'Wheel of Fortune' player loses out on an extra $40,000 by a second — fans say 'that hurts'

"Wheel of Fortune" contestants, who often perform really well in all other rounds, crash out after a disappointing loss in the final round. Fans are invested in these games and are quick to point out how heartbreaking such results are. They expressed similar feelings when a player, who was seconds away from winning $40,000 in the show's bonus round, failed to crack a tricky puzzle in time. The contestant, Brittany Lee, who put up a stunning show throughout the night, had already racked up more than $30,000 and looked set to win big in the finale. While she was stumped by the tricky puzzle, hiding the answer "Updating Software," it seemed like she figured it out just a second before the buzzer went off. This triggered a debate among fans about the call taken by the judges, and many sympathized with the contestant.

Lee got off to a rough start as her competitor, Stokeds, took a runway lead, winning more than $10,000 in the initial Toss Up rounds. However, Lee made a strong comeback in the Mystery Round, where she won more than $18,000 in cash and an exotic trip to Rome. She kept winning, as she cracked the express round puzzle to win a Disney Bahamas Cruise, worth $9,329, according to Andy Nguyen's blog. In the end, she emerged as the big winner of the night with a whopping $30,921 in cash and the two trips.

Advancing to the Bonus Round, she chose the category "What Are You Doing?" and joined the host, Ryan Seacrest, at the wheel. Lee brought along her husband and sister, who cheered for her. After spinning the wheel and picking out her Golden Envelope, she was faced with a two-word puzzle on the board. With the show's standard letters, "R, S, T, L, N, E," filled in, Lee chose "G, C, P, and O" as her additional letters. With this, her final puzzle read, " _ P _ _ T _ N G_ _          S O _ T _ _ R E."

While there were plenty of clues on the board, it seemed like Lee was at a loss for words when Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer. As the clock kept ticking, all she could come up with was "Uplifting". However, when the buzzer went off, it seemed like the player had almost figured out the answer, as she yelled, "Uplifting Software." Unfortunately, it was too late and wrong, as the correct answer was "Updating Software." To add to the heartbreak, Seacrest then revealed that she had lost out on taking home an additional $40,000. 

While the player was happy to go home with more than $30,000, fans had a lot to say about the final round. "That...hurt. And it was the correct call...Brittany literally said UPLIFTING MY SOFTWARE before the buzzer. This puzzle was tricky indeed," wrote @richardhernandez4490 in the comments under the video on YouTube.

"She said uplifting instead of updating my software after the buzzer went off. The o and g were good picks, but I'm happy to see her winning 30k. I am a tech geek myself, and this one was easy," added @Animegamespublishing. 

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