A Wheel of Fortune contestant spoke out about being on the game after losing $50,000 in the Bonus Round. This is the eighth Bonus Round puzzle that has been lost, and fans called it “disastrous.”
Kyle MacDonald, an associate dean of enrollment at Brown University, from Boston, Massachusetts, played against Kiran Makhani, from Portland, Oregon, and Jeanette Cothron, from Tuscola, Illinois, on Thursday, May 8. MacDonald told host Ryan Seacrest that he likes to visit grocery stores when he travels to other countries because he likes to see what they eat. He grew up in Canada and used to watch Wheel of Fortune with his grandmom. The show taught him the alphabet and reading skills.
Makhani, who wants to go to the Summer Olympics, said that she came on the game show to prove to her daughters, Emani and Eleanor, that it is okay to try new things and put yourself out there. “You may win, you may lose, and you might end up on Wheel of Fortune,” she said.
“That’s a great lesson. To everyone watching, that’s actually how I ended up here, putting myself out there,” Seacrest said.
Cothron has been a teacher for 28 years and became a principal three years ago. She hangs out with the students at lunch and gets all of the gossip.
MacDonald solved the first toss-up, putting $1,000 in his bank. Cothron solved the second one for $2,000. She then took the lead when she solved the first puzzle.
MacDonald quickly took the lead with $9,850 when he solved the second puzzle — “Listening to the sound of the ocean.” He won a trip to Vanna White‘s hometown, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He also solved the prize puzzle and won a trip to Costa Rica. This gave him a total of $20,850.
Makhani finally got on the board when she solved one of the Triple Toss-Ups. The other two game show contestants solved the other two, putting $2,000 in each of their banks. MacDonald put $5,100 in his bank after solving the final puzzle — “Cool Customer.” This gave him a final total of $27,950 in cash and prizes. Cothron ended with $5,550. Makhani went home with $2,000.
He picked “Person” for his Bonus Round puzzle. MacDonald brought his husband, Andrew, with him.
After Wheel of Fortune gave him R, S, T, L, N, and E, he chose D, M, P, and O. His puzzle then looked like “_ _ _OMPL_S_ED _ _ _ _TOR.”
As the clock counted down, MacDonald guessed “Accomplished Author.” He then said “Accomplished…..” but didn’t solve the last word before the time ran out. The puzzle turned out to be “Accomplished Aviator.”
Ryan Seacrest told him that he lost out on an additional $50,000.
“Wheel of Fortune is turning into a disaster,” one YouTube user wrote.
“I SWEAR TO GOD IF WE DON’T HAVE A BONUS ROUND WINNER AGAIN. THEN I SWEAR. I’LL NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT WHEEL OF FORTUNE IS TURNING INTO WHEEL OF DISASTER,” wrote another.
“Another $50,000 loser. This has to stop!” added a third.
He spoke out after his loss. The contestant said taping the show was simultaneously the fastest and slowest day of his life.
MacDonald also shared his thoughts on Instagram before his episode aired. “I’m so excited to share that I’ll be spinning the Wheel of Fortune on Thursday, May 8! We flew out to California to film this a few weeks ago and I still can’t believe it’s real. It was the experience of a lifetime and was the fastest 22 minutes of my life!” he wrote.
“I’ve been a fan of Wheel forever – I’ll always remember sitting with my Nana as a kid watching Pat and Vanna while learning about my ABCs, ampersands, and apostrophes. She instilled in me a (slightly obsessive) love of game shows, and I wish that she could’ve been here to see my dream turn into reality.”
“If you’re in the Boston area and want to join the watch party, let me know and I’ll send you the details! #wheeloffortune,” he ended.
Wheel of Fortune, weeknights, check local listings
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
