'Wheel of Fortune' contestant reveals how she 'blacked out' and lost $40,000 in the bonus round

It's not unusual for a "Wheel of Fortune" contestant to lose out on a significant amount, but rarely does someone provide additional insight into what exactly went wrong in the moment. One such contestant opened up about her time on the show and how she nearly 'blacked out' before making it to the main stage. The player, Lori Girard, had reached the Bonus Round, and while she failed to win the additional $40,000 in the finale, she revealed that she had gone blank at the decisive moment, in an interview with KFYR TV. 

Lori played the game beautifully to win a boatload of cash and an exotic trip to France. With a total of $21,998 in winnings, she advanced to the Bonus Round of the show, where she had a chance to win up to $100,000 more or a brand new car. Alongside the host, Ryan Seacrest at the Wheel, Girard was joined by her sister, Sheila, and her best friend, Diane. She chose the popular category “Phrase” for her final puzzle and was faced with a long four-word puzzle. With the show's standard letters, “R, S, T, L, N, E," filled in, she picked “M, C, D, and A” as her additional letters. With everything on the board, the puzzle read, like “AL_A_S _N T_E  M_ _E.”

As soon as Seacrest kicked off the ten-second timer, it seemed like Girard was stumped, despite getting several letters on the board. With the clock ticking, she could only guess, “in the,” before the time ran out. The show's co-host, Vanna White, revealed that the answer was "Always On The Move." To add to the player's misery, Seacrest flipped the Golden Envelope to show that she had lost out on winning an additional $40,000, which would have taken her total to $61,998.

Girard took the loss in good spirits and was all smiles on TV. After her appearance, she shared her experience later with the local news station, talking about how it was a dream come true for her to just be on the show. She shared that she had been solving puzzles while watching the show for seven years before she applied.

She told KRFY TV that she considered her application a long shot, and when she arrived at the set, it was a whirlwind of emotions. “I’ll be honest. I think I feel like I blacked out,” Girard told the publication. Nevertheless, she shared that it was an experience she would never forget. “Even if, you know, for anybody who does this, and I think all the other contestants I was with that day felt the same way, like, even if you didn’t hit big numbers or big prizes, it was such a great experience,” she said. 

She further added that she wanted to meet the former host of the show, Pat Sajak, but she enjoyed her time with Seacrest too, as he was personable, fun, and charismatic. However, in another episode, Seacrest almost cost a player $100,000 before the judges intervened to handle the situation.

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