'Wheel of Fortune' player 'really scared' the viewers as he guessed answer just before time ran out

“Wheel of Fortune” fans have already expressed frustration after watching 19 straight bonus round losses on the show, and went on to blame it on puzzles that were too hard. But everyone faced another bout of anxiety when a contestant almost fumbled a puzzle that was easier to solve. This happened during a recent episode of the show in which a contestant almost missed his chance to win big in the final round.

According to a report in TV Insider, the contestant named Pat Ralph almost missed out on taking home more than $60,000. He had earned $20,500 on his way to the Bonus Round, in which he had picked the Phrase category. As is the norm of the show, he was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E and had to pick three more consonants and one vowel. The contestant chose the letters C, D, P, and A.

These were fantastic choices as the puzzle almost fully opened up. It read, “P_C_  A CARD AN_ CARD.” A lot of fans might have immediately understood what the answer was, but for Ralph, it wasn’t so easy. “Pick a card, and card,” he said at first, but that was not the correct answer. Things got tense as time ran out, but at the very last second, he said, “Pick a card, any card.”

That was the correct answer, and he got it in the nick of time. Host Ryan Seacrest revealed that the contestant had won an additional $40,000, taking his day’s winnings up to $60,500. Fans of the show were tense but heaved a sigh of relief as the contestant got the job done. “Thank goodness he got that. He almost blew an easy puzzle. Phew,” one fan commented on YouTube.

“Pat really scared me for a moment. Well done!” mentioned another. “He scared me for a minute, but I’m glad he got it!” a fan wrote. “Man, I’m telling ya if he had lost that he would never have heard the end of it from his friends! 😂😂😂😂,” a viewer said. Last-second wins are always special, and a lot of them happened during the Pat Sajak era of “Wheel of Fortune.”

One of the most memorable wins was of a contestant named Rich. He had chosen the ‘Around The House’ category and was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After these were revealed, the contestant chose the letters P, C, D, and A. The puzzle then read, “P_RCELA_N _RA__ __AT.” The first word was easy to guess, but it was the last two that stumped the contestant momentarily.

However, right at the last second, he said, “Gravy boat! Porcelain gravy boat!” That was the correct answer, and Sajak revealed that Rich had just become richer by $45,000. “Where’d you get that from at the last moment?” the host asked. A second later would have meant that he lost the game.