In a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Megan Carvale found herself at the center of controversy when a potential $40,000 win slipped away.
Progressing to the bonus round with the category "living thing," Megan encountered the puzzle P_N_ _RC__D.
Despite her attempts, she couldn't solve it, and host Pat Sajak revealed the correct answer: pink orchid. Viewers at home, however, argued that Megan had guessed "pink orchid" correctly at first.
The ambiguity in her initial guess, whether it was "pink orchid" or "something orchid," fueled discussions within the Wheel of Fortune community.
Although Megan lost, fans claimed she was unfairly denied the prize, sparking a debate over the interpretation of her guess and the outcome of the game.
Megan's Bonus Round | Wheel of Fortunewww.youtube.com
There were many people who were clamoring for justice in the comments of the posted video, arguing that they thought they heard "pink" as her first choice and saying that she should have won the $40k.
@victorialucas8449/YouTube
@josuamontgomery3011/YouTube
@ryanwilliams9996/YouTube
But most commenters were on the side of "something" being the first thing she said.
@user)rb3hh9hw2v/YouTube
There were several good arguments for the "something" side of things. First, if she had said 'pink' and knew it, wouldn't she have spoken up or expressed that knowledge when the puzzle was revealed?
@theoldiesguy1/YouTube
@thomasfleig129/YouTube
@jackrodenburg3282/YouTube
Many folks did a rewatch, just to check.
@davidalexander2713/YouTube
@DriftGenes/YouTube
Then the audiophiles came out with an analysis by volume levels.
@carressa/YouTube
@Drakholm/YouTube
Others went for speed to confirm their suspicions.
@WILD__THINGS/YouTube
Then there were those who forgot about audio altogether and just read her lips.
@dougewalk243/YouTube
@ChristophProbst/YouTube
@MrMegaManFan/YouTube
Or, some people pointed out, you could turn on the closed captioning and see that it's marked as "something" not "pink."
@shmellycat7881/YouTube
Finally, someone had some unsolicited medical advice in the comments for those who persisted in hearing "pink.".
@joshuayates4952/YouTube
Carvale still won $14k, so at least she didn't go home empty-handed.
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@mikeredmond/Bluesky
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social