‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Misses Huge Prize With Fatal Error – Pat Sajak Reacts (VIDEO)
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An unlucky Wheel of Fortune contestant was just one letter away from solving the Bonus Round puzzle on Monday night’s (January 29) episode but sadly came up short.
Ryan DiMarco, a mechanical engineer from Rochester, New York, who recently got engaged to his girlfriend, faced off against Nicole Painter, a married mother of seven from Arlington, Texas, and Natasha Cash, the vice chair of the enrollment committee of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Things started off a little rough for DiMarco, as he stood at zero after the first two puzzles. But he soon got into the swing of things, and by the end of regular play, he led the way with $11,550 cash (plus a trip to Costa Rica). This was enough to see him through to the Bonus Round.
DiMarco selected the dreaded Phrase category and chose “D, C, G, and A” as his additional letters. This left him with a four-word puzzle that read: “_E CAN _ _ _ _CE _AC_.”
As the timer started, DiMarco talked through his answers, starting with “He Can Chance Back” and then almost nailing it with “He Can Bounce Back.” Surprised that this wasn’t correct, DiMarco tried repeating himself before guessing, “Be Can Bounce Back” and “Me Can Bounce Back.”
Unfortunately, the timer ran out before DiMarco could land on the correct answer, “We Can Bounce Back.”
DiMarco appeared to realize his mistake before Vanna White had even finished revealing all the letters. “The one… it’s okay,” the Rochester native said to himself.
Wheel of Fortune/YouTube
“You know, that’s frustrating,” host Pat Sajak said. “You did it just the right way. You figured out what it was. You knew you were missing a word there. You tried every letter and left one out.”
Sajak then revealed that DiMarco missed out on a brand new Infiniti QX50. “I know that’s disappointing, but you got that close,” the long-time host said, trying to offer some comfort to the disappointed contestant.
Viewers at home felt for DiMarco, too, with one X user writing, “He’ll never bounce back from that botched bonus puzzle try. That aired on #NationalPuzzleDay no less!”
“That was so brutal. How did he not get the word like he, me, but WE?? and he actually said it after buzzer. I am crying! Infiniti was there,” wrote another YouTube commenter.
“Wow, he was so close. (Suggestion: 11 seconds in the bonus round),” said another fan.
Another added, “Ryan… THANKS!!! My tv has two holes in screen now!!!! One from [Detroit] Lions loss & tonight’s [Bonus Round]!!! Hadn’t cussed in nearly a year.”
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