'Wheel of Fortune' viewers noticed an Army vet lose on purpose — then Pat Sajak realised why

To say “Wheel of Fortune” is unpredictable would be an understatement and the reactions by players and the audience can also be surprising at times. Viewers have seen all kinds of contestants over the years, all with one goal - winning as much money as possible. However, it’s not normal for a contestant to be accused of throwing away a game on purpose. As per fans, that’s exactly what happened in a late 2015 episode of the show.

It was the inaugural Veteran’s Week in the show’s programming, during which current and previous army recruits compete. In that particular episode, a contestant named Nura seemed to be running away with almost all the prizes being offered as per Downtown Radio 97.7. As the game reached its final bonus round, it became clear that she would be the big winner with close to $14,000 in her purse.

Nura had the chance to increase her winnings in the final bonus round but that didn’t happen. The turn of events was so unexpected that even then-host Pat Sajak seemed to be confused. During the final puzzle, the army veteran picked unusual letters like X and Z that were incorrect. The host even had to cross-check with her when she mentioned Z when the correct answer to the puzzle where the word was ‘following footprints.’

After the game, Sajak walked up to Nura and asked her about her choice of letters. "That's what I saw,” she replied nonchalantly. Fans of the popular game show were quick to draw conclusions and most believe she threw the game away on purpose. However, it was for a noble cause.

“It almost looks like she was throwing some money at her opponents who would have left empty-handed. She had a massive lead, which she retained,” YouTube user @mgarbysSF commented. “She threw the game for the other veterans to gain some money knowing she was going to advance regardless. Respect! I applaud her for that. Very humble,” quipped @4UVTV.

While Nura lost to let others win some money on purpose, it's not the reason behind most losses on the show. In a September 2024 episode of the show, a player named Vivian Tran had the chance to win a million dollars in the bonus round. She had drawn the $1 million card as per E-News which replaced the original $100,000.

Vivian had to correctly guess the phrase ‘offering some help,’ to win the money. However, that’s easier said than done as she faced the hurdle in the form of the first word, in which she did not have four letters. That ultimately cost her the prize but she was still happy with the $27,300 cash prize and a trip to Europe, that she had won.

"It turned out great," Vivian later told Maggie Sajak, the show’s social media correspondent. "I knew the last two words but the first one, I just couldn't get the syllables. It was 10 seconds, so by the time I got to the eighth seconds, I missed it."