It was a moment that had fans shouting at their screens and host Ryan Seacrest scratching his head. On the November 18 episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Joey Sweet, a program director from Oceanside, California, came painfully close to winning the $40,000 bonus round prize—only to watch it slip through his fingers in a single guess.
What unfolded in the final seconds was both baffling and unforgettable.
A Puzzle Nearly Solved… Almost
The bonus round category was “Phrase”, and Sweet had a strong setup. After selecting his letters—C, D, M, and A—along with a bonus letter “F” thanks to his Wild Card wedge, the board read:
