On the May 13 episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Sam Oh from Cypress, Texas, stunned viewers when he froze during the high-stakes
Bonus Round—missing out on a potential $1 million. Oh competed alongside coworkers Peter Jung and Daniel Park from a pediatric office in Houston.
Themed “Bragging Rights,” the episode featured playful banter, including Jung joking that Park was once his pediatrician.
As a side bet, the losers agreed to wear “Wheel of Misfortune” shirts designed by Jung’s wife. Oh, confident he’d win,
led the game by solving “Giving a Little Pep Talk” and “Surround Sound System,” ending with $28,050 and a trip to Costa Rica.
Entering the Bonus Round, Oh selected the $1 million envelope. The puzzle category: “Phrase.” With “R, S, T, L, N, E” revealed, he struggled to
choose his letters, eventually picking C, G, M, and O. The puzzle: O_T O_ _ _ C. He guessed “Out of…”—but the correct answer was “Out of Whack.”
Inside the envelope was $40,000, not the million. Online fans reacted to his hesitation, calling the pressure intense.
Despite the miss, Sam Oh remained the episode’s top winner, and he and his coworkers laughed off the loss in their custom shirts backstage.