‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant loses big on a tricky phrase — but her grace in defeat is winning hearts
'Wheel of Fortune' host Ryan Seacrest couldn't believe his eyes when a contestant ended up losing $40,000 in the Bonus Round because of a single letter. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune', which was released on October 22, 2024, a player named Shannon Hunt fought all the way to the finale. Then, Hunt was all excited to solve her final puzzle, and she got very close to cracking the puzzle and winning an additional $40,000 in the Bonus Round. However, Hunt failed to work out the puzzle "You Wear It Well" before the buzzer went out, and it all came down to one letter. At the end, Hunt's huge loss in the Bonus Round left Secrest gasping for air.
In the episode, Hunt from Scottsville, Kentucky, competed against Coretha Myrick from Dothan, Alabama, and Milton Dampier from Brandon, Mississippi. Hunt started the game on a winning note by nailing the first Toss Up rounds. In the PR Round, Hunt scored the big cash prize of $17,000 alongside an all-expense paid trip to Denver. Hunt maintained the momentum in the next few rounds by solving a couple of puzzles.
Eventually, Hunt finished in the first place on the leaderboard with a total of $20,800 in cash and a trip. Heading into the Bonus Round, Hunt chose the "Phrase" category for her final puzzle. Soon after, Hunt was joined on the stage by her husband, Tim, for support. Then, Hunt spun the wheel and picked out a Golden Envelope. After 'Wheel of Fortune' gave Hunt the standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," she chose "B, H, C, and A" as her additional letters.
Unfortunately, Hunt didn't get many clues from her selection of letters, and her final puzzle looked like "_ _ _ _ E A R _ T _ E L L." It appears that Hunt had already figured out half of the puzzle when Seacrest began the ten-second timer. As the clock counted down, Hunt shouted, "Can't Hear It Well," which wasn't the correct answer. According to Market Realist, Seacrest said, "No, you wear it well. That’s okay. So close. You got me excited. I’m happy. I thought you got there."
Seacrest further added, "You wear it well. Well done, tonight. What a great night. $20,800. Thank you so much." In her response, Hunt went on to say, "What a great night. I'm so blessed. Thank you." Seacrest then told Hunt, "Nice to meet you and happy Halloween." Following that, Seacrest informed Hunt that she would have walked away with an additional $40,000 if she had cracked her Bonus Round puzzle.
Once the YouTube clip of Hunt's Bonus Round dropped, numerous fans stopped by the comments section to discuss the tricky puzzle. One social media user wrote, "Whoa, now I realized if she called the W in here. Tricky one tonight!" Followed by a second user who penned, "Another trick phrase." A fan commented, "I'm so loving these reactions, that's Ryan scared. These are so genuine, and I can tell he doesn't know. This was hard to figure out myself."
