Natalie won the game including a trip to Oahu where she and the kids will meet Moana. And while she’s there, she might rent a cabana.
But in the BR, she wasn’t QUICK TO ACTION. And that loss didn’t give us any satisfaction.
The situation in the BR is looking bleak. Can someone save us from the Grinch this week?
If the savior can’t come through, then some of us viewers are gonna give this week a bad review.
EPISODE #7685: 
DISNEY SECRET SANTA I
Maggie plugs the sweepstakes in the cold open before she and Minnie take a selfie. After the opening graphic for Secret Santa, Mickey introduces the hosts and Donald brings Vanna to the puzzleboard. Pluto’s seen standing behind the contestant podiums in between the red and yellow contestants.
$1K Toss-Up: PHRASE
_ _ M I L _ / I S
_ O R E V E _
Kate knows that FAMILY IS FOREVER. These people are here to salvage this first Secret Santa week…
Kate Mock Elliott: a lady who wrote and starred in a one-woman show that was about the first 10 years of her marriage but comparing the Christmas card version to real life from Cincinnati
Monica Reasor: a lady who has NEVER been to any of the Disney parks in her lifetime from Gulfport, MS
Jordan Moss: a guy whose bar mitzvah theme was Jordan’s Magic Kingdom and his grandma made all the centerpieces out of Disney toys (those toys were donated to a local children’s hospital) from Carlsbad, CA
$2K Toss-Up: TV TITLE
T H E / _ O O _ / O F
B _ B A / _ E T T
Kate IDs the Disney+ series “THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT” to triple up. Oh, and her hubby has been binge-watching that show.
FEATURED DISNEY TRIP: the $9,082 WALT DISNEY WORLD vacation for the 50th anniversary celebration (same one from Mon.)
Round 1: WAYD?
Kate: $500 G, one I, three N’s for WALT DISNEY WORLD 50 trip, three O’s, $600 W, three A’s and two E’s (NMV), $1,200 M pair, $1K R pair, $1,300 T pair, $1,950 L trio, solve…
T A _ I N G / A
_ T R O L L / _ O W N
M E M O R _ / L A N E
I wonder if they’re gonna be TAKING A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE later in their 40th anniversary season? Anyway, she’s won $7,050 and that WDW trip in that intense PR and has $19,132 already!
Mystery Round: BEFORE & AFTER
Monica: one T for Disney gift card, no R on MW near LaT
Jordan: $1,800 S pair, W for worthless
Kate: M for mistake
Monica: $900 H, one O, MDW’s right side (lost $2,150 cash & GC)
Jordan: three E’s, $800 F, A for awful
Kate: $500 L, $600 K, LaT
Monica: P for phooey
Jordan: the last vowel of two I’s, solve…
S I L K
S H E E T
O F / I _ E
He solves SILK SHEET OF ICE for $1,850.
Monica: ZERO/Jordan: $1,850/Kate: $19,132 cash & WDW
PP/Express Round: THINGS
Jordan: $1,300 pair of S’s, $600 T, one I and two E’s, the A fails somebody again (and it’s the sole dud vowel of the puzzle)
Kate: $3,500 N, one O and two U’s, $500 C, BANKRUPT near $650 (lost $3,500)
Monica: $850 P, two R’s for WC, same BANKRUPT ($1,850 + WC gone to waste)
Jordan: other normal BANKRUPT (lost $1,150)
Kate: $1,200 D pair, solve…
_ U N D R E D S / O _
P I C T U R E S
She’ll take HUNDREDS OF PICTURES on her DANUBE RIVER CRUISE courtesy of Adventures by Disney worth a whopping $17,800 — holy smokes! 🤯
Monica: COAL ALERT/Jordan: $1,850/Kate: $38,132 cash & Disney vacations
Triple Toss-Up: SONG LYRICS
1.
_ / P _ _ T _ _ _ _ E
_ _ / A / _ E _ _ / _ _ _ E
Think of “Twelve Days of Christmas” here, and Kate solves “A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE”.
2.
_ _ _ _ _
F _ _ N _ H / _ E _ S
Kate’s right again w/ “THREE FRENCH HENS”…
3.
_ _ _ V _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ S
P _ _ I N _
…and she scores a total Toss-Up sweep w/ “ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING”!
Speed-Up: FOOD & DRINK
Kate’s flipper clicks on to $1,500 at the last second.
Kate: T (DUD)
Monica: 3 S’s
Jordan: 2 R’s
Kate: F
Monica: T repeat
Jordan: K
Kate: C (not MADE-FRESH SUGAR COOKIES)
Monica: H
Jordan: G
Kate: 3 E’s
Monica: A
Jordan: N
_ _ E N – F R E S H
S _ G A R / C _ _ K _ E S
Jordan bakes a batch of OVEN-FRESH SUGAR COOKIES for $7,500.
| PENALTY BOX | DUDS | LaTs | BANKRUPTS | DQs |
| Round 1 | BIG PERFECT ROUND! | |||
| Round 2 | R, P (Monica) W, A (Jordan) M (Kate) | Kate | Monica | |
| Round 3 | A (Jordan) | 3 (whole panel) | ||
| Round 4 | T (Kate) | 2 (Monica’s T repeat, Kate’s missolve) |
FINAL SCORES
Monica: $1K LUMP OF COAL/Jordan: $9,350/Kate: $48,132 cash & Disney vacations
GT: $58,482
BANKRUPT TRASH (excl. WC): $8,650 cash & GC
Jordan SPIN ID: DB8545203 (Debra B.)
Monica SPIN ID: KB1879542 (Kevin B.)
Oh, dang it, I think our Grinchy fate is sealed w/ THAT list yet again…
- THING
- PHRASE
- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
She goes for WAYD?.
$100K Bonus Round
Kate also has no supporters, but she lands on the R. This is what plumbers do while on the job…
_ _ _ _ N _
_ / L E _ _
DCHA only adds two A’s…
_ _ _ _ N _
A / L E A _
She’s off the mark w/ TAKING, HOPING A LEAP, MOVING A LEAF, and RAKING A LEAF, so we’ve been GRINCHED for the very first time in Secret Santa history (also the second overall SKUNKING this season). Since she wasn’t FIXING A LEAK, she also loses the $40K. Oh, and she admitted she was thinking of doing something else with a “leak” (that being TAKING) but didn’t think that was it, causing Pat to awkwardly look into the camera and drop the envelope. 
FINAL SPIN ID: ES5079681 (Evelyn S.)
MY RATING: 6
Kate made a very big haul. She’s definitely gonna have a ball.
But alas, we got ourselves a very Grinchy fate. That’s something we always hate.
Can our luck turn around next week? A big win is something we seek.
For now, it’s time for me to go. This whole week had nothing to show.
WHEEL of FORTUNE with Andy Nguyen 
Kate’s big R1 and ludicrously expensive **$17,800** cruise (possibly a record; I think that’s where all this week’s budget went and if so I’m worried for next wk.) and triple T-U sweep set the night for her, but alas, R2 & R3 were a slog to go through, we have our second week of full R4 S-Us this season and S-U took way too long and way too much was wasted on the obvious, and yet another THING/PHRASE/WAYD? BR triggers our second GRINCHING this season and first-ever during Secret Santa.
Even though the A’s did it for me can’t Bellamie just forget about the budget for a moment and show some holiday spirit?! -___- I’m not saying make puzzles ridiculously easy or anything, but good grief.
My Rating: 6 (D+) (not the smoothest ep. save for R1 & triple T-Us)
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Well, that is the dark Bakura’s reaction of this week, and despite being a better performer on this episode, this week made another dubious history as the first time in a Secret Santa week to be winless. (Knew it was a bad omen, but meanwhile dark Bakura was setting the stage… JK)
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Come to think of it, imagined if Bakura is Bellamie (true to its context BTW, Bakura’s voice acting in Japan is an actress Rica Matsumoto of Pokemon fame (happy belated birthday, hers on Nov 30) but the American one is however, actor Ted Lewis, not actress), and that board member in the scene can be portrayed as either Harry Friedman or Mike Richards.
Again, this are just opinions.
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Kate had a huge night thanks to the big Round 1, a ridiculously expensive cruise (I think that may be a record of the Prize Puzzle value), and a total Toss-Up sweep. The 2nd and 3rd rounds were a big coal-fest, however. I wonder how Monica made it on this week’s show if she’s never been to any Disney parks in her life? 🤔
Well guys, we’ve unfortunately been GRINCHED for the first time in Secret Santa history (also the second BR shutout of the season). I got the BR with just the A’s, but man, Bellamie just doesn’t seem to be in the holiday spirit at all, is she? I’m starting to have second thoughts about her being the EP of the show.
My Rating: 6
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That $17,800 is the largest maingame boost ever given away since S25’s big money wedge. This is not even XL week. And, Cate stands a few thousand dollars shy of Praveen with the maingame winnings. Great haul by Cate, and decent total by Jordan as well!
rating: 8
Fun fact: this is the first time since 12/21/2017 that the entire panel has REAL eyeglasses! 🤓 — oh, that HUGE loss episode 😢
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🤯 — that is definitely right for an INTENSE and INTERESTING ending to the week.
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There was actually a prize in the April 21 2014 episode that was as ridiculously expensive as that river cruise ($16,640).
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Oh yeah, we remembered that episode where a family won very big in the maingame and then go on to become the second-biggest winners of S31 courtesy of another $40K.
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If we are observant, well we also noticed that only five out of the 12 players who landed on the $100K last season do wore glasses (these were David, Ilene, Mark, Paula and Chanelle)🤓
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Ping back: https://andynwof.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/wof-recap-march-3-2017/
PP also worth $17,800 — truly one of my favorite episodes of S34.
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Despite some messy rounds, Kate cleaned up nicely! It’s a shame she got dealt a tough BR puzzle. (And too bad Monica didn’t win anything at all, let alone her first Disney trip.)
My rating: 7
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Why is the “DESERVING” part of Monica’s lump of coal removed? I want to know
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R2 (and R4 to an extent) was a little tricky. You also have to note that these contestants are aware that millions of people are watching them play (whether it be live broadcast or on demand).
Plus, I’ve seen worse. Looking at the most recent retro recap with that label, the contestant repeated a letter late in R2, crapped out in R3 with most of the board filled in (costing her a 5-digit total), and called some odd letters in the Speed-Up. At least Monica didn’t make any foolish missolves.
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Also to show some respect about that, we seen the recap, and Monica wasn’t that careful though.
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