun players buy vowels because it gives them more time to think about their next move[/caption]
ABCShe shaded her bonus puzzle for ‘Candy Jar’ – ‘I did tell myself, well who has a candy jar in their house?’[/caption]
ABCThe loss was especially painful because Elizabeth was ‘manifesting’ a new car for her 2-year-old daughter – but she still loved her experience[/caption]
