$1 million was on the line — and this ‘Wheel of Fortune’ player lost it all over one tricky phrase
A contestant on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ recently lost $1 million during a Bonus Round of the game show. Sam Oh, from Cypress, Texas, appeared in an episode with his two coworkers, Peter Jung and Daniel Park, from Houston. As part of Bragging Rights Week, the three men, who work together in a pediatric medical office, played extremely well during the initial rounds. However, as Oh eventually led the game and entered the Bonus Round, things took a turn for the worse.
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When Oh chose the "Phrase" category, his coworkers cheered from the sidelines. Host Ryan Seacrest felt the excitement and said, “I really hope you will be my first $1 million winner.” Oh soon spun the wheel, getting the letters “R, S, T, L, N, and E.” After Seacrest asked him to pick three additional consonants and one vowel, Oh initially chose only “C.” As time ran out, Seacrest prompted him to continue, and Oh finally selected “G,” “M,” and “O.” Eventually, the bonus round puzzle looked like “O_T O_ _ _ _C_.” With just a few seconds remaining, Oh guessed “Out Of.” The correct answer was “Out of Whack,” but Oh lost due to time constraints and hesitation while selecting letters. As a result, he missed out on the $40,000 prize.
Oh’s loss marked the twelfth consecutive Bonus Round puzzle lost by a contestant on 'Wheel of Fortune.' Following the episode, many fans took to Reddit, expressing, “Out of Whack’ is a tough one.” Another Reddit comment read, “Sam took WAY too long to choose his letters in the Bonus Round. Of course, he was running through all possible scenarios in his head while doing so, but any extra time gives you an advantage. I can’t say he broke any rules because I don’t think there is one in place to begin with, but yeesh! Not sad he didn’t get it.” A third comment on the Reddit thread read, “Million dollar wedge at play is a huge deal, but I feel like Ryan hyped it up so much it would make me feel extra anxious when trying to solve it.” However, after the May 13 episode, fans showed confusion over the Bonus Round losing streak. Others called the streak “ridiculous,” with one fan saying they were shocked that a particular contestant didn’t win, “as she was super sharp the whole episode.”
A similar case occurred when Pat Ralph, from Westfield, New Jersey, nearly lost $60,000 during the June 6 episode. As per TV Insider, the contestant nearly lost the Bonus Round puzzle due to limited time. In that episode, Ralph competed against Kelly Rushford from Buffalo, New York, and Stefani Adams from Chicago, Illinois.