Fans of "Wheel of Fortune" were left in disbelief and frustration when a contestant, who seemed to have given a correct answer, was denied a substantial prize.
The contestant, who appeared to correctly answer a puzzle, might have been unjustly deprived of winning $40,000, stirring up quite a reaction among viewers.
The contestant in question, Megan, a high school choir director from California, faced the challenge of solving a bonus puzzle under the category "Living Thing."
After spinning the wheel, she approached the puzzle board with host Pat Sajak, where the puzzle read, '_ _N_ ' _R_ _ _ _.'
Megan made several guesses, eventually revealing the board to display 'P_N_' '_RC_ _ D.'
With only 10 seconds remaining, she hastily guessed what sounded like "Pink Orchid," although some viewers thought they heard "Something Orchid."
As the timer expired, the correct letters were revealed, and Megan, in evident frustration, repeated the correct answer "Pink Orchid" out loud.
Host Pat Sajak, recognizing the potential accuracy of Megan's response, sympathetically remarked: "You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you."
He then revealed the prize card to Megan, showing a loss of $40,000 as she ended up with only $14,007.
Viewers at home were quick to express their disbelief and frustration on social media, contesting the decision that deemed Megan's answer incorrect.
One user commented on Wheel of Fortune, "The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said 'PINK ORCHID' right at the start."
Another fan, coming to Megan's defense, stated, "I questioned the judges from the first thing she said!! I'm deaf in one ear, and half remaining on right, so I use captions and lip read. She said 'Pink Orchid'!! No question!!"
Meanwhile, a third person added, "I am FUMING!! She got it she said pink orchid! Wtf?!"
An annoyed viewer implored the show to reconsider, saying, "Hey @WheelofFortune I heard the contestant say 'pink orchid' at the beginning of that final puzzle & rewound it to make sure. You owe her some $$$."
Similarly, another insisted, "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!"
The show has recently been under scrutiny, as fans have called out Wheel of Fortune for several mishaps.
There was a frenzy among fans on January 22 when the show seemingly made a mistake in an Express round featuring the "Rhyme Time" category.
During this round, two contestants were stumped, but a third named Jill eventually solved the puzzle after guessing two "y's."
The puzzle's answer was "Absolutely Positively," which sparked debate among viewers.
One fan argued on social media, "Absolutely Positively is NOT a rhyme."
Another person voiced their confusion, writing:
"Hey @WheelofFortune, Care to explain how these two words rhyme? Because they absolutely positively DON'T."