Wheel of Fortune fans howl after contestant loses shot at $1 million

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Wheel of Fortune fans were shocked after one contestant lost her chance at the $1-million prize not once, but twice, last week.

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With the board reading “BULB, BEA_ _ N, SUN, STARS” in the category “Let There Be Light!,” contestant Tara Brown had to give just one correct letter or complete the answer to keep her $1 million piece.

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But Brown earned heaps of scorn on social media after she incorrectly guessed the letter “H,” Fox News reported.

One person in the audience could be heard crying out, “Oh no!”

Host Pat Sajak then handed the $1-million wedge to fellow contestant Zoe Tsongalis, who easily guessed the full puzzle: “BULB, BEACON, SUN, STARS.”

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“Who screens these people?” one fan asked, as another exclaimed, “She just blew the chance at $1M with that H guess!!!”

On the show, contestants can win the $1-million grand prize if they spin the wheel and land on the $1-million wedge. But to maintain their shot at the money they have to win their game and the solve the bonus puzzle correctly at the end.

So, it’s not easy.

Brown whiffed again later in the game when she hit on the $1-million spot again but failed to make it to the bonus round.

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Contestants who narrowly miss out on a million, no matter how remote the chances they’ll win, always set viewers off. Last March, a contestant named Micki was only three letters away from finishing a puzzle in the “Thing” category and she already had landed on a $1-million wedge.

With the board reading: “A ROARING FIRE IN THE FIRE_ _ A_E,” Micki inexplicably asked to put an “S” on the board.

One fan on Twitter called it a worse flub than an episode that aired during the show’s Teen Week, in which 10th grader Khushi guessed “FREGH” instead of “FRESH” to solve the answer “FRESH TROPICAL FRUIT” in the “Food & Drink” category.

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Brown’s flub last week comes after Wheel fans debated some close calls recently, including one in which a contestant named Tamara struggled to solve the final puzzle in the “What Are You Doing?” category.

“Now pay attention to what’s up there,” Sajak said, encouragingly. “If you talk it out you can do this.”

With the partially completed phrase “___N_NG A B____ _L_B” on the board, Tamara guessed “RUNNING A BOOK CLUB,” but several viewers believed they heard her say the right answer, which was “JOINING A BOOK CLUB.”

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Even though we clearly heard her say, “Running A Book Club,” one person on X wrote, “Wheel of Fortune – the contestant got the puzzle right – you messed up again!”

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Meanwhile, superfan Candace, a die-hard New Orleans Saints supporter from North Carolina, needed to guess the three-word response to solve a bonus round puzzle in the “Phrase” category last month.

With the board revealing the letters “P___ _N F_LL,” Candace guessed in vain, saying out loud, “Pain in Full” and “Pushing Full.”

After the 10-second timer ran out, the puzzle displayed the correct answer was “Paid in Full,” with Sajak teasing her: “You talked all around it.”

As Candace saw the answer — and her missed opportunity at $40,000 — she let out a groan of disappointment. “It helps when we put the letters up there,” Sajak said.

And Candace’s miss came just days after fans flew into a rage after a contestant was “robbed” of $40,000 on the game show in January.

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Megan Carvale, a married California high school choir director, needed to guess the two-word answer to solve a bonus round puzzle in the “Living Thing” category.

With the board revealing the letters “P_N_ _RC__D,” many viewers thought they heard Megan giving the correct answer — “Pink Orchid” — on her first guess. But she didn’t stop there blurting out several incorrect guesses, including “Pony Orchid.”

But during an appearance on Good Morning America, Carvale set the record straight on her final answer.

“You know, I wish I said ‘pink’ because I would have been $40,000 richer,” Carvale said. “But I said ‘something.’”

And if you’re wondering, only three people have won the $1-million prize: Michelle Loewenstein in 2008, Autumn Erhard in 2013 and Sarah Manchester in 2014.

Actress Melissa Joan Hart raked in $1 million for charity in 2021 on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.

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X: @markhdaniell

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