Featured Image Credit: ABC/ Wheel of Fortune/NBC
Topics: US News, Film and TV
Gerrard Kaonga
A Wheel of Fortune contestant that was ‘robbed’ off a massive cash prize according to social media users has spoken about her controversial round.
Megan Carvale divided the internet with her final round on the Wheel of Fortune episode that aired on Tuesday (January 30).
The California high school choir director appeared to be doing well but seemed to trip up at the last hurdle.
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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.
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."
Megan began frantically guessing and many viewers believe she gave the correct answer, which was 'pink orchid'.
However, as the timer ran out, host Sajak said: "You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you."
And instead, she'd have to leave with $14,007.
Many social media users were convinced that Megan had said pink orchid in her first guess, while others suggested she may have said ‘something orchid’ instead.
"The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said 'PINK ORCHID' right at the start," one X user wrote.
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!!"
Speaking on Good Morning America on Thursday (February 1), Megan addressed the controversy.
“You know, I wish I said ‘pink’ because I would have been $40,000 richer,” she said. “But I said ‘something.’”
Megan added: “My son, the entire way home, because my 8-year-old son was in the audience with me and the whole way home - we live in Orange County - the whole way home from LA, [he said], ‘Mom, I can’t believe you didn’t get pink. I can’t believe you didn’t get pink.’
“That word has already been haunting me and now all of America believes that I said it but I didn’t.”