Wheel of Fortune contestant loses $8,000 even with correct answer — she just added one small word

Speaking too much can sometimes land a person in a soup, and cost them a lot of money, in addition to embarrassment. In 2019, a "Wheel of Fortune" contestant lost out on prize money and a trip to Music City all because she blurted out an extra word while solving a puzzle. The Maine resident, Kristen Shaw had successfully solved a crossword clue on the show and was inches away from a win. However, while answering she added the three-letter word "and" which made her answer 'technically wrong.'

Three Letters That Cost a Fortune

Shaw made the mistake during the initial crossword puzzle round, which requires contestants to solve puzzles and finally guess each word that appears in it. She faced off against contestants Bryan Idler and Jessie Pankow in the game and had almost solved the complete puzzle. Before answering, veteran host Pat Sajak warned her to "say everything, don't add anything."

Despite the warning, Shaw said, " Right, football, left 'AND', Sally." Because she added the conjunction, her answer ended with 'and' making her guess technically wrong. Thus, the mistake ultimately cost her $1,950 and a trip to Nashville, which was worth more than $8,000 according to Sajak.

The round went to Idler who capitalized on the mistake and made $3,550. Even Sajak felt bad for the contestant and said, "Most times I caution people not to add anything, and then you maybe didn't even hear yourself say it, but you threw an ‘and’ in there with the last thing and we have to go by the rules."

In an interview with ABC News Shaw said that it was maybe a combination of nerves and excitement that was responsible for her costly mistake.

A Happy Ending

While Shaw officially lost out on the trip, some local business owners in Nashville saw her as a winner anyway. ABC reported that the businesses pooled in money to sponsor a trip to Nashville for Shaw. This included the airfare, a hotel stay, and Grand Ole Opry tickets as well. At the time Shaw said that she was planning a trip with her mom soon.

She added that despite losing the game, she had no hard feelings against her favorite game show. "I've been watching 'Wheel of Fortune' since I was a kid with my grandmother," she said in the interview sharing that her appearance on the show was a dream come true. 

In an awfully similar case from 2021, another "Wheel of Fortune" contestant lost out on a brand new Audi Q3 on another technicality. Charlene Rubush missed out despite answering the puzzle correctly. She did not say any extra word but took a pause that was longer than acceptable according to the show's rules.

She guessed the correct answer, which was "CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD," but took a 4-5 second pause before saying "WORD" at the end. Thus, Sajak had to dismiss her answer as per the rules. Following this, outraged viewers took to social media to appeal against the decision.

Taking note of the viral storm, Audi announced that they would gift the Q3 SUV to Rubush anyway as she was a clear winner in their eyes.