TV Wheel of Fortune contestant receives car promised by Audi after she lost it on the show Charlene Rubush was gifted an Audi Q3 from the automaker after her controversial loss on Wheel in December. By Tyler Aquilina Tyler Aquilina Tyler Aquilina is a former digital writer at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 20, 2022 04:27PM EST Talk about a reversal of Fortune. Audi has delivered on its promise to gift Wheel of Fortune contestant Charlene Rubush with a new car, following her controversial loss on the game show in December. The luxury automaker announced that Rubush had received the vehicle, an Audi Q3, on its official Twitter account Thursday. "Charlene, welcome to the Audi family!" the tweet said. "We are so happy to see you in the driver seat." In an interview with TMZ, Rubush said the car "drives so well. I'm loving it!!" and added, "Much needed since my husband and I have been sharing one car since we moved here three years ago!" Rubush lost out on a new Q3 from Wheel of Fortune due to a technicality, which caused her response in the show's Bonus Round challenge to be ruled incorrect on the show's Dec. 21 episode. Despite Rubush giving the correct answer to the puzzle (which, ironically, was "Choosing the right word"), a long pause in her response caused host Pat Sajak and the show's judges to deny her the win. Charlene Rubush on 'Wheel of Fortune'. ABC "This one's tough, because you said all the right words… but, as you know, it's gotta be more or less continuous," Sajak said. "We'll allow for a little pause, but not four or five seconds." The ruling quickly drew ire from Wheel fans on social media, including former Jeopardy champion Alex Jacob, who tweeted, "Come on @WheelofFortune, the woman literally chose the right word. Give her the car." The controversy led Audi to step in and respond, with the company recruiting its followers to help track down Rubush and declaring it would give her the car instead. Jacob also posted a series of tweets following the progress of the effort, ending on Tuesday with a photo of Rubush and her BRAND NEW CAR!!! Related content: Audi steps in to give Wheel of Fortune contestant a car after she lost on a technicality Wheel of Fortune fans slam show rule after contestant loses due to technicality Pat Sajak jokingly (but intensely) scolds 'ungrateful' Wheel of Fortune contestant