A woman was seemingly cheated by the Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday (January 30) when she appeared to utter the right answer, only to be told she was wrong, sparking a movement defending her on social media.
The American TV game show’s episode ended in controversy after viewers claimed contestant Megan made it to the bonus round only to lose, even though many heard her guess the correct answer, which was "Pink Orchid."
Highlights
- High school choir director Megan was seemingly cheated out of winning $40,000 during her Wheel of Fortune bonus round
- Controversy sparks as viewers hear Megan say the correct answer without acknowledgment.
- Host Pat Sajak apologizes after Megan misses out on $40k bonus prize.
- Social media users rally to support Megan, claiming she was robbed of her bonus prize.
Megan, who is a high school choir director from California, had won the episode of Wheel of Fortune that aired Tuesday, pocketing just over $14,000.
High school choir director Megan was seemingly cheated out of winning $40,000 during her Wheel of Fortune bonus round
Image credits: Wheel of Fortune
The show features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel.
In Tuesday’s episode, the setup consisted of the category “Living Thing,” and the puzzle that appeared after Megan got the traditional R, S, T, L, N, and E and guessed her letters was “P_N_ _RC_ _ D.”
As many viewers heard, Megan’s first words once the timer started sounded like “pink orchid.” However, her alleged answer didn’t trigger any further reaction from host Pat Sajak, so she continued to try and work out the answer, to no avail.
Viewers claimed they heard Megan guessing the correct answer, which was "Pink Orchid"
Image credits: Wheel of Fortune
Pat could be heard saying: “You might have been overthinking a type of orchid,” after the buzzer sounded and the missing letters were revealed.
Megan went on to exclaim “Pink” while laughing, without any trace of anger that she had actually guessed it or surprise that she lost when she may have said the correct answer.
“I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you,” host Pat Sajak said
Image credits: Wheel of Fortune
Pat later replied: “I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you,” before revealing that Megan had missed out on the big prize: $40,000.
As a result, a handful of people took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their frustration, as one person wrote: "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 $$$."
Megan ended up pocketing just over $14,000
Image credits: Wheel of Fortune
Another commentator penned: "Am I tripping, or did she say pink orchid?"
One irritated viewed commented: "The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight. She totally said 'PINK ORCHID' right at the start."
You can watch the clip below:
Image credits: Wheel of Fortune
Someone else pointed out: "Honestly, it feels like this woman got robbed out of her bonus prize tonight on #WheelofFortune."
A separate individual chimed in: "Can you guys help me get #PinkOrchid trending? That was the actual answer to the puzzle & a bunch of us legitimately heard her say that right when the clock started."
More viewers agreed with the rest of the people defending Megan online
