Wheel of Fortune fans claim player was ‘robbed’ on bonus puzzle she ‘clearly solved’ as viewers roar ‘I am fuming’
WHEEL of Fortune fans have erupted in fury over a contentious judgment call on Tuesday's episode.
Many viewers took to social media, arguing that contestant Megan was unjustly denied a $40,000 prize for correctly solving the bonus puzzle.
The California-based teacher, married to her husband Michael for a decade and raising two boys, triumphed with a total of $14,007.
As she headed into the bonus round, Megan, exclaiming, "I'm so excited!" chose "Living Thing" as her category.
In addition to RSTLNE, Megan chose "CDPA" to help her with the two-word puzzle, which read: “P_N_’ ‘_RC_ _ D’
When the 10-second timer commenced, her immediate guess sounded like either "Pink Orchid" or a very quiet "Something Orchid."
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Undeterred, she continued with "Pine Orchid?" only to face disappointment when the full puzzle was revealed as "Pink Orchid."
Host Pat Sajak, 77, expressed regret, stating, "You might have been overthinking a type of orchid; I’m sorry that didn't work out for you."
The revelation of a missed $40,000 from the glitzy prize card prompted Megan to exclaim, "Aw!"
However, hoards of fans challenged the game show's decision, insisting, to their ears, that Megan had indeed said "Pink Orchid" in her initial guess.
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'SHE SAID PINK ORCHID!'
One fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote [sharing the clip]: "There is no question, she absolutely said 'pink orchid.' Please give this girl her winnings! #justiceforpinkorchid"
Another viewer wrote: "I definitely heard 'Pink Orchid.' WTH @WheelofFortune #pinkorchid"
A third posted: "@patsajak she said Pink orchid. #WheelofFortune"
Others read: "Bro @WheelofFortune she said Pink orchid. #WheelofFortune"
"I heard it too! She said Pink orchid. What the heck."
"@WheelofFortune We listened 5 times at high volume and will swear that Megan said 'pink orchid' for her first guess on Jan. 30th. Anyone else?"
"I am FUMING!! She got it; she said pink orchid! Wtf?! #WheelOfFortune"
"Hey @WheelofFortune I definitely heard the contestant say 'pink orchid' at the beginning of that final puzzle & rewound it to make sure. You owe her some $$$."
"Am I tripping or did she say pink orchid ….#wheeloffortune"
An additional fan penned: "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!"
This caused another user to reply: "Turn on closed captions, and it will read 'something orchid,' but it’s hard to hear except the ending. That’s probably why she didn’t argue about her response being wrong. She knew what she said."
QUESTIONABLE
This isn't the only time that fans have recently called Wheel of Fortune's bonus round into question.
Earlier this month, fans accused the iconic game show of manipulating the prizes the prize round to ensure a BMW was won by the end of the week.
All five winners landed on the same BMW prize wedge in the bonus round in a single week, which, by night five, appeared more than just coincidental.
One fan took to X, writing: "OK, is Wheel of Fortune scamming us? How are they spinning the BMW 5 nights in a row?"
Another fan quipped, "I firmly believe that every prize on the wheel in the bonus round is a BMW."
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A third figured out that without manipulating the prize wedges on the final wheel, the odds of the event were 1 in 1.7 million.
Pat is retiring at the end of Season 41 in June 2024, marking the end of an era as Ryan Seacrest will begin hosting next fall.
