'Wheel of Fortune' Called Out Over Error

On Monday night Wheel of Fortune producers were forced to correct a mistake that was made in a previous episode, so asked a former contestant to return to try and rectify it.

Student David Avelsgard's first appearance aired as a Saturday rerun on March 2, which was just nine days before his March 11 appearance. Producers asked him to compete again when they realized that they awarded him the wrong Prize Puzzle trip.

If he had been awarded the correct trip the first time around, he would have been in the final puzzle round because of its higher value.

A former Wheel of Fortune contestant, who goes by @WheelRob10 on X (formerly Twitter), explained what happened for those who were left scratching their heads.

Newsweek emailed Sony Pictures Television, which owns Wheel of Fortune, for comment on Wednesday.

"From what I have heard, the 'scoring error' on David's first episode was that he was accidentally awarded the wrong Prize Puzzle trip, and the value of the trip he should have won might have been enough for him to win, since he had placed a close second," Rob wrote online.

"The trip he was awarded on screen was a $7,350 trip to Mexico, which was the exact same trip that was awarded on the very next episode. This wasn't realized until after the episode had already taped.

"Note that Prize Puzzle trips start at $7,000, so it's very likely the intended trip, whatever it was, was worth more. Half the time, they're over $10K now.

"This wouldn't have been a problem if WOF [Wheel of Fortune] USA did it like WOF UK where trips won don't count towards score. But that's another discussion."

In another thread on the social media platform, a different X user asked whether Wheel of Fortune could have gotten away with not correcting their mistake. He added: "Like nobody would know if it's the wrong prize since it's not like they say what the prize is ahead of time."

Rob explained why they couldn't when he responded: "Gotten away with it with the viewers, yes. But with the prize sponsors? Heck no."

Another X user expressed how sorry they felt for Avelsgard by writing: "They shoulda had one where David already 'won' and he just got to play the final and win or not. Poor David."

The long-running game show is set for some major changes after Pat Sajak previously announced his plans to retire at the end of the 41st season, which started in September 2023. The 77-year-old announced on X in June that he was leaving the role.

"Well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it'll keep the clickbait sites busy!)" Sajak wrote at the time.

Just days after he made his announcement, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was named as his replacement.

Seacrest revealed his new role in an Instagram post where he praised longtime host Sajak and shared his excitement about joining "the great" Vanna White on the game show.

White, who has co-hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1982, recently extended her contract to remain on the show through the 2025-26 season after negotiating for her first pay raise in 18 years, according to Deadline.