EPISODE #2942: FRENCH & ITALIAN RIVIERA
Mary Axelrod: married lady of 18 yrs. w/ two kids and five grandkids and a big Barbie collector (she has over 200 of them) from Hayward, CA
John Sylvester: procurement business worker for an engineering and construction company married to Michelle (they met when they were driving school buses) for two kids from Houston, TX
Kristi Keller: a lady who likes the outdoors from San Diego (orig. from FL)
Round 1: PLACE
Mary: two R’s for $600, $350 T, two E’s, $300 S, one A, $1,200 N pair, $300 P, two O’s and I (NMV), solve…
N E _ P O R T
R _ O _ E / I S _ A N _
She located NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND for $1,750 — PR. Now for her PUZZLER under EVENT…
_ E _ T _ V A _
There is a jazz FESTIVAL in that city, and she knew it.
FEATURED PRIZE: $2,500 Giorgio Armani shopping spree (FASHION)
Round 2: FILL IN THE NUMBER
John: $250 T, $900 H, eight E’s, $750 S trio, $1,200 N pair, baffling dud of K on FASHION
Kristi: $600 G, $550 D, regular BANKRUPT (lost $1,150)
Mary: two R’s for Free SPIN, used right away after picking F for flunk, $500 L pair, solve…
# # , # # #
L E _ G _ E S / _ N D E R
T H E / S E _ / _ _
_ _ L E S / _ E R N E
She solved ##,### LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA BY JULES VERNE, but incorrectly said 10,000 instead of the right one of 20,000.
Mary: $5,250/Others: $0 each
FEATURED PRIZE #2: trip to Hotel Punta Islita in Costa Rica via Continental Airlines worth $4,984 (COSTA RICA)
Jackpot Round: SAME NAME
Kristi: $700 R, BANKRUPT near JACKPOT
Mary: $7K N pair, two A’s, F failed her again
John: $1,200 T pair, one O and two I’s, one G for FASHION, one E, $500 C pair, solve…
C _ A I N / &
G _ T
R E A C T I O N
His CHAIN & GUT REACTION won him $3,450 cash & fashion spree.
JACKPOT ENDED AT: $10,350
Mary: $5,250/John: $3,450 cash & spree/Kristi: BAD LUCK
Round 4: PHRASE
Mary: $10K T pair, three A’s and two I’s, N for nothing
John: $2,100 S trio, four E’s, $600 M pair, $1,800 C pair, one O, $600 R pair, solve…
I T / C A M E / A S
A / C O M _ _ E T E
S _ R _ R I S E
IT CAME AS A COMPLETE SURPRISE to some people that John won $4,600 and became the big winner this game.
| PENALTY BOX | DUDS | LaTs | BANKRUPTS | DQs |
| Round 1 | PERFECT ROUND | |||
| Round 2 | K (John), F (Mary) | Kristi | ||
| Round 3 | F (Mary) | Kristi | ||
| Round 4 | N (Mary) |
FINAL SCORES
Mary: $5,250/John: $8,050 cash & fashion/Kristi: PARTING GIFTS
GT: $13,300
BANKRUPT TRASH: $1,850
Bonus Round
John chose the H.
Category: PLACE
A lady in S26 would pull off a miraculous solve on this puzzle despite no help…
_ _ L _ _ N _
CHGA gave him…
_ A L C _ N _
He didn’t say it right away, but he got BALCONY w/ a second to spare and won the trips to Portofino (Hotel Splendido) and private yacht to Monte Carlo (Hotel de Paris) from Distinctive Destinations worth $23,100, giving him a final total of $31,150 cash & prizes. Greeting him were his two aunts (Kay and Doris).
MY RATING: 6
WHEEL of FORTUNE with Andy Nguyen 
According to the timeline, Round 2 has the only known usage of a comma in a puzzle.
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