Wheel of Fortune has kept viewers glued to their screens since it began in January 1975. The current version of the series premiered in 1983 and stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White as hosts.
The most recent episode aired on Monday night, February 20. As expected, it had many highlights, including when a contestant's answer caused an audience member to yell out in surprise. Here are the details.
During Monday night's show, contestant Khushi Talluru froze at the worst possible moment and sadly gave the wrong answer to a seemingly easy question — or so the audience thought. Before the fail, Khushi correctly guessed the letter H as the last letter in the first word for the puzzle "FRE_ _ TROPICAL FRUIT."
With one letter missing, the contestant appeared to be flummoxed, and without hesitation, Pat urged the teenager to "solve it or spin it, but do something quickly." The Pine Creek High school student seemed hesitant and bought herself some time by spinning the wheel. Afterward, Pat urged Khushi to name the missing letter.
"I'll go with a G," the teenager responded.
Khushi's answer left audience members speechless. Seconds later, a female audience member yelled, "What!" prompting Khushi to quickly turn in the direction of the response. The contestant's answer caused her the bonus round, while her fellow contestant Juliana gave the correct answer after the epic fail.
Juliana's answer earned her a luxury trip to the Caribbean Island of Antigua worth $10,000 in addition to $650. As the dust settled, Pat attempted to explain how contestants could sometimes be stuck for an answer even when it appeared obvious to the viewers.
He said, "You know, when that happens when you're sitting at home, you're thinking, 'How in the world?' but you know, sometimes it's just a word that doesn't want to focus."
Despite Pat defending Khushi for messing up a simple word, the show's fans quickly took to Twitter to air their thoughts. One user revealed they would remember that episode when going to the grocery store, adding that they crossed "FREGH TROPICAL FRUIT" off their grocery list.
Another disappointed user questioned how Khushi qualified to be on the show, while a third person wanted to know what "fregh" meant. The tweep added that he had to fight with his auto-correct for the word to come up as it kept changing it to "fresh."
While many users slammed Khushi for her answer, others were quite understanding. One user noted that there was a difference between being on the show under pressure and sitting comfortably at home on a couch. Another person shared the same sentiment, explaining that Khushi was probably nervous.
A third user defended the contestant, saying she blacked out and it could happen to anyone. Others seemed less bothered about Khushi's answer and more concerned about the trip to Antigua, which slipped from her fingers. Meanwhile, fans will also be looking forward to more memorable moments on Wheel Of Fortune.
