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Audi steps in to give Wheel of Fortune contestant a car after she lost on a technicality

Contestant Charlene Rubush lost out an a new Audi Q3 after pausing for too long in the show's bonus round.

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Published on December 23, 2021 10:34AM EST

Wheel of Fortune giveth, and Wheel of Fortune taketh away... and Audi giveth instead.

After a contestant on the long-running game show lost out on a prize due to a technicality (yet again), the luxury car company is stepping in to provide that contestant with (read the following in your best TV announcer voice) a BRAND NEW CAR!!!

On Tuesday's episode of Wheel, player Charlene Rubush made it to the show's final challenge, the bonus round, to go for the grand prize of a new Audi Q3. Despite giving the correct answer to the puzzle (which, ironically enough, was "Choosing the right word"), a long pause in her response caused host Pat Sajak to rule it incorrect.

"This one's tough, because you said all the right words, including the word 'word,' but, as you know, it's gotta be more or less continuous," he said. "We'll allow for a little pause, but not four or five seconds."

The ruling drew ire from Wheel fans on social media, with former Jeopardy champion Alex Jacob tweeting, "Come on @WheelofFortune, the woman literally chose the right word. Give her the car."

On Wednesday, Audi's official Twitter account responded to the controversy, writing, "You're a winner in our eyes, Charlene. Now, let's get you a prize."

Of course, it's easy enough to tweet that, but Audi followed up the next day, confirming that the company had been able to reach Rubush.

"There's no community like the Audi community. With your help, we tracked down Charlene!" the account tweeted on Thursday. "More to come as we help #GiveHerTheQ3."

As noted, this is hardly the first time a Wheel contestant has lost due to an arcane rule. Mere months ago, fans were up in arms over a player's loss due to a rule that contestants are not allowed to say "and" when listing the words in a crossword puzzle on the show.

Representatives for Wheel of Fortune production company, Sony, didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment and clarification of the pausing rule.

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Audi steps in to give Wheel of Fortune contestant a car after she lost on a technicality

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