ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 10: 'Wheel of Fortune' host Vanna White attends a taping of the Wheel of ... [+]
1-20-22 — The story was updated with information about a photo of Rubush receiving her Q3 from Audi.
Sometimes companies need help from an outside source to do the right thing about a self-inflicted controversy. For game show Wheel of Fortune, the solution to their corporate emergency was the crisis management version of roadside assistance.
Fans of the show—which is in its 39th season and attracts 23 million viewers each week—were outraged when a contestant did not win an Audi Q3 because of a technicality.
Charlene Rubush received her Q3 from Audi on January 20.
Taking Too Much Time
As recounted by Good Housing Keeping, it all began this week when contestant Charlene Rubush “entered the bonus round after winning $16,500. During the ‘What Are You Doing?’ category, Charlene’s initial guess was ‘choosing the right card.’ Quickly, Charlene paused and realized the one-word difference and changed her guess to ‘choosing the right word.’
“Though this was correct, the length of time it took Charlene to change answers resulted in her losing the category and bonus prize.”
Host Pat Sajak told Rubush, “You know, 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.”
“We’ll allow for a little pause, but not four or five seconds. I’m sorry. You did a good job in getting it, but we can’t give you the prize, and it was the Audi,” he said.
Viewers React
Sajak’s decision generated national headlines such as “’Wheel Of Fortune’ Contestant Loses New Car With Right Answer and criticism from viewers.
CBS News reported that, “Wheel of Fortune fans watching the episode immediately protested, saying Rubush had been robbed. Video snippets of the show were soon posted on social media as people vented their disapproval.”
According to Newsweek, “Viewers took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction at the decision, with former Jeopardy! champ Alex Jacob tweeting: "Come on @WheelofFortune, the woman literally chose the right word. Give her the car.”
"Wheel of Fortune, you just lost a viewer," Twitter user @TalinOrfaliGhaz wrote. "'I am choosing the right word' to never watch this show again."
The Twitter hashtag #GiveHerTheQ3 started to gain momentum.
Audi To The Rescue
Fortunately for the game show and Rubush, Audi stepped up and did the right thing.
Workers perform quality control inspections on completed Audi Q3 automobiles on the production line ... [+]
CBS News reported, “The company announced on Wednesday that it would give Rubush the same model car she attempted to win on Wheel of Fortune.”
"You're a winner in our eyes Charlene," the company tweeted. "Now, let's get you a prize. Time to #GiveHerTheQ3."
Audi confirmed the car giveaway in a statement to Newsweek, saying the car will be gifted to Rubush.
"[We] saw Charlene's Wheel of Fortune episode on Monday and were collectively disappointed that she missed out on the opportunity to take home an Audi Q3 due to a technicality," the company said.
On January 20, announced on Twitter that Rubush had received her Q3.
Advice For Business Leaders
- Don’t wait to do the right thing about a crisis—especially one you created.
- Find ways to do the right thing—even if you have to bend the rules a bit to make it happen—but only if it is appropriate and possible to do so.
- Consider the potential consequences of every decision you make about dealing with a crisis. Will it make things better—or worse? If it will make things worse, will it be worth the price?
- Before you are confronted by a crisis, decide if, how or when your organization would bend to the pressure imposed by others to address or resolve a crisis.
- After every crisis, carefully review any policies, procedures or protocols that may have caused or contributed to it and take steps to prevent the same crisis from happening again.
Wheel Of Fortune Not Alone
Wheel of Fortune was not the only game show to have a self-inflicted crisis in 2021.
Earlier this year, Jeopardy! ,whose long-time host Alex Trebek died in November 2020, underwent a lengthy process of auditioning, vetting and selecting guest and permanent hosts. The process was not without its controversies and attention-getting headlines—and is not over yet.
