‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant speaks out on ‘haunting’ $40K loss after unclear response: ‘That word has...’
Since its launch in 1975, 'Wheel of Fortune' has encountered numerous controversies, where the game show is often accused of cheating the contestants. In one such scenario, a contestant lost out on a $40,000 prize, even though many believe she gave the correct answer. As public outrage grew, the contestant herself stepped in to clear things up and shared whether she really gave the right answer or if it was just another case of misunderstood judgment.
The controversy erupted when a high school choir director from Placentia, California, Megan Carvale, gave uncertain responses during the bonus puzzle. With the clue 'living thing' and 10 seconds to guess the puzzle "P_N_"_RC_"D," Carvale gave answers like "pony orchid" and struggled to solve the puzzle. When time ran out, co-host Vanna White revealed the correct answer, "pink orchid," per Entertainment Weekly. Host Pat Sajak gently told Carvale, "You might have been overthinking a type of orchid… I'm sorry that didn't work out for you," before revealing the bonus prize of $40,000 that she had missed.
However, many fans pointed out that Carvale appeared to mutter something very close to "pink orchid" at the beginning, though it was unclear and ultimately not accepted by the show. The producers did not validate her answer, sparking debate, with many sharing their opinion in the comment section of the YouTube video. A fan commented, "I read lips and she definitely says pink orchid," while another added, "She said pink. I was watching the game and I was surprised when they did honored it." Another noted, "*SHE SAID PINK ORCHID!* But she acted like she didn't? This is a weird one!" A fan remarked, "SHE SAID PINK ORCHID!!!!!"
On 'Good Morning America,' Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan acknowledged that many fans felt she said the correct phrase but also pointed out that she didn't say it confidently or clearly enough. Carvale cleared the air about her loss during her appearance on 'GMA.' "For the history books [and] for the sake of this desk, what did you say?" Strahan asked Carvale, per The New York Post.
Smiling, Carvale admitted, "You know, I wish I said 'pink' because I would have been $40,000 richer, but I said ‘something.'" She looked back on how excited she was to be on the show, but the bonus round loss was hard to relive, as she said, "Even just watching it back and thinking, 'Okay, I just have to get through it; watch it once,' [but] then I wake up yesterday and it’s all over headlines; everybody's talking about the bonus round, and I'm reliving this loss." Despite the disappointment, she said the response has been overwhelmingly kind, saying, "Nobody made fun of me."
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Stephanopoulos then thanked her for being honest but joked that her family probably wanted the money. Carvale laughed and replied, "Of course they do." She also shared that her 8-year-old son teased her on the drive home, saying, "I can't believe you didn't get pink; I can't believe you didn't get pink." She added, "That word has already been haunting me and now all of America believes that I said it, but I didn't."