‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Debate ‘Letdown’ Prize Puzzles — Is the Show Cutting Costs?

Oct 26, 2024

For all the skill involved in solving Wheel of Fortune puzzles (without embarrassing yourself on national television), there’s certainly a luck-of-the-draw element on the syndicated game show. And fans think some Prize Puzzle prizes turn out to be disappointments.

“Imagine getting on WOF and winning the coveted Prize Puzzle, and you can’t wait to hear if you’re going to Turks and Caicos or Barcelona or [on] an Alaskan cruise, only to hear [announcer] Jim [Thornton] tell you you’re going to Salem, MA, or Savannah, GA,” one fan wrote in a new Reddit thread. “Nothing against those places, but come on, that’s a road trip for half the contestants.”

That fan wondered whether the “road trip” destinations were producers’ way of recouping money after doling out big-ticket prizes — or whether producers are “just cutting back expenses that much this year.”

This poor girl was working hard to solve the prize puzzle on Wheel of Fortune and ended up winning thinking she’s getting a fancy trip. She got a trip to… Salem, Massachusetts. Her face

— AJ (@slayjb2) October 24, 2024

When a commenter said “both of those cities are big vacation spots,” the original posted replied: “Absolutely they are. I love Salem personally, but I rarely travel, and even I have been there. I’m just saying, if I won that trip, but a couple days earlier someone won a trip to Greece, it would be a bit of a letdown.”

Another fan concurred. “My husband and I laugh at every domestic U.S. trip,” they wrote. “[I have the] same thought, that [I] hope the winner doesn’t live within three to four hours of the location.”

One commenter said they live an hour from Salem and listed some of the historic Massachusetts city’s tourist attractions, including the Peabody Essex Museum and the local whale-watching tours. “But winning a trip there vs. the Caribbean or Alaska or Europe? Bummer,” they added.

Other fans disagreed, with one saying they’d be “ecstatic” to win a vacation in the so-called Lower 48. “Either type of destination means a fancy hotel room, entertainment, and food, but the overseas locations mean losing a couple of days to air travel,” they contended. “I’d rather minimize my travel time and maximize my relaxation.”

Someone else wrote, “I’m sure that many of those contestants are happy to win a paid trip to almost anywhere. And how many have passports or can take the time off work or can even afford the taxes on their winnings? Heck, I travel several times a year (for pleasure, not work), and there are countless places here in the U.S. I’ve never been and would love to win a trip to.”

How thrilled would you be to win a continental U.S. vacation in the Prize Puzzle? Let us know in the comments!

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