York woman on 'Wheel of Fortune' $100K misfortune: 'I'm okay with it'
YORK, Maine — Laura Young feels no regrets about missing her chance to win $100,000 on "Wheel of Fortune" last week.
The lifelong fan, who finally got the chance to stand beside the legendary Pat Sajak, faced a challenging Bonus Round puzzle that left her without the big prize.
“I’m okay with it,” Young said. “I would’ve never gotten that puzzle.”
The mother of two said she is still pleased with her winnings — $19,350 and a trip to a resort in Hawaii.
On top of that, she finally landed a slot on her favorite game show.
“I’ve watched for as long as I can remember,” Young said. “It was just a dream.”
Young ended up winning the episode, which was taped and aired April 10, earning her a spot in the Bonus Round.
At the start of the show, she described herself as a “crazy walking lady” who walked 3,000 miles last year.
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The puzzle that cost Young $100K on ‘Wheel of Fortune'
When Young got her chance at the Bonus Round, the letters unveiled by co-host Vanna White read “_ R _ _ E L / _ _ L _ _ _ _” and the category was "place."
She selected the letters “C, P, D, and O,” but not one of those letters was on the board.
“Oh, my goodness,” Young said. “There’s got to be another vowel in there.”
Sajak was also pessimistic when he saw the final letters available to Young.
“Well, that’s all you’re going to get,” Sajak said. “Ten seconds to talk it out.”
The time ticked down, and White revealed the answer: “gravel walkway.” Sajak told Young to look away as he revealed the $100,000 figure on his card. The crowd gasped, as did Young when she turned around again to see the prize she missed.
“Number one, I feel terrible,” Sajak said. “Number two, there’s no way you were going to solve that puzzle with the letters you had.”
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Young at peace with 'Wheel of Fortune' result
Viewers of the show said on social media they believed Young was robbed of her chance to win $100,000. The gripe many had was that they believed a “gravel walkway” did not qualify as a “place.”
“I’ve got beef with whoever makes the final puzzles on #WheelofFortune,” wrote one X user. “I’d consider gravel walkway to be a ‘thing’ and not a place. The answers have been whack this week.”
Another wrote, "@WheelofFortune You don’t know the difference between a place and a Thing!! Gravel Walkway is NOT a place. Wrong!!”
Young, however, defended the show’s puzzle and category choice.
“I think you can walk to a gravel walkway,” Young said. “I think in that case it’s totally a place. So, it’s all about semantics.”
Young said she is looking forward to her trip to Hawaii and is satisfied she earned enough on the show to have a decent amount left after taxes. On Friday, she accompanied her son on a visit to a prospective college campus.
“I think that’s a good indicator of where some of it’s going to,” Young said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York woman on 'Wheel of Fortune' $100K misfortune: 'I'm okay with it'
