‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Misses $74,000 as Fans Say They ‘Never Heard’ of Phrase

A Wheel of Fortune contestant missed out on taking home $74,000 on a Bonus Round puzzle that fans had “never heard of.” The phrase had been used before on the game show, but not amongst fans.

Liz St. Claire, from Cathedral City, California, played against Arlicia Turner, from Suwannee, Georgia, and Paul Phillips, from Holiday, Florida, on November 25. St. Claire is a former mud wrestler, a job that put her through beauty school.

Turner, a University of Georgia sports fan, solved both toss-ups for $3,000. Phillips, a man who loves to cook with his wife, solved the first puzzle, a crossword in the category “Chocolate.” The puzzle was “Milk, Kisses, Bars, Balls.” He earned $1,000 for that guess.

Turner took the lead when she solved “Saying I Love You First.” She put $8,950 in her bank. She rode the Express Train during the prize puzzle and racked up $8,000 until she called a letter that wasn’t in the puzzle and went Bankrupt. St. Claire solved “Stunning Vineyards” and won a trip to Argentina. That gave her $8,415.

The three contestants each solved one of the Triple Toss-ups, putting an additional $2,000 in their banks. St. Claire solved the finale puzzle — “Hitting The Jackpot”— and jumped into first place. She had a total of $19,415.

Turned ended with $10,950. Phillips went home with $3,000. St. Claire advanced to the Bonus Round, where she picked “Phrase.”

St. Claire revealed that she was on American Bandstand when it first came out and brought two of her friends who were on it with her. She shared that when people do the “YMCA,” they do the “M” wrong. It is supposed to be at someone’s chest, not above their head. “And the ‘C’ always goes to the left,” she said.

“Thanks for the lesson,” host Ryan Seacrest said.

After being given “R, S, T, L, N, and E,” St. Claire chose “C, P, M, and A.” The puzzle then looked as follows: “_ _ _C_  AS  A _ _N_.”

St. Claire couldn’t figure out “Quick as a Wink” and lost out on an additional $55,000. The phrase had been used in the early 2000s on the show.

Fans could not believe what the phrase was, as they had never heard of it before. “Never heard that phrase in my life,” a YouTube user said.

“In all honesty, who the hell says quick as a wink?” asked another.

“That was a forced loss. I have never heard of that phrase before,” added a third.

“I’ve never heard of the phrase Quick as a Wink,” said another.

Have you heard of the phrase before? Let us know in the comments.