‘Wheel of Fortune’ buzzer malfunctions during bonus round

Some Wheel of Fortune fans were so enraged after a contestant missed out on winning a car that they suggested he should take legal action.

Jamel Vanderburg from West Hempstead, New York, breezed through to the bonus round of October 15’s episode, when he chose to solve a phrase, and if he had been successful he would have won a mystery prize. He was given the letters S, L, N, and E, and added Y, A, and W, and with those, “ALWAYS’ ‘_N’ ‘_E_AN_” appeared on the Wheel of Fortune screen.

Vanderburg worked through his options before screaming: “Always On…Always On Demand!” thinking he had solved it and looking to new host Ryan Seacrest. But the clock ran out and the buzzer rang as Seacrest told him the correct answer, which was “Always in Demand.”

Seacrest revealed the secret prize was a Ford car, but Vanderburg was still in good spirits in spite of missing out on winning a vehicle. “You know what? I got $40,000, I’m going to Alaska. It’s all good,” he told Seacrest before giving him a hug.

Fans watching at home believed there had either been a technical issue where the buzzer rang before the timer had finished or that Seacrest had allegedly interfered with the buzzer.

“Why wasn’t he allowed to continue guessing? He still had a few seconds left. Somebody dropped the ball on that one. 😳😳,” wrote @seanrobinson60 on X, formerly Twitter.

“What just happened on #WheelOfFortune ? The buzzer went off, but the clock was still running. Jamel was cheated,” posted @FilmSnork.

And @Nezello suggested legal action: “Yes he got screwed, they stopped the clock with time remaining, I would sue.”

Newsweek contacted Wheel of Fortune representatives by email on Friday morning for comment.

Vanderburg reflected on his Wheel of Fortune experience.

“I watch the show regularly and play the game on my iPad several times a week, but to actually be on the show is something different,” he told the official website. “I was very nervous not knowing what to expect, but they started easing when I realized they’re just puzzles. As a weather nerd, it was very funny and ironic how many of the puzzles were related to weather.

“Then again, it was Great Outdoors week… What a fun time. I met great people, got to do something not many people get to do, and I can now use this as my fun fact in my classes and when I’m at different events.”