She was so close! A grandmother of five couldn’t quite solve the Bonus Puzzle on Wheel of Fortune, which caused many fans to be shocked as they thought it was easy.
Joyce Boatman, from Mobile, Alabama, played against William Franck, from Lake George, New York, and Ashley Kennedy, from Powder Springs, Georgia, on November 12. Boatman, a supportive grandmother who attends all of her grandchildren’s sports games, did not solve any of the Fortune Frenzies while her opponents solved one each.
Boatman solved the first puzzle — “Catfish and Conch Fritters” — giving her $2,300. Kennedy, a 40-year-old mother of a son, solved “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth.” This gave her the lead with $9,150.
Boatman then took the lead back when she solved the Prize Puzzle — “Bring Binoculars.” She won a trip to Peru, which brought her total to $12,618.
The contestants knew their movies as they quickly solved the Triple Toss-ups in “Movie Titles.” Boatman solved two, and Kennedy solved the last one. This gave only a $5,000 difference between the two women.
Boatman secured her win when she solved the final puzzle — “Orange Blossoms.” She had a final total of $24,218.
Franck, a man who spends a lot of time outdoors camping and hiking, took home his $1,00 from the Fortune Frenzy puzzle he solved. Kennedy went home with $11,150.
Boatman advanced to the Bonus Round, where she chose “Place.” Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” Boatman chose “C,M,D, and A.”
This made her puzzle look like “_R_AN_C _ARM.” As the clock counted down, Boatman guessed that it was “Some Kind of Farm.” She couldn’t quite guess that it was an “Organic Farm.” She lost out on taking home the Mini Cooper.
Fans on Reddit reacted to the puzzle and wondered how she didn’t solve it. “AAHH! That was a solvable final puzzle!” one fan said.
“I was screaming at the TV. I think when a word starts with a vowel, it breaks a nervous contestant’s brain,” another replied.
“That bonus round puzzle was a gimme. Don’t know how she didn’t get that,” a third added.
“Especially when she said farm but didn’t get the first word, those are the worst,” a fan replied.
Did you know the final puzzle? Let us know in the comments.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock