The game was now over, everyone just wanted to know what Nura was thinking. Sajak was dead curious about her guesses and, surely enough, approached and inquired about her strange picks.
As if Nura knew she was going to be asked this question, she appeared prepared, and responded cryptically, “That’s what I saw.” The only problem was that nobody in their sound mind could have chosen those letters. Her answer simply wasn’t plausible enough. “That was an unsatisfactory answer,” Sajak said. “But she’s not under oath.”
No Regrets
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the venue, or in their living room watching the show, who expect the board to light up after such weird guesses. Of course, Nura failed to see a single letter light up. Yet she didn’t seem to show any sign of regret, and when the final round came, she didn’t yield any answer.
Nura just stood in front of everyone as they gazed at her, mouths agape in utter disbelief. By this time, a hint of awkwardness had finally started showing in her demeanor as she waited for the timer to run out. It was far from the confident composure she had started the game with. She had, it seemed, broken down in some unknown way. And now, it was all over for her.
A Solid First Win
Steve, who had not managed to win anything until that point, came up the surprise winner of the round. It was a triumphant comeback performance of sorts. He was able to guess the phrase “following footprints,” and claimed his first win of the night.
Just moments ago he had been expecting to go home empty-handed. Yet, out of nowhere, he was now blessed with an impressive $6,400. Still, it was Nura who gained the biggest reaction.
The Consolation Prize
Everyone who watched the show must have thought that Nura was playing a different game entirely. But who would deliberately give up the chance to win so much, and why? No one who had been watching her solid early performance could have anticipated her losing in those crucial rounds. Especially in such an obscure manner.
She still did well by proceeding to the final, but her abstruse performance at the end gave Steve a window of opportunity to score for himself. It gave him a sort of consolation prize.
No Straight Answers
Nura refused to say a thing about her performance that would confirm or deny people’s suspicions. But after Steve gaining an unexpected portion of the prize money, the audience could not help but wonder, some even drifting towards accusations. They wanted to get a straight answer out of her, but Nura wouldn’t give in.
It seemed as though she may have taken a tactical step back so that her former co-combatant could shoot for some of the spoils. A sense of camaraderie was in the air and beginning to be the underlying theme of the event. True to the spirit of Veterans Week.