People were left fuming at their television after a contestant on Wheel of Fortune made a “painful” mistake.
On Tuesday’s airing of the popular game show, Kimberly Wright, a contestant from Apopka, Florida, made a critical error that cost her a significant sum of money.
As the puzzle board displayed “D U _ _ – _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS,” Wright’s choice of the letter “F” led to collective groans from the studio audience.
“I’m going to call an F,” Wright announced, which all but meant that she wouldn’t be taking home any money.
With Wright’s miss, fellow contestant Marie Kioski from Owosso, Michigan, swiftly capitalized on the opportunity, correctly solving the puzzle and securing the prize money along with a trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.
In case you’re staring blankly at the letters and can’t figure out what the answer is, I’ll spoil it below.
D U _ _ – _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS becomes DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.
Hopefully, we can all acknowledge that choosing F was a pretty weird thing to do – but it’s easy for us to judge sitting at home without the pressure of being in the studio.
The blunder didn’t go unnoticed by Wheel of Fortune enthusiasts, who promptly took to social media to express their astonishment and frustration at Wright’s error.
“Oh my, that was painful. F?? She thought the platypus was filled? with what exactly?” one fan wrote, with a second saying: “Where did this lady think an F was going to go in this puzzle?”
Another viewer said: “Wheel of Fortune puzzle was clearly duck-billed platypus and the lady asked for an F she’s like reverse autocorrect.”
While the uproar over Wright’s error dominated the online chatter, it’s worth noting that the episode also marked a significant milestone for the show.
Sajak bid farewell to his longstanding role after more than four decades at the helm. His departure was announced in June 2023, with his final episode slated to air on Friday, June 7.
Reflecting on his departure, Sajak expressed gratitude for the years of support from fans and colleagues.
Sajak shared the stage with Vanna White – who has been co-hosting the series for four decades too. While she hasn’t shared her thoughts on her partner retiring, she told people last December that she wasn’t ready to think about the duo not hosting Wheel of Fortune together.
“I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team. That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”
