'Wheel of Fortune' Fans Drag Contestant for Missing Obvious Bonus Puzzle: 'How Did You Get It Wrong'

'Wheel of Fortune' wheel

For viewers watching Wheel of Fortune from the comfort of their homes, answers to the word puzzles can seem painfully obvious. But for contestants under pressure on national TV, the missing letters may somehow escape them—and fans can be less than forgiving. That's exactly what happened to a recent participant, who is getting dragged online for missing an obvious bonus puzzle.

During a Wheel of Fortune episode that aired on Jan. 11, a woman named Tarhea won the game. Her category in the bonus round was "Food and Drink." After Tarhea picked her letters (and RSTLNE), the puzzle read "BAGELS & ___G_N_TS."

Viewers watched as she incorrectly guessed "bagels and beignets" and "bagels and croissants," but was unable to solve the puzzle when time ran out.

To add insult to injury, hot Pat Sajak revealed that Tarhea would have won a BMW if she solved her puzzle.

On X, folks at home couldn't believe what they had just witnessed—and they were not subtle with their reactions.

One viewer exclaimed via X (formerly Twitter), "BAGELS AND BEIGNETS OVER BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS? ARE YOU F***]ING MAD."

"She missed Bagels & Doughnuts. Where do they find these people?" another person wrote while someone else lamented, "IT WAS BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS YOU MORON HOW DID YOU GET IT WRONG OMG."

Meanwhile, another X user wrote, "Did anyone see that chick on wheel of fortune? She had a BMW right there and couldn’t say Bagels and doughnuts. I was screaming," adding, "poor chick."

There is a silver lining to Tarhea's bonus puzzle fail: She still walked away with $25,898. So all was not lost!

Next: 'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant Details the 'Stern' Warning Pat Sajak Gave Him