Current:Home > ScamsDid 'Wheel of Fortune' player get cheated out of $40,000? Contestant reveals what she said -ProgressCapital
Did 'Wheel of Fortune' player get cheated out of $40,000? Contestant reveals what she said
View
Date:2025-04-17 06:26:16
She'd like to solve the mystery.
Some "Wheel of Fortune" fans became convinced this week that a player was cheated out of $40,000 after being ruled incorrect despite giving the right answer during the bonus round. Now, the contestant herself has weighed in.
The category in the bonus round was "living thing," but contestant Megan Carvale didn't quite come up with the answer, "pink orchid," in time. Or did she?
In what quickly became the game show equivalent of "the dress" debate, some viewers argued that Carvale did say "pink orchid" as her first guess, yet she was not ruled correct. She proceeded to wrongly guess "pony orchid" just before time ran out. "You might have been overthinking thinking of a type of orchid," host Pat Sajak suggested. Had she given the right answer, Carvale would have won $40,000.
"I'm sorry, did she NOT say Pink Orchid the first time? Or am I tripping," one user on X, formerly Twitter, asked.
"There is no question, she absolutely said 'pink orchid,'" another fan wrote. "Please give this girl her winnings!"
Others argued that Carvale said "something orchid," not "pink orchid." So Carvale appeared Thursday on "Good Morning America" to put the debate to rest and reveal what she really said.
"You know, I wish I said pink, because I would have been $40,000 richer," she said. "But I said 'something.'"
This came as a surprise to "Good Morning America" hosts Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts, both of whom thought Carvale said pink after watching the clip.
Pat Sajakstunned by 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's retirement poem: 'I'm leaving?'
The debate could have something to do with the volume at which fans watched the original segment. Prior to Carvale's explanation, when the clip was uploaded to YouTube, many commenters agreed she said "something."
"On low volume it sounds like pink orchid but on high volume it's definitely 'something orchid,'" one YouTube comment said, while others pointed out that Carvale likely would have objected in the moment had she given the right answer.
New 'Wheel of Fortune' hostRyan Seacrest worries about matching Pat Sajak's quickness
Carvale admitted on "GMA" she was "so bummed" to have not won the bonus round, and the viral debate over her answer forced her to relive the loss. But despite not taking home the $40,000 bonus prize, Carvale still won $14,007 and a trip to Aruba on the show, and she found another way to see the bright side of the situation.
"You know what, at least it's positive attention," she told "GMA." "It could have been people making fun of me that I didn't get it right."
veryGood! (78)
Related
- Kourtney Kardashian Cradles 9-Month-Old Son Rocky in New Photo
- Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris defends $5 million in loans to Hunter Biden
- Oscar nomination for ’20 Days in Mariupol’ is a first for the 178-year-old Associated Press
- Former 'CBS Sunday Morning' host Charles Osgood dies at 91 following battle with dementia
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- Nitrogen hypoxia: Why Alabama's execution of Kenneth Smith stirs ethical controversy.
- Norman Jewison, director and Academy Award lifetime achievement honoree, dead at 97
- Canada is preparing for a second Trump presidency. Trudeau says Trump ‘represents uncertainty’
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Philadelphia-area woman charged with torturing and killing animals live on the internet
Ranking
- Report: Lauri Markkanen signs 5-year, $238 million extension with Utah Jazz
- Sri Lankan lawmakers debate controversial internet safety bill amid protests by rights groups
- A divided federal appeals court won’t revive Texas online journalist’s lawsuit over 2017 arrest
- Chicago Bears hire Seattle Seahawks' Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Most United Methodist Church disaffiliations are in the South: Final report outlines latest in ongoing split.
- Maldives gives port clearance to a Chinese ship. The move could inflame a dispute with India
- Takeaways from the Oscar nominations: heavy hitters rewarded, plus some surprises, too
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Will Ferrell's best friend came out as trans. He decided to make a movie about it.
Incarcerated fathers and daughters reunite at a daddy-daughter dance in Sundance documentary
'Angel watching over us': Family grieves 13-year-old South Carolina boy after hunting death
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Mark Ruffalo Shares How He Predicted a Past Benign Brain Tumor
Former Georgia bulldog mascot Uga X dies with 2 national championships during his term
Nebraska lawmaker announces Democratic bid for Congress, says Republicans bend to ‘vocal minority’