'Wheel of Fortune' fans were in disbelief as contestant failed to solve 'easy' puzzle for $75,000

"The Wheel Of Fortune" can often be a cruel game with tough puzzles and fewer hints. However, sometimes, even the easiest of puzzles become difficult with the added pressure of solving them live on TV. This is perhaps what happened to the player named Stephen Sporer, who missed out on winning $40,000 after failing to solve a relatively easy puzzle. However, fans of the show did not see it as an excuse as they blasted the player on social media for the generational fail. 

"How could he not get that?"

In the March 28 episode, Sporer, from St. Paul, Minnesota, went up against fellow competitors Christina White and Megan Russell. Sporer and Russell got off with a flyer, solving the first two "Toss Up" puzzles and earning $1,000 each, as per TV Insider. However, in an unusual occurrence, all three players lost everything after simultaneously landing on the bankrupt wedge. 

Starting from scratch, Russell took the lead by earning $3,500. White then took over by solving the puzzle. “Take a shower under a waterfall," which earned her $9,000 and a trip to Aruba. However, Sporer made a great comeback as he solved the three "Triple Toss-Up" puzzles, earning a whopping $10,000. He then went on to get the final puzzle of the toss-up rounds as well to win the episode with a grand total of $35,000, which is more than usual for the game show. 

For the "Bonus Round" puzzle, Sporer chose the popular "Phrase" category, and he was joined by his partner, Jeremy, and his best friend, Mary, on stage to cheer him on. With the standard letters "R, S, T, L, N, E," filled in, the player chose “C, M, G, and O,” as his additional letters. With this, the three-word puzzle on the board read, “ON   O_R      _ _ _.” 

While he had plenty of clues for the short puzzle, Sporer seemed to struggle with the last word of the phrase, which read, "ON OUR ____". He kept firing off guesses, repeating the first two words, but he couldn't put his finger on the last word within the ten-second time limit. In the end, the host, Ryan Seacrest, revealed that the answer was "ON OUR WAY," and to add to the heartbreak, he opened the golden envelope to show that he had missed out on winning an additional $40,000, which would have taken his total winnings to a whopping $75,000. 

While Sporer was content with the $35,000 he had won, fans weren't happy with his performance in the final round of the show. Nearly all of the viewers in the comments section of the YouTube clip were in disbelief that he failed to get the easy puzzle. "I GOT IT!! I cannot believe he didn’t know it was On Our Way," wrote @GreenSnipes. "I’m not usually good at solving the puzzles, but I guessed this one even before they put the extra letters up," added another fan, @katinacarson-hunwi7297. 

However, some did sympathize with the player, sharing suggestions that could have changed the game for him. "The "O" was actually the right vowel to pick, but if Stephen would've chosen either a "W" or a "Y" then he would've got it," explained @jacobwilson6192.