‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant faints after a streak of bad luck — admits it was a ‘blow to the ego’
‘Wheel of Fortune’, as the name indicates, is all about luck. While hits and misses are a part of the game, Justin Orscheln’s unlucky streak turned hilarious at one point. The assistant principal at Eagle Heights Elementary School in Kansas City appeared in an episode of the game show but kept facing bad luck while spinning the wheel. His first game started on a high note, but eventually everything crumbled. Every time he spun the wheel, the needle would either go to 'Bankrupt' or 'Lose a Turn', keeping his tally stagnant. The unlucky streak was too much to handle for Orscheln, who jokingly fainted after another failed spin.
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“We love your acting,” host Pat Sajak remarked. He asked the contestant to spin one more and assured him that they won’t accept a 'Bankrupt'. Orscheln spun the wheel, and the needle stopped at 'Lose a Turn'. This prompted Sajak to yell, “Get ready to fall again.” After a shockingly long streak of bad luck, the contestant ultimately took home $650. Although it was funny at the time, Orscheln was admittedly disheartened with the results.
In an interview with the New York Post, he admitted that the first two bankruptcies didn’t 'bother' him. He thought, “It’s all part of the game.” His luck kept getting worse, and it soon hit him like a truck. “The subsequent bankruptcies and ‘Lose a Turns’ were a blow to the ego for sure,” the contestant added. The official Instagram page of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ posted a montage of Orscheln spinning the wheel and his disappointment afterwards. “The wheel can be mean sometimes. Too mean,” the caption read. Nevertheless, Orscheln took his loss lightheartedly and tried to have fun on the show. The assistant principal admitted to the outlet that he wanted to set a good example for his students.
“I had to make the conscious choice to model good sportsmanship for my students and my own boy,” he said. He wanted to show that it’s important to have 'fun' even if things aren’t happening favorably. “Which led to ‘the faint,’” he revealed. In the final spin when he was faced with both a bankruptcy and 'Lose a Turn', Orscheln gave up hope and decided to just enjoy. “I figured to have as much fun as possible and not let them see me sweat,” he told the outlet. The contestant also revealed what went through his mind while he failed at multiple spin-the-wheel rounds, and it has something to do with the host.
Orscheln admitted that he thought Sajak was annoyed with him at that point. "After the bankruptcy, I wasn’t sure if Pat was annoyed [with my] pulling focus to me,” he said, referring to his dramatic faint. “My intention was to just make light of an irritating situation,” he explained. However, when the host jokingly asked him to fall again, the contestant was relieved. “I knew he was in on it too,” Orscheln added. Though the father-of-two faced tough luck, he relished his time on the show, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
