Wheel of Fortune contestant TaRhea Marshall won’t be able to look at a doughnut ever again after missing out on a brand-new BMW due to an embarrassing puzzle fail.
Marshall, a married mother of three and avid pottery painter from Ellenwood, Georgia, appeared on the long-running game show on Thursday, January 11, and dominated the competition from the start, amassing a huge $25,898 during regular play.
The Georgia native made it through to the Bonus Round, where she picked “Food and Drink” as her category. In addition to the customary “R, S, T, L, N, E” letters, Marshall chose the letters “C, B, G, and A,” giving her what seemed like a massive advantage.
After her letter picks, the board read, “BAGELS & _ _ _G_N_TS,” and Marshall was given ten seconds to solve the puzzle. But what appeared to be an easy solution proved to be a stumper for Marshall, who struggled to figure out the correct word combination.
“Bagels and beignets,” she shouted as the time ran down, followed by a second guess of “bagels and croissants.” Unfortunately, neither was correct, and the timer ran out.
Long-time host Pat Sajak then revealed the correct answer as “Bagels and Doughnuts.” He also tried to comfort Marshall, telling her, “You know a lot of shops have stopped spelling [doughnuts] the proper way.”
Things only got worse from there as Sajak opened the prize envelope to reveal Marshall missed out on a brand-new BMW X1, marking the fourth time in a row that someone lost out on the flashy vehicle and six straight car losses overall.
“So I believe if we’ve spent the entire week not getting it, I get it,” Sajak joked about the consistent car misses.
Wheel of Fortune/YouTube
Viewers took to social media to share their shock at Marshall’s puzzle blunder, with one X user writing, “IT WAS BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS YOU MORON HOW DID YOU GET IT WRONG OMG.”
Another added, “She missed Bagels & Doughnuts. Where do they find these people?”
IT WAS BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS YOU MORON HOW DID YOU GET IT WRONG OMG
— Anastasia Cruz (@SleepyAnastasia) January 12, 2024
She missed Bagels & Doughnuts. Where do they find these people? pic.twitter.com/EzSqOAyGBF
— Jake (@TwinsJake) January 12, 2024
“BAGELS AND BEIGNETS OVER BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS? ARE YOU F****** MAD,” wrote another.
“Did anyone see that chick on wheel of fortune?” added another fan. “She had a BMW right there and couldn’t say Bagels and doughnuts. I was screaming at my f****** TV poor chick.”
“She didn’t get this,” said another user alongside a screenshot of the puzzle board. “She kept saying “bagels and beignets.” I violently hate this f****** show.”
BAGELS AND BEIGNETS OVER BAGELS AND DOUGHNUTS? ARE YOU FUCKING MAD
— Jai (@jai_dev42) January 12, 2024
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 at my fucking TV poor chick
— Gary (@Garyrod04) January 12, 2024
she didn’t get this. she kept saying “bagels and beignets.” i violently hate this fucking show pic.twitter.com/UcuVbIFzjT
— poeby (@punishedpoetato) January 12, 2024
Despite what fans think, Marshall isn’t likely to care too much, as she still walked away with $25,898 in winnings. She probably won’t be spending the money on bagels and doughnuts, though.
Wheel of Fortune, Weekdays, check your local listings
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
