Furious 'Wheel of Fortune' Fans Claim Contestant Was 'Robbed' of $40,000 Prize in Bonus Round
“Wheel of Fortune” fans are at odds with each other and the show’s judges after a contestant on Tuesday’s show lost out on tens of thousands of dollars after she appeared to some viewers to have solved the final puzzle.
In the bonus round, a contestant named Megan was just a few letters and a correct guess away from taking home $40,000.
A blank puzzle appeared, and naturally, the letters R, S, T, L, N and E were automatically offered to help Megan get a head start.
What was left was a puzzle that read, “_ _N_ _R_ _ _ _.”
Megan chose her consonants and a vowel — C, D, P and A — leaving the board pretty well filled in.
With only 10 seconds to solve the show’s final puzzle, the woman looked at a board that read, “P_N_ _RC_ _ D.”
During her first guess, Megan uttered a phrase that was interpreted differently by two warring fan factions of the hit game show.
Megan said either “Something orchid” or “Pink orchid.”
She quickly went on to shout out a number of other guesses, all of which were incorrect.
The buzzer sounded, and host Pat Sajak appeared disappointed to not only reveal that the answer was “PINK ORCHID,” but also that Megan had just missed out on a huge payday.
“I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you,” Sajak said.
Megan responded as if the answer was or should have been obvious to her when she uttered the word, “Pink!”
Two of the top comments on the clip on the “Wheel” YouTube page show just how differently many who watched interpreted Megan’s first guess.
One commenter wrote, “For those wondering she said, ‘something orchid.’”
Meanwhile, the other commenter wrote, “First thing she said was Pink Orchid, so she got it right!!!”
The conversation also made its way onto the social media platform X, where the discussion continued:
She 100% said pink orchid. She got robbed.
— Jorge f (@jorgeF0804) January 31, 2024
Be better @WheelofFortune
— Jorge f (@jorgeF0804) January 31, 2024
She said “SOMETHING orchid”. I even heard it the first time. People need to get their ears checked, I swear to God.#WheelOfFortune
— Mr. Face (@Mr_Face222) January 31, 2024
She said “something orchid” as in she knew orchid but didn’t know the first word. She then said pony orchid lol she clearly was thinking it was a type of orchid and not a color. She didn’t even get mad when he said the answer. She definitely didn’t say pink
— RedbarDiditBetter (@HoagieBitingMan) January 31, 2024
There is no question, she absolutely said “pink orchid”. Please give this girl her winnings! @WheelofFortune @PatOnWheel @TheVannaWhite @MaggieSajak #wheel #wheeloffortune #justiceforpinkorchid Rooting for you, Megan! pic.twitter.com/muiRlMCMLy
— ashley june (@ashleeeeeejune) January 31, 2024
She said “something orchid”
— Tovah Atha (@TovahAtha) January 31, 2024
I’m sorry, did she NOT say Pink Orchid the first time? Or am I tripping #wheeloffortune pic.twitter.com/b30E4l0MqE
— Taylor (@TaylorStriegel) January 31, 2024
Okay @WheelofFortune if you play tonight’s episode again for the final puzzle, the one that just aired, you will hear clearly that she said “pink orchid”. You did not properly credit the winner. Go and play it back. Seriously she said exactly that! Pink Orchid!
— 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 (@PaganWitch87) January 31, 2024
Am I tripping or did she say pink orchid ….#wheeloffortune
— AB (@AngelBeeBrooks) January 31, 2024
Clearly says “something orchid”
— ThatOnenessGuy (@ThatOnenessGuy) January 31, 2024
Despite missing out on a huge payout, Megan still walked away with just over $14,000 in cash.
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