She didn’t win a car due to ‘Wheel of Fortune’ technicality — Audi gave her one anyway

A “Wheel of Fortune” contestant who narrowly missed out on winning a car due to a technicality will get one anyway, as the carmaker followed through on its promise.

Audi’s gift to Charlene Rubush came after a flurry of backlash to “Wheel of Fortune,” which ruled the contestant paused too long before giving the final word of her final bonus round puzzle.

Rubush chose all the right words of the puzzle — quite literally “choosing the right word” — but she did not win the new car because of the technicality.

Enter Audi, the German automotive manufacturer, which took notice of the backlash and unfortunate circumstances Rubush was dealt.

“You’re a winner in our eyes, Charlene,” Audi said in December. “Now let’s get you a prize.”

And the company delivered, with the woman recently getting a Q3.

“You all did it! You helped #GiveHerTheQ3,” Audi said in a tweet Thursday, Jan. 20. “Charlene, welcome to the Audi family! We are so happy to see you in the driver seat.”

The carmaker tagged in the post Alex Jacob, a former “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions winner who appeared to be instrumental in helping the backlash gain momentum. Jacob’s initial post of the “Wheel of Fortune” clip went viral, and he later communicated with the manufacturer to help “get this deserving woman an Audi.”

Jacob also shared a separate photo of Rubush next to her new vehicle.

This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 2:26 PM with the headline "She didn’t win a car due to ‘Wheel of Fortune’ technicality — Audi gave her one anyway."