'Wheel of Fortune' Fans Slam Show After Contestant Guesses Correctly

Viewers of Wheel of Fortune were left frustrated, claiming a contestant was robbed of her winnings after potentially guessing the right answer.

As Megan, a California high school choir director, headed into the bonus round on Tuesday's episode of the game show, she couldn't contain her excitement. She picked "Living Thing" as her category and needed to guess the two-word answer.

Host Pat Sajak, who has helmed the show since 1981, walked her to the puzzle board that read: "_ _N_ _R_ _ _ _." In addition to RSTLNE, Megan chose "CDPA" to help her with the two-word puzzle, leaving her with a board that read: "P_N_ _RC_ _ D."

She struggled to figure out the answer and with just 10 seconds left on the timer, she cried out a guess, which sounded like either "Pink Orchid" or a very faint "Something Orchid."

She continued to throw out other answers, offering the words "pine" and "pony" only to face disappointment when the full puzzle was revealed as "pink orchid."

"You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you," Sajak said, before revealing the prize estimate card showing $40,000, a far cry from the $14,007 she took home.

People watching the show couldn't believe what they saw—or heard—and have shared how upset they were about Megan's answer being deemed wrong.

Newsweek contacted Sony Pictures Television, which owns the game show, via email on Wednesday to comment on this story.

People took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent their frustrations. Many also said Megan should be given the $40,000 that she lost out on.

"The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said "PINK ORCHID" right at the start," 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 $$$," said another.

"There is no question, she absolutely said "pink orchid". Please give this girl her winnings! @WheelofFortune @PatOnWheel @TheVannaWhite @MaggieSajak #wheel #wheeloffortune #justiceforpinkorchid Rooting for you, Megan!" someone else wrote.

A fourth person added: "Yall gotta give that lady that 40k she definitely said pink orchid."

However, other people online disagree, with some people saying Megan actually said "something orchid."

"Turn on closed captions and it will read "something orchid," but it's hard to hear except the ending. That's probably why she didn't argue about her response being wrong. She knew what she said," an X user wrote.

"This is a weird one... so I hear Pink Orchid... but if I think of the word 'something'.. I hear Something Orchid," said another.

A third added: "She said SOME-thing Orchid."

No matter which answer is true, this is a clear example of an unintentional audio illusion. This is when the brain perceives sounds that are either not there or exist in a different form from what is perceived.

The long-running game show is set for some major changes after Sajak previously announced his plans to retire at the end of the 41st season, which started in September 2023. The 77-year-old announced on X in June that he was leaving the role.

"Well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it'll keep the clickbait sites busy!)" Sajak wrote at the time.

Just days after he made his announcement, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was named as his replacement.