'Wheel of Fortune' contestant loses out on $1 million after failing to answer one word in puzzle

Even though there are big prizes that contestants are eying on game shows, stakes are high when a player on “Wheel of Fortune” lands on the million-dollar wedge. However, there have not been a lot of winners in the bonus round of the show, and that was frustrating for viewers. A contestant named Sam also had a chance to win a million dollars in the bonus round, but had to go home with what he had won previously.

Misfortune did strike the contestant whose friend had come wearing t-shirts with "Wheel of Misfortune" printed on them, to cheer him. Sam took his own sweet time in guessing the letters of the puzzle, but it was all for naught in the end. However, the contestant was not too disappointed as he already had $28,050 in the bank.

Sam spun the wheel and walked to the front of the screen. Host Ryan Seacrest had to call him back and wait until the wheel stopped spinning and he picked a card. “I know you’re excited, but hang out with me for a second. Let’s see where it lands,” he said. Once the card was picked, the two made their way to their designated spots. The contestant had chosen the ‘Phrase’ category. The contestant was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. However, all these letters only opened up on the spot in the puzzle. Sam had to now guess three more consonants and one more vowel. He took his own sweet time doing it, but ultimately chose the letters C, G, M, and O. After these were revealed, the puzzle read, “O_T O_  _ _ _C_.”

The first two words were ‘out of’, which the contestant guessed correctly. However, he had no idea what the third one was. As time ran out, he gave up trying. The correct answer was ‘Out of whack.’ Seacrest opened the envelope to show that he had lost $40,000. He then went over to the wheel and revealed that the million-dollar card wasn’t too far off. In a way, it’s better that the contestant did not land on that card, otherwise, this loss would have hurt way more. Fans of the show, however, were frustrated at the lack of Bonus Round winners. They did not shy away from expressing that in the comments section of the clip on YouTube.

“Speaking of misfortune, twelve bonus round losses in a row is definitely one of them,” one user commented. “$40,000 failed. Wheel of Misfortune continues again. It has to stop this mess,” quipped another. “12 in a row - obvious all the wins earlier in the season have caught up with the budget, and now Bellamie and the writing crew have to think up difficult puzzles (even for the $40K minimum) to get the budget back on track,” one more viewer noted.

Ryan Seacrest's run on "Wheel of Fortune" may have run into problems with dissatisfied fans, but he was popular among "American Idol" viewers. Even his dramatic looks and antics were appreciated by fans of that show.