Audi of America confirmed that it had extra Christmas spirit than the judges on “Wheel of Fortune” who mentioned a contestant paused too lengthy whereas accurately fixing a puzzle.

The automaker stepped in amid a social media backlash in opposition to the sport present’s choice to disclaim Charlene Rubush an Audi Q3 within the bonus spherical of the Dec. 21 episode.

“You are a winner in our eyes, Charlene,” Audi wrote on its Twitter account. “Now, let’s get you a prize.”

Audi, in an announcement to Newsweek, mentioned it was upset Rubush misplaced “because of a technicality” and confirmed that it was giving her a Q3 “within the spirit of the vacations.”

The puzzle at challenge was “choosing the proper phrase.” With 5 letters lacking, Rubush first guessed “choosing the proper card.” She then mentioned “choosing the proper” and studied the board for about 5 seconds earlier than including “phrase” simply earlier than the buzzer.

Host Pat Sajak defined that, though Rubush was appropriate, she did not win as a result of the principles say contestants should be “roughly steady” with their solutions.

Former “Jeopardy!” champion Alex Jacob helped make the hashtag “#GiveHerTheQ3” go viral after the present aired. “Come on @WheelofFortune, the lady actually selected the proper phrase,” he tweeted. “Give her the automobile.”

When the present did not, Audi did as an alternative.