'Wheel of Fortune' winner Charlene Rubush gets her Audi
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Charlene Rubush is cruising into the new year in a new car.
The "Wheel of Fortune" contestant lost a chance to win an Audi Q3 in December on a technicality, pausing too long while delivering her correct answer.
Rubush went into the bonus round, which had the category clue "What Are You Doing?" with $16,500 in prize money. She first guessed "Choosing the right card," but the correct answer was "Choosing the right word." She eventually got there, but not in a way that’s acceptable to the rules of the game.
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Just before the buzzer, Rubush said "Choosing the right… word," but the pause before the last word was too long.
"You know, this one's tough because you said all the right words, including the word 'word' but, as you know, it's gotta be more or less continuous," host Pat Sajak explained.
"We'll allow for a little pause but not four or five seconds. I'm sorry. You did a good job in getting it, but we can't give you the prize, and it was the Audi."
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Many fans quickly took to the internet to voice their support for her, however, and when Audi got wind of the situation it told her it would give her a car anyway.
"In the spirit of the holidays, we are thrilled to gift Charlene with an all-new Audi Q3." said Tara Rush, Audi of America chief marketing officer. "It is the season of giving after all and, technicality or not, we are always eager to share a bit of Audi magic and cheer!"
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Audi announced on Thursday that Charlene had picked up her new white compact SUV this week.
"You all did it! You helped #GiveHerTheQ3. Charlene, welcome to the Audi family! We are so happy to see you in the driver seat," the automaker tweeted.
Fox News' Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report