A Wheel of Fortune contestant went home with a bucket load of embarrassment after getting an "easy" puzzle wrong.

Playing along with game shows at home is easy because the pressure is off when you're sitting on your sofa.

But under the lights of a studio, knowing that loads of people are watching your every move, things get a bit trickier.

Well, I imagine this is the case, I once had an interview for The Chase but they never got back to me - presumably because they knew I was too good and would win too much money.

But I digress, what I'm trying to say is that the following story is easy to laugh at, but you've got to feel for the unlucky contestant as well.

In case you're unfamiliar with the Wheel of Fortune, the incredibly popular game show has been running for almost a whopping 50 years.

It sees contestants trying to solve word puzzles in exchange for cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival-like wheel.

The current season is hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who took over from long-time host Pat Sajak following his retirement.

Despite it being only Seacrest’s second week as host, the show has already delivered a moment of high drama and disappointment.

Contestant Vivian Tran was just one word away from the million-dollar prize in the bonus round.

"My heart is racing, this is a first for me," Seacrest said as Tran prepared to spin the wheel. "You're playing for a $1 million."

He explained that the show had replaced its usual $100,000 envelope with a $1,000,000 option.

After spinning, Tran was presented with a puzzle in the category "What Are You Doing?" She chose the letters C, H, M, I, and P, along with an extra letter from a wild card.

Co-host Vanna White revealed the letters on the board, leaving the puzzle as "_ _ _ E R I N G, S _ M E, HELP."

As the clock ticked down, Tran began guessing: "Wondering some help? Answering some help? Looking around for some help? Boundary for help?"

Unfortunately, none of her answers were correct.

The correct solution was revealed as "Offering some help," a realization that left Tran emotional.

The disappointment deepened when Seacrest opened the envelope she had selected, revealing the $1,000,000 prize inside.

Despite the tough loss, Tran didn't walk away empty-handed. She still took home $27,300 and won a trip to Europe.

Luckily for Tran, many understood her pain and took to the comments to offer support.

"I’m proud of Vivian for holding it together. I’d be crying on live TV if I missed out on a million dollars like that," one person said.

A second added: "If you watched this episode on television and solved this puzzle, this would be one of those moments where you hate yourself that you were right."

A third person said: "What makes this even more tragic is that the puzzle was SO EASY. ITS BEEN 10 YEARS!!! WE NEED A ANOTHER WINNER!!!"

You've got to feel for her, she was agonizingly close to taking home $1,000,000, but alas, it wasn't to be.

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Wheel of Fortune viewers witnessed a jaw-dropping moment of controversy when a contestant's response - which many believed to be correct - was not deemed so by the show's judges.

The contestant at the center of this heated debate was Megan, a married high school choir director from California, who found herself in a tense bonus puzzle round. Her challenge was to solve a two-word puzzle under the category of "Living Thing".

As the wheel spun and Megan anxiously awaited her turn, host Pat Sajak picked up the prize estimate card and guided her to the puzzle board, revealing the enigmatic phrase, "_ _N_   _R_ _ _ _."

After guessing a few of the letters correctly, Megan was left with a board that read: "P_N_  _RC_ _ D"

With just 10 seconds on the timer, Megan uttered her final guess, which many viewers believe sounded like "Pink Orchid".

Of course, you can imagine their surprise when the correct letters appeared on the board, unveiling "Pink Orchid" as the answer... only for host Pat Sajak to reveal that she hadn't won the $40,000.

In an exasperated tone, Megan repeated the correct answer out loud, clearly frustrated by the timing.

Sajak, displaying a hint of realization, responded, "You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you."

It was then revealed that Megan's answer had been marked incorrect, resulting in her winning a considerably lower amount, $14,007, instead of the initially estimated $40,000.

Outraged fans took to social media to voice their discontent, with one viewer stating: "The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said 'Pink Orchid' right at the start."

Another supporter of Megan chimed in, saying: "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!!"

"I am FUMING!! She got it she said pink orchid! Wtf?!" expressed a third viewer.

Some viewers directly addressed the show, with one stating: "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 $$$."

Another outraged fan demanded action, saying: "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!"

However, after rewatching the clip, it looks like Megan faintly says something along the lines of "Something Orchid" - which would explain why she doesn't look too surprised to be missing out on the top prize.

Of course, this isn't the first time the show has been met with controversy.

Last year, a vacation to Croatia and a staggering $1 million dollars were on the line, and all that stood between contestant Micki and the prize was three letters.

The woman from Lousiana had the live studio audience at the edge of their seats as she was instructed by longtime host Pat Sajak to pick another letter.

Under the category "Thing," a clue on the board read: "A ROARING FIRE IN THE FIRE _ _ A _ E," and the unsolved word was clearly "FIREPLACE".

However, Micki left fans astounded when she asked the 76-year-old host to put an "S" on the board, which set off the incorrect-answer buzzer. "You got the reaction. No 'S,' I’m sorry," Sajak said of the crowd's disappointment.

Maybe this game is just much harder under the studio lights?

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant has left the live audience shocked after her wildly inaccurate guess of the final three remaining letters in a puzzle.

On Friday's (March 3) episode of the hit game show, a vacation to Croatia and a staggering $1 million dollars were on the line, and all that stood between contestant Micki and the prize was three letters.

The woman from Lousiana had the live studio audience at the edge of their seats as she was instructed by longtime host Pat Sajak to pick another letter.

Under the category "Thing," a clue on the board read: "A ROARING FIRE IN THE FIRE _ _ A _ E," and the unsolved word was clearly "FIREPLACE".

However, Micki left fans astounded when she asked the 76-year-old host to put an "S" on the board, which set off the incorrect-answer buzzer. "You got the reaction. No 'S,' I’m sorry," Sajak said of the crowd's disappointment.

Viewers of the long-running show took to their social media to express their astonishment over what could have been an effortless win for the contestant.

One person wrote: "$7,600 in the bank, million dollar piece secured, trip to Croatia on the line and she chose an….S."

Another user said: "That is one of the most painful “S” calls ever! #WheelOfFortune"

A third person commented: "Oh, Micki why'd you guess. Why’d you guess a f***ing S? Oh, Micki. Oh, oh, oh, Micki," in the tune of the hit Toni Basil song, 'Hey, Mickey.'

A fourth remarked: "The Million Dollar Wedge, the Wild Card, the XL wedge, AND a chance to get Croatia, but couldn't get 'Fireplace.' I'd never want to leave the house ever again."

Meanwhile, one viewer referenced another outlandish mishap that occurred recently, when 10th-grader contestant Khushi actually had to guess the letter 'S' to crack the puzzle correctly.

Instead, she guessed a 'G,' making her final answer "Fregh Tropical Fruit," rather than "Fresh Tropical Fruit," which meant she missed out on a vacation to the tropical island of Antigua.

"Wheel of Fortune poll: Worse flub in recent memory. A) Fregh B) Fireplace. I’d go B since it changed the entire game," they said, to which someone else commented: "The fregh tropical fruit one also changed the game."

Khushi's answer was so shocking that she evoked a gasp from the live audience. She soon realized her mistake mere seconds before the buzzer went off but it was too late.

Another contestant named Juliana capitalized on the error and solved the puzzle as soon as she could. She then earned the opportunity to go to the Caribbean island and $650.

After the teenager got the letter wrong, Sajak addressed the elephant in the room and stated that sometimes contestants can sometimes forget the answer, even when it appears clear to viewers.

"You know when that happens and you’re sitting at home saying, 'How in the world can that happen' you know, sometimes it is a word that just doesn’t want to come into focus for you," he said.

Featured image credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy

A Wheel of Fortune contestant has left the live audience stunned after her wildly incorrect guess of the final remaining letter in a puzzle.

On a recent episode of the long-running game show, a vacation to the tropical island of Antigua was on the line and all that stood between 10th-grader contestant Khushi and the prize was a single letter.

Khushi was working towards solving the puzzle in the Food & Drink category. After correct guesses, she was left with two remaining letters, which at that moment read: "FRE_ _ TROPICAL FRUIT."

The contestant then guessed an "H" - which filled in the last letter of the first word - and was now left with the puzzle as "FRE_H TROPICAL FRUIT." As obvious as the answer looked, the teenager still appeared perplexed.

"Solve it or spin it or... but do something quickly," host Pat Sajak said as the clock ran down - prompting her to have another turn of the wheel.

Khushi decided to spin the wheel and guess one more letter, however, it become pretty obvious that she had no idea what the phrase was and incorrectly guessed that the missing letter was a G.

As soon as the teenager said that, someone in the audience groaned and loudly yelled "what," wondering how she got the answer so wrong. Khushi then realized her blunder seconds before the buzzer went off.

However, it was too late for her after the other contestant Juliana capitalized on the mistake and solved the puzzle as soon as she could. She then earned the opportunity to go to the Caribbean island and $650.

A clip of the unfortunate moment was shared on social media, where one game show fan wrote: "That person in the audience is all of our spirit animals when we watch this show."

Another user also jested: "This contestant simply needs to open a successful tropical fruit store named Fregh."

A third commented: "I was watching while on the treadmill at the gym and gasped so loud at this."

Meanwhile, other people had some sympathy for what unfolded, with an understanding user penning: "She blanked out. It happens to the best of us."

A second person also noted: "Well, I can tell you firsthand that it’s much different when you’re actually on a game show under pressure vs. thinking comfortably on your couch."

After Khushi got the letter wrong, the host addressed the elephant in the room and said that sometimes contestants can sometimes forget the answer, even when it appears obvious to viewers.

"You know when that happens and you’re sitting at home saying, 'How in the world can that happen' you know, sometimes it is a word that just doesn’t want to come into focus for you," Sajak said.

Featured image credit: Bruce McGowan / Alamy

People were left fuming at their television after a contestant on Wheel of Fortune made a "painful" mistake.

On Tuesday's airing of the popular game show, Kimberly Wright, a contestant from Apopka, Florida, made a critical error that cost her a significant sum of money.

As the puzzle board displayed "D U _ _ - _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS," Wright's choice of the letter "F" led to collective groans from the studio audience.

"I'm going to call an F," Wright announced, which all but meant that she wouldn't be taking home any money.

With Wright's miss, fellow contestant Marie Kioski from Owosso, Michigan, swiftly capitalized on the opportunity, correctly solving the puzzle and securing the prize money along with a trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.

In case you're staring blankly at the letters and can't figure out what the answer is, I'll spoil it below.

D U _ _ - _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS becomes DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.

Hopefully, we can all acknowledge that choosing F was a pretty weird thing to do - but it's easy for us to judge sitting at home without the pressure of being in the studio.

The blunder didn't go unnoticed by Wheel of Fortune enthusiasts, who promptly took to social media to express their astonishment and frustration at Wright's error.

"Oh my, that was painful. F?? She thought the platypus was filled? with what exactly?" one fan wrote, with a second saying: "Where did this lady think an F was going to go in this puzzle?"

Another viewer said: "Wheel of Fortune puzzle was clearly duck-billed platypus and the lady asked for an F she’s like reverse autocorrect."

While the uproar over Wright's error dominated the online chatter, it's worth noting that the episode also marked a significant milestone for the show.

Legendary host Pat Sajak led the proceedings, nearly a month after recording his final episode.

Sajak bid farewell to his longstanding role after more than four decades at the helm. His departure was announced in June 2023, with his final episode slated to air on Friday, June 7.

Reflecting on his departure, Sajak expressed gratitude for the years of support from fans and colleagues.

Sajak shared the stage with Vanna White - who has been co-hosting the series for four decades too. While she hasn't shared her thoughts on her partner retiring, she told PEOPLE last December that she wasn't ready to think about the duo not hosting Wheel of Fortune together.

"I don't even want to think about that. I mean, we're a team. That's depressing. I don't even want to think about it."

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