A group of past Wheel of Fortunewinners are opening a behind-the-scenes window into what actually happens when a contestant wins a vacation as a prize.
In a July discussion posted by user ThinkFiirst on the r/WheelOfFortune Reddit community, a question arose about what is included when a trip is won. The lively discussion by past winners made clear that the details like airfare, meals, per diem, and taxes, can vary from one prize to the next, but the process for accepting the prize seemed to be the same for most players.
Past ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Winners Weigh In On Vacation Prizes
The conversation between past winners about the details of their vacation prizes seemed fairly consistent across the board. Reddit user GrawrD commented that the prize they had won included a 17-day trip for two to Turkey and Greece. They praised the travel company and the game show for the flexibility they were shown when they needed to skip the first six days of the trip because of their home schedule with their children. The user further revealed that airfare, boat fare, and hotel fees were covered, as well as “roughly 80% of the meals,” while also noting that the prize included about $1000 in spending money to cover unexpected expenses.
Commenter threepalmtrees, said the series’ prize coordinator was “great” at helping to organize the trip. They won an all-inclusive trip for two to the Caribbean, and $500 additional spending money. In response to the questions posed in the original post, they noted that there was no bargaining about the cost of the trip. The contestant could either accept the terms or refuse to accept the prize. They also pointed out that the cost of the trip is considered “earned income,” which comes with tax forms as the total prize amount is reported to the IRS. Another user commented that when they won a trip to Disneyland, meals were not included, so it does seem that while the details about what is included in the prize package will vary, the process for accepting, coordinating, and reporting the prize to the IRS, is consistent among prize winners. Although there was also one contestant who seemed less inclined to follow the rules.
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One Prize Winner Found a Sketchy Vacation Loophole
While most of the past prize winners posting on the Reddit forum confirmed they had a similar experience working with the show’s coordinator to set up their prizes, one account’s description of their experience was entirely singular. When talking about winning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, they described a similar situation to other users. They were asked to provide different date ranges so they could plan the trip with the coordinator, they were provided with additional spending money, and there were only certain meals included in the prize. However, when it came to handling room service charges, it turned out there was a bit of a dispute.
The user, KingBBinLV, claimed that when they checked into their hotel, the credit card they put on file had very little room for charges available. Despite knowing this was the case, they charged the trip’s hotel wifi fees, additional meals, and “tons of drinks” to the room. They then stated that once they arrived home, the Wheel of Fortune prize coordinator had reached out attempting to recoup the $700 in charges that were declined on the credit card that had been put down with the hotel. The user said they feigned confusion, claimed they had provided a credit card at check-in, and that was the last they heard about it. It sounds like this past prize winner found a sketchy loophole to tack on some additional spending money into the prize, while the rest of the comments seemed to be posted by grateful, rule-following, contestants.
Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights on ABC. Consult your local listings.
