It was a rough day for one “Wheel of Fortune” contestant during the episode of the game show that aired on Monday, That player, Khushi, had just two more blank spaces to fill in before the puzzle in the “Food & Drink” category was complete…but somehow she couldn’t grasp the answer and she blurted out the incorrect letter.
That moment came when the letters remaining on the puzzle board spelled out, “FRE_ _ TROPICAL FRUIT.” The category was “Food and Drink.”
So, she guessed “H,” which was a correct letter. Then there was just one blank, with the prompt spelling out “FRE_ H TROPICAL FRUIT.” Pat Sjak then advised Khushi to “solve it or spin it, but do something quickly.” So she spun the wheel one last time and guessed…”G.” Yes, G. What the heck is “Fregh Tropical Fruit”?
As could be expected, that was the incorrect answer. Another contestant then guessed correctly, solving the puzzle and winning not just $650, but also a trip to Antigua valued at $10,000.
The funny part was what came immediately after Khushi’s incorrect answer: shocked and startled, an audience member could be heard yelling “What?” in the background as Khushi looked around confused. That audience member’s exclamation was then following a number of loud, very disappointed groans when the contestant did not correctly solve the puzzle. Watch that here:
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single audience member audibly have such a violent reaction on Wheel of Fortune, as this lady did when a poor contestant called a G in “Fresh”. pic.twitter.com/FiFWTNlphM
— Chad Mosher (@ChadMosher) February 21, 2023
Pat Sajak, after announcing what the contestant who had guessed correctly won, addressed Khushi’s very embarrassing flub, saying “You know when that happens, and you’re sitting at home you’re saying, ‘How in the world…’ but you know sometimes it’s a word that just doesn’t want to come into focus for you.”
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But, then he said “It did for you” in reference to the winning contestant Juliana immediately guessing the correct answer after Khushi flubbed it.
Fox News Digital noted that the internet was split on Khushi’s bad guess, with some attacking her for the ridiculous guess and noting how the audience has never been so shocked to react like that before while others argued that she just blanked out like anyone might do in such a situation. In that outlet’s words:
After Khushi’s answer to the “Wheel of Fortune” puzzle, the internet reacted to the viral moment.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single audience member audibly have such a violent reaction on Wheel of Fortune, as this lady did when a poor contestant called a G in ‘Fresh,'” one Twitter user wrote.
Another fan chimed in and defended the teenager, “She blanked out. It happens to the best of us.”
The popular game show premiered on television in 1975, and Sajak started hosting it in 1981. Co-host White joined Sajak in 1982.
Despite the two hosts both renewing their contract with the show through the 2023-24 season, Sajak hinted last September the “end is near” after being the face of “Wheel of Fortune” for more than 40 years.
By: Will Tanner. Follow me on Twitter @Will_Tanner_1