This week, Wheel of Fortune discarded the rulebook, and viewers are delighted. Monday night marked the first time there will not be strangers contesting against one another in the legendary game show. In its place were three long time friends and colleagues who worked at the same fire department in Rhode Island and they came on stage to slug it out over cash, bragging rights, and the coveted title of, Best Wheel of Fortune Contestant, of all time.
Melissa Missy Porter, Darrin Poppa Gallagher and Tim Stebenne had the chance to earn money playing beside each other but it was much more than that. It was the matter of pride. The amicable rivalry between them was predominant. Porter even joked that he would only prepare meatballs when the show is on, Gallagher already had years of experience in the station and Stebenne thought he is David going after Goliaths.
People watched and went on social media to express how the new format was a treat. One of the Instagram users gushed, “This is so superior to team play.” One more commented, “I am also disoriented yet in love with such a dynamics.” The twist led to much discussion on Reddit and Twitter, with many claiming that the camaraderie gave the high-stakes game the human touch that is so desperately needed in the game.
The players were not the only thing that made an episode special there were also certain twists that the fans loved that came back. Jackpot round reappeared, and it was a game of zero-to-hundred starting at $0 and increasing by 500 dollars per turn. Whoever got the puzzle solved would get all the money, as long as he or she did not land the feared Bankrupt. The dream $1 Million wedge was also featured where host Ryan Seacrest kept it in the Bonus Round in case there was no one who had hit Bankrupt in terms of that round and the wedge was put in play in the Bonus Round.
The gameplay-wise, it was a tight gameplay. The early fore-cast was nailed by Gallagher and Porter. After solving Love-Hate Relationship Stebenne won a trip to Iceland, and he went on to win again. Later on, Gallagher won a second vacation prize by solving, “Lush Rainforest of Panama.” By the Triple Toss-Ups, Gallagher went on to take the lead, all three, all to 10,000 dollars.
It was a strong finish with Porter concluding with Running Neck and Neck in which she paid $6,000 and she finished up the night with $7,000. Stebenne was off with an amount of 12,700 dollars. Gallagher won the crown, and the 20,150 dollars together with a vacation in Panama.
The Bonus Round was, though, a tear jerker. The category of What Are You Doing? Gallagher picked his letters and he was left with the reading, TAK_NG A _ _ _ _ _.” His best guess was “Taking a…” and he just never got around to completing the word: “whiff.”
Seacrest informed that he must have lost a $40,000 award. Soon viewers could not stop reacting, saying that this was the 11th loss in the Bonus Round.
With this in mind, one viewer on YouTube summed it up by saying, at this stage, someone just needs to be allowed to win. Said another one, “Whoever hears of the word whiff, anyhow?”
Nevertheless, though the Bonus Round flop, it appears that viewers are excited by the desire of the show to be inventive. Fresh formats, old faces and twists that continue to leave the most diligent fans on their toes makes Wheel of Fortune look to come to an audacious new epoch.