The internet is divided after a Wheel of Fortune contestant appeared to guess the right answer on Tuesday, but was denied the $40,000 prize. Megan, the contestant, had already amassed $14,007 and was competing for even bigger winnings in the category of “Living Thing.” As the game progressed, she found herself confronted with a two-word puzzle, with five blanks still to be filled: “P_N_/RC _D.”
As the final 10 seconds ticked down, she seemed to utter “Pink Orchid.” Despite her correct guess, host Pat Sajak seemingly failed to acknowledge her answer and time ran out.
The Wheel of Fortune contestant displayed no objection or surprise when she didn’t win. As the solution was revealed, she uttered “Pink” in what appeared to be a frustrated acknowledgment of her inability to solve it.
“You might have been overthinking,” explained Sajak. Upon opening the card, it was revealed that Megan had the opportunity to claim a staggering $40,000. With this revelation, the host extended their congratulations to Megan for her comparatively modest winnings of $14,007.
Many Wheel watchers took to the internet to support Megan. “I’m pretty much 100% sure that Pink Orchid was the first thing out of her mouth,” one fan wrote in the YouTube comments. “Why wasn’t it stopped there saying she won?”
The ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Reveals if Her Correct Answer Was Ignored
Megan was invited on Good Morning America on Thursday to address the Wheel of Fortune snafu. It turns out, the beleaguered Wheel of Fortune contestant supports Pat Sajak’s ruling.
“You know, I wish I said ‘pink’ because I would have been $40,000 richer,” she admitted. “But I said ‘something.’”
Megan revealed that even her own family gave her a hard time over not getting the obvious puzzle correct. “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.’
Megan admits that in her quiet moments alone, the word “pink” fills her heart with dread. The fact that the internet insists she said it only adds to her mental health woes. “That word has already been haunting me,” she said. “Now all of America believes that I said it but I didn’t.”