Outraged âWheel of Fortuneâ enthusiasts are crying foul, convinced that a contestant, Megan, was unjustly stripped of $40,000 for an answer that might have been spot-on.
Megan, a married high school choir director from California, faced the challenge of unraveling a two-word bonus puzzle under the category of âLiving Thing.â
As the wheel spun, host Pat Sajak guided Megan to the puzzle board, revealing the partial phrase â_ N â R _ _ _.ââ Megan, making strategic letter selections, transformed the board to âP_N_â âRC _ D.â
With a mere 10 seconds left, Megan hastily uttered her final guess, sounding like âPink Orchidâ or faintly resembling âSomething Orchid.â The correct letters illuminated the board just as the timer buzzed, prompting Megan to audibly express her frustration at the correct answer, âPink Orchid.â
Sajak, acknowledging Meganâs potential correctness, displayed the prize estimate card, revealing a substantial $40,000âfar surpassing the $14,007 she ultimately received.
Viewers watching from their living rooms couldnât fathom the outcome, expressing their discontent to Wheel of Fortune about Meganâs seemingly unjustly deemed incorrect answer.
âThe woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight; she totally said âPINK ORCHIDâ right at the start,â one viewer complained.
âI asked the judges from the first thing she said!! Iâm deaf in one ear, and half remaining on right, so I use captions and lip read. She said âPink Orchidâ!! No question!!,â defended another fan.
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âI am FUMING!! She got it; she said pink orchid! Wtf?!â exclaimed a third person.
âHey @WheelofFortune I heard the contestant say âpink orchidâ at the beginning of that final puzzle & rewound it to make sure. You owe her some $$$,â demanded one irritated viewer.
âOkay @WheelofFortune if you play tonightâs episode once again for the final puzzle, the one that just aired, you will hear clearly that she said âpink orchid.â You did not properly credit the winner. Go and play it back. Seriously she said exactly that! Pink Orchid!â
Amidst the controversy, Wheel of Fortune faces mounting criticism from fans for apparent slip-ups, including a recent dispute over a rhyme during an Express round. The audience erupted on Jan. 22, as the show seemingly fumbled an answer in the âRhyme Timeâ category.
In the unfolding debacle, two contestants found themselves stumped, but Jill, a third contestant, cracked the puzzle by guessing two âyâs,â forming the rhyme: âAbsolutely Positively.â
Fans ardently contested the decision, arguing that âAbsolutely Positivelyâ does not constitute a rhyme. âHey @WheelofFortune,â one viewer wrote. âCare to explain how these two words rhyme Because they absolutely positively DONâT.â