Lots of Wheel of Fortune fans are confused — or even "fuming" — after watching the Tuesday, January 30, 2024, episode of the game show. They believe that contestant Megan Carvale provided the right answer, so she should've been awarded the money. During the bonus round, Megan's category was "Living Thing" and she needed to guess a two-word answer based on the letters provided. Host Pat Sajak led her to the puzzle board, which displayed "_ _N_ _R_ _ _ _."
After Megan guessed some letters, she was left with the following puzzle: "P_N_ _RC_D."
Fans swear that Megan said "pink orchid" before making other guesses, like "pine" or "pony." However, she was not awarded the prize money.
"You might have been overthinking a type of orchid. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you," Pat told her, puzzling those who were watching the show and heard Megan say "pink orchid."
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Pat revealed the prize estimate card to Megan — it showed $40,000, and Megan only took home $14,007.
Some believe that Megan actually said "something orchid," rather than "pink orchid." Many believe that Megan deserved the $40,000, and took to social media to talk about how Megan "got robbed."
"Hey @WheelofFortune I definitely heard the contestant say 'pink orchid' at the beginning of that final puzzle & rewound it to make sure," one person wrote on X. "You owe her some $$$."
Others are trying to raise awareness and get "#pinkorchid" trending on the platform.
"Honestly, it feels like this woman got robbed out of her bonus prize tonight on #WheelofFortune," one person wrote on X. "Can you guys help me get #PinkOrchid trending? That was the actual answer to the puzzle & a bunch of us legitimately heard her say that right when the clock started. "
Some told the Wheel of Fortune judges that they should rewatch the episode.
"Okay @WheelofFortune if you play tonight’s episode again for the final puzzle, the one that just aired, you will hear clearly that she said 'pink orchid,'" another person wrote on X. "You did not properly credit the winner. Go and play it back. Seriously she said exactly that! Pink Orchid!"
Many are rooting for Megan and made sure to tag "Wheel of Fortune" in their posts, urging the judges to correct their mistake and give Megan the money.
Some have rewatched the clip multiple times to be sure, and they still firmly believe that Megan deserves the prize money.
"We listened 5 times at high volume and will swear that Megan said 'pink orchid' for her first guess in the prize round Jan. 30th," one person wrote on X. "Anyone else?"
