Featured Image Credit: Wheel of Fortune/NBC
Topics: Film and TV, Money
Rhianna Benson
Wheel of Fortune viewers were left screaming at their television sets this week, after a contestant was sensationally 'robbed' of $40,000.
California high school choir director Megan appeared on the much-loved, long-standing game show on Tuesday (January 30) with the hope of bagging a pretty penny.
Luck appeared to be on the woman's side during the first few segments of the puzzle-solving show, racking up tens of thousands of dollars within minutes.
And towards the end of the show, when the category changed to being about 'Living Things', Megan appeared relieved, as though this was a subject she could handle.
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After spinning the wheel, the show's host Pat Sajak collects the prize estimate card before walking her to a new puzzle to solve.
"_ _ N _ / _ R _ _ _ _," the brain-teaser read, after which Megan quickly went on to guess several others letters.
Adding in a P, a C and a D, the puzzle soon read: "P _ N _ / _ R C _ _ D."
As the clock was ticking and the dreaded timer looming, Megan continued to make as many guesses as she could.
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During the final 10 seconds remaining, she blurted out her final guess, though the words she said were rather unclear.
While it sounded partially as though she'd said 'Pink Orchid', she may have also said 'Something Orchid'.
The timer then popped off, before the final few correct letters were added to the board, revealing that the puzzle did, in fact, read 'Pink Orchid'.
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But being that it was unclear that this was exactly what Megan had said, the presenter took away her chances at walking away with the $40k on the prize card.
"You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you," host Sajak told her, explaining that she's instead have to leave with $14,007.
Despite the outcome that aired on TV, however, viewers have since hit out at Wheel of Fortune producers, claiming the result of Megan's episode was unfair.
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Taking to X, one fan of the show penned: "The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said 'PINK ORCHID' right at the start."
Another slammed: "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!!"
"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 $$$" a third wrote.
UNILAD has contacted NBC and Wheel of Fortune for comment.