ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant comes close to winning a car — but lost out because of one letter

Sun kept repeating the incorrect phrase but couldn't identify the error in time.
PUBLISHED JUL 17, 2025
Screenshot showing the Bonus Round puzzle for James Sun (Cover image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the Bonus Round puzzle for James Sun (Cover image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" contestants are known for winning after a close finish, but sometimes players can lose out because of a tiny error. One such contestant missed out on driving home a brand-new car after getting just one letter wrong in the Bonus Round puzzle. James Sun played the initial rounds beautifully and smoothly advanced to the final round. He kept the momentum going by getting a bunch of clues on the board, but he tragically lost when he repeatedly kept guessing "Worth the hope" instead of the correct answer, "Worth the hype!" The loss left both fans and the host, Ryan Seacrest, visibly shocked. 

Screenshot showing the moment of loss (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the moment of loss (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

Sun told Seacrest that he’s been taking flying lessons with his nine-year-old daughter, which left the host surprised, and he joked that he couldn’t believe that a child her age was allowed to fly a plane but not drive a car. Sun went up against Brandy Smith from Dallas, Texas, and Meredith Kinkle from Cary, North Carolina. 

Sun played the game with ease, taking the lead after the first couple of puzzles. In the Express Round, he cracked the prize puzzle and won additional cash along with an exotic trip to Coconut Bay in St. Lucia worth $11,204, as per Andy Nguyen's blog. By the end, he emerged as the big winner of the day with $21,104 in cash and the trip, advancing to the Bonus Round. 

Screenshot showing Sun at the wheel alongside Ryan Seacrest (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing Sun at the wheel alongside Ryan Seacrest (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

After selecting the "Phrase" category, Sun joined Seacrest at the wheel. Before giving it a spin, he introduced his wife Bandi, daughter Anina, and brother Andrew, who were all on stage to cheer him on. “Oh, that’s the pilot? I would definitely fly with her," the host said, referring to Anina. 

Screenshot showing the contestant's family (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the contestant's family (Image source: YouTube/Wheel of Fortune)

Once Seacrest picked out the Golden Envelope for the player, Sun was faced with a three-word puzzle. With the show's standard R, S, T, L, N, and E revealed, he went on to pick P, H, D, and A as his additional letters to help fill up the board. With everything filled in, the final puzzle read: “_ _ R T H   T H E   H _ P E.” It looked like he was set for a big win as he had to guess only the three missing letters.

However, when the host kicked off the ten-second timer, it looked like the scientist did not have the correct answer locked in. With the clock running out, he tried to solve the puzzle, repeatedly guessing phrases like "Worth The Hope." Unfortunately, the judges ruled the answer incorrect, and Seacrest built up the suspense before revealing the right answer. “Are you ready for it? Worth The Hype. You were so close, right out of the gate!” he explained. Adding to the heartbreak, he revealed that Sun had just missed out on taking home a brand-new Ford Escape.

While the player handled the loss well with a big smile, viewers couldn't believe their eyes. "I literally slapped the table multiple times when he didn’t get it," wrote one fan, @justinm.1, in the comments of the show's YouTube clip. Although Seacrest couldn't help Sun, he previously helped out a panel of players win big by sharing valuable advice throughout the rounds.

More on Market Realist: 

'Wheel of Fortune' fans heartbroken as army veteran lost $100,000 due to his poor selection of letters

'Wheel of Fortune' fans slam contestant for losing $50,000 after getting an 'easy' puzzle wrong

'Wheel of Fortune' contestant mocked for losing out on $10,000 prize over one simple letter

RELATED TOPICS WHEEL OF FORTUNE
MORE ON MARKET REALIST
She said that her husband may still have to buy a dog as America may hold him accountable.
11 hours ago
When Harrison knew that the 18th-century map was the real deal, he made a genuine offer.
12 hours ago
10 years after her sister’s win, Chelsea Hall hit the jackpot on ‘WoF’ with a brand new Mini Cooper and a cash prize.
16 hours ago
The co-founders of BuggyBeds wowed the Sharks so much, they were "itching" to invest, and offered a $250k deal.
17 hours ago
The guests were left stunned to find out just how much the repairs would cost.
1 day ago
Unfortunately for the seller, she allegedly got robbed of a significant amount of money.
1 day ago
Not only did the co-creators of FlingGolf get a $300,000 deal, they proved Mr Wonderful wrong.
1 day ago
The guest never imagined the old, autographed sneakers that his mom acquired could be worth so much.
2 days ago
The gameshow whiz did it again by bagging the top prize on yet another trivia test.
2 days ago
Riccardi took to Reddit to clear the air around his stunning loss which was facing scrutiny.
2 days ago
Fans gathered on the show's unofficial Reddit forum to discuss the 'dumb and useless' items.
3 days ago
The contestant, Matt Benton expressed he wanted to enjoy the moment before thinking of the future.
3 days ago
The guest who treasured the collection had no idea how significant it was.
3 days ago
Even the contestant admitted that there was no way he could've got the answer.
3 days ago
Jennings told TV Insider that Seacrest is a generational talent and there's nothing he couldn't do.
4 days ago
The co-founders of 'Bro Glo' managed to bag the biggest Shark for their innovative self-tanner.
4 days ago
While some said the QBall was unscalable, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Rohan Oza saw its potential
5 days ago
Before the Bonus Round, another impossible puzzle had already upset the fans.
5 days ago
Harrison managed to get a pretty good deal for the artistic item after the appraisal.
5 days ago
Despite impressing the Sharks, the founder of Lord Von Schmitt failed to get a deal
5 days ago