Current:Home > StocksWheel of Fortune Contestant's "Painful" Mistake Costs Her $1 Million in Prize Money -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Wheel of Fortune Contestant's "Painful" Mistake Costs Her $1 Million in Prize Money
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:02:52
A Wheel of Fortune contestant was letters away from earning $1 million.
Vivian Tran, who competed on the game show’s Sept. 16 episode, lost the grand prize when she couldn’t complete the first word in a three-word puzzle during the bonus round.
"My heart is racing,” Ryan Seacrest—who took over as host following Pat Sajak’s retirement—said during the round. “This is a first for me. You’re playing for $1 million."
When Vivian made her way to the bonus round after landing on the “One Million” wedge during the final round, the $100,000 prize was replaced with $1 million. To win the prize, she had to land on the million-dollar envelope, which she did, and solve the puzzle correctly.
As for what the puzzle was? The phrase “Offering Some Help."
Unfortunately, she was missing four letters in the first word and ultimately lost the money.
Ryan pulled open the envelope to show she landed on the correct envelope as she folded over in disbelief. Although it was a disappointment, Vivian left with a $27,300 cash prize, a trip to Europe and high spirits.
"It turned out great," she told Wheel of Fortune's social correspondent Maggie Sajak after the show, "a little bit painful, but I'm grateful for the opportunity."
"He kind of brought me into a corner and he's like, 'Vivian, I don't know if you want to see this,'" Vivian recalled of the moment she lost. "I knew the last two words but the first one, I just couldn't get the syllables. It was 10 seconds, so by the time I got to the eighth seconds, I missed it."
But she's grateful to have had the opportunity. She added, "I'll look back on it positively despite what happened."
Season 42, which began Sept. 9, is the first without Pat after he stepped away from the series in June after more than four decades. Although it's a bittersweet moment for longtime letter-turner Vanna White, she has high hopes for the American Idol host.
"He's doing an incredible job," Vanna told E! News in a joint interview with Ryan this month. "It's not easy. He makes it look easy."
And she sees this as a new chapter for the beloved game show.
"Pat decided to retire after 41 years and god bless him," she said. "He was happy and they said Ryan's gonna be the next one and I said, 'Great.' Because he's so talented, he's so professional, he's so good at what he does. I'm so thankful."
And for Ryan, the opportunity was a no-brainer.
"If Wheel of Fortune is offered to you, you just don't say no," he emphasized. "You'll have bad karma for the rest of your TV life."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (3)
Related
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs, transforming options for creating families
- Elizabeth Holmes Begins 11-Year Prison Sentence in Theranos Fraud Case
- Succession's Sarah Snook Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Dave Lawson
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Katharine McPhee's Smashing New Haircut Will Inspire Your Summer 'Do
- American Climate Video: In Case of Wildfire, Save Things of Sentimental Value
- BMW Tests Electric Cars as Power Grid Stabilizers
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Ireland Set to Divest from Fossil Fuels, First Country in Global Climate Campaign
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- The doctor who warned the world of the mpox outbreak of 2022 is still worried
- American Climate Video: As Hurricane Michael Blew Ashore, One Young Mother Had Nowhere to Go
- On a Melting Planet, More Precisely Tracking the Decline of Ice
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Beyoncé’s Rare Message to “Sweet Angel” Daughter Blue Ivy Will Warm Your Soul
- Pink’s Nude Photo Is Just Like Fire
- New federal rules will limit miners' exposure to deadly disease-causing dust
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Why Shay Mitchell Isn't Making Marriage Plans With Partner Matte Babel
American Climate Video: When a School Gym Becomes a Relief Center
17 Vacation Must-Haves Under $50 From UnSun Cosmetics, Sunnylife, Viski & More
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Dolphins use baby talk when communicating with calves, study finds
Here's who controls the $50 billion opioid settlement funds in each state
Transcript: David Martin and John Sullivan on Face the Nation, June 25, 2023