In a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune, viewers were left on the edge of their seats when a contestant completely froze during the high-stakes Bonus Round — missing out on a jaw-dropping $1 million prize.
Airing May 13, this special “Bragging Rights” edition brought a unique twist: all three contestants were coworkers from the same pediatric medical office. Sam Oh from Cypress, Texas, faced off against Houston colleagues Peter Jung and Daniel Park. With years of workplace camaraderie — and serious bragging rights — on the line, the friendly rivalry quickly heated up, delivering plenty of laughs and unforgettable moments.
Adding extra spice to the competition, the trio made a side bet: the losers would have to don homemade “Wheel of Misfortune” T-shirts — custom-designed by Jung’s wife. Confident from the very start, Oh boldly declared he wouldn’t be one of them… and he was ready to prove it.
Oh hit the ground running, nailing $2,000 on the second toss-up puzzle. Then, during the Jackpot Round, he confidently solved “Giving a Little Pep Talk,” earning an extra $2,000 plus an all-expenses-paid vacation to Costa Rica. Not stopping there, he quickly cracked “Surround Sound System,” catapulting his total winnings to a cool $18,600.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant’s Puzzle Answer Sparks Debate Among Fans
Jung wasn’t far behind in the race, securing the coveted $1 million wedge and confidently solving the prize puzzle with “Macadamia Nut Cookies,” which earned him a dream vacation to Maui and $14,000 in winnings. Meanwhile, Park made a late surge, cracking the final puzzle, “This Girl Is On Fire,” finishing with $1,700 — a respectable comeback in a fiercely competitive round.
By the end of regular play, Oh was in the lead with $28,050, comfortably ahead of Jung’s $16,450 — putting him center stage for the high-stakes Bonus Round, where the elusive million-dollar envelope awaited.
The category? “Phrase.” Surrounded by his teammates — now sporting their “loser” T-shirts — Oh stood nervously before the puzzle board, ready for what could be a life-changing moment.
But what started as thrilling suspense quickly turned to puzzling hesitation.
After revealing the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, Oh paused. When host Ryan Seacrest asked him to pick three consonants and one vowel, Oh confidently chose “C” — then suddenly froze. Seconds slipped away as Seacrest gently encouraged, “Take a guess.”
Oh finally added “G,” “M,” and “O,” unveiling the puzzle: O_T O_ _ _ C. He guessed “Out of…” but couldn’t crack the final word — the answer was “Out of Whack.”
Inside the envelope? A whopping $40,000 prize — slipped right through Oh’s fingers. And the $1 million card? It was teasingly hidden on the “M” in “America,” just out of reach.
This marked Wheel of Fortune’s twelfth straight missed Bonus Round — and fans were quick to share their opinions.
“Sam took WAY too long picking his letters,” one Reddit user fired off. “Sure, he was trying to be strategic, but that hesitation felt like an unfair edge.”
Another chimed in, “No shocker he missed it. The pressure from all that million-dollar hype was crushing.”
A YouTube commenter summed it up perfectly: “Twelve straight Bonus Round losses? That’s some seriously bad luck.”
After the show, Oh and his coworkers caught up backstage with Maggie Sajak, proudly sporting their homemade “Wheel of Misfortune” T-shirts. One even featured a wedge humorously labeled “Lose a Job.” Jung, the boss, joked he was safe — but with Oh walking away as the night’s top earner, the teasing quickly turned: maybe he was the one in trouble now.
Though the million-dollar prize slipped just out of reach, Sam Oh still left the stage as the biggest winner of the evening — even if not the biggest winner in Wheel of Fortune history.
