'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant Makes Huge Blunder, Causing Rival to Crack Up
One contestant's recent turn on Wheel of Fortune was anything but fortunate. When contestant Antoinette Myers from Baltimore, Maryland appeared on the Thursday, May 4 episode of the long-running game show, she nearly walked away with thousands of dollars and a trip to Hawaii, but it all came crashing down, even sparking some chuckles from her rival, with one wrong vowel.
Myers' big loss came as she attempted to solve a puzzle during the episode's Prize Puzzle round in the Song Title category. After correctly guessing a string of letters, including four "Ts" for $600 each and the purchase of three vowels, Myers raked in three large prize wedges of $3,500, $1 million, and the XL wedge, which acted as the large wedge number of $3,500 and brought her total puzzle winnings to $13,600. Myers was even able to correctly guess the first three words and part of the last word, the board showing, "TWO TICKETS TO _ _ R_ _ ISE," before everything crumbled. Telling host Pat Sajak, "I'd like to buy a vowel," Myers made the mistake of purchasing a "U," the choice sounding the buzzer signifying an incorrect letter, causing Myers to let out a disappointed "Ahh" as the studio audience groaned. The incorrect guess caused Myers to lose the trip, all of the money she collected during her hot streak, and also control of the $1 million wedge.
Myers' fellow contestant Erica Johnsen didn't hesitate to swoop in to claim the prize with the correct answer, "TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE," the 1977 Eddie Money hit. The correct answer earned her two tickets to the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Hawaii and $5,000 in cash. The terrible fail and subsequent win caused contestant Mark Dolak to throw his head back in laughter.
"Antoinette you don't control that million dollars wedge because you didn't solve the puzzle," Sajak noted. "But the good news is you have that XL. If you do make it to the bonus round, that's an extra 40 grand to you and maybe 40 for someone at home. I always look for good news; there's always a pony in there somewhere."
Unfortunately for Myers, her luck all but ran out, and she did not make it to the $100,000 bonus round, as she ended up losing to Johnsen by just $4,000. Johnsen, meanwhile, played the bonus round to great success, guessing the correct phrase of "AN OBVIOUS QUESTION" and winning herself a Mercedes Benz SUV.