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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Blast Old-Fashioned Solutions as ‘Cheap’ & ‘Twisted’

Originally posted on TV Insider | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:34 PM ET

Not everything old is new again, and Wheel of Fortune viewers are raging against the game show’s outdated Bonus Round solutions. One contestant missed out on a $50K prize after failing to get “ON THE JUKEBOX” in Wheel’s May 6 episode, and two weeks later, the solution “FAXING IT OVER NOW” cost another contestant a possible $40K.

And, to put it mildly, fans are over the old-school solutions.

“Tonight’s bonus puzzle — are they kidding?” Reddit user SFlaGal wrote after the May 21 installment. “Faxing? Really! This is just a cheap, twisted show that is designed to defeat its own contestants.”

Other Reddit users concurred. “Seriously,” said randomguy1972. “Is faxing still a thing? I thought it died with dialup modems.”

User xanate wrote, “Nobody has sent a fax in 20 years. Seriously, so stupid.”

And 8686tjd said, “I came here immediately. The Bonus Round puzzles have mostly jumped the shark, and this was the most egregious example.”

And Reddit users also shared ideas for other archaic Bonus Round solutions. Here’s a sampling:

DOWNLOADING METALLICA MUSIC ON NAPSTER
PUTTING NEW BATTERIES IN MY FURBY
DRINKING ZIMA WHILE WATCHING MY SO-CALLED LIFE
CHECKING THE AMERICA ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD
RECHARGING MY BEEPER
SWEATING TO THE OLDIES
BACKING UP MY FLOPPY DISCS
WATERING MY CHIA PET
TAKING THE PEPSI CHALLENGE
BLOWING ON THE ATARI CARTRIDGE
GETTING NEW SUSAN B. ANTHONY DOLLAR COINS AT THE AIRPORT ARCADE
WATCHING A MOVIE ON MY BETAMAX
WATCHING FAT ALBERT ON SATURDAY MORNING
DODGING THE VIETNAM WAR DRAFT
CHECKING THE PAYPHONE FOR LEFTOVER CHANGE
MAKING OUT AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE
PUTTING MY CURLERS IN BEFORE BED
GETTING MY SMALLPOX VACCINATION
SENDING A TELEGRAPH TO LARAMIE
PUTTING OUT THE EMPTY MILK BOTTLE FOR RETURN PICKUP
WAITING FOR THE PONY EXPRESS TO DELIVER MY MAIL
CHANGING THE CANDLES IN THE STREET LAMPS
VOTING IN A FAIR AND FREE ELECTION

At least Wheel of Fortune’s weeks-long Bonus Round losing streak has been broken. In the episode airing on Friday, May 23, contestant Rachel Granier solved the Bonus Round puzzle by guessing “YOUR JOURNEY AWAITS.” For a while there, it seemed like “WINNING THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE BONUS ROUND” would be the real throwback puzzle solution.

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This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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