‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant loses $7K over embarrassing mistake: ‘That was painful’

“Wheel of Fortune” fans might be some of the most opinionated people on the internet.

During the April 30 episode of the game show, contestant Kimberly Wright from Apopka, Florida, made a colossal mistake that cost her over $7,000 — sending fans watching at home into a tailspin.

Wright made it to the express round and failed to complete the puzzle board that read, “D U _ _ – _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS.”

Rather than guess the answer, which was “duck-billed platypus,” Wright picked another letter, F.

Wright seemingly thought the answer was “duck-filled platypus.”

Since Wright was wrong, competitor Marie Kioski solved the puzzle on her turn and won $7,250 and a trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.

Viewers could not believe Wright flubbed the game on such an easy puzzle.

“Oh my, that was painful. F??” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after watching the episode. “She thought the platypus was filled? with what exactly? #WheelOfFortune.”

Another fan said, “Where did this lady think an F was going to go in this puzzle?” with a thinking face emoji.

“A Duck-Filled Platypus!?” one viewer tweeted, expressing their confusion over Wright’s incorrect guess.

Viewers of the long-running game show never shy away from sharing their reactions to contestants’ big blunders online. They were similarly shocked by another competitor’s mistake during an episode in January.

A woman named Tina was left with a puzzle that read, “M__OR _L____RD,” and after panicking over the answer, she guessed “minor blizzard.”

Host Pat Sajak informed her that she guessed wrong. The correct answer was “major blizzard.”

“I feel terrible,” Sajak told her. “You had exactly the right idea, you just had the wrong key.”

Tina lost a $40,000 prize because of her mistake.

Fans criticized her on X for her “frustrating” answer and questioned why she would guess “minor blizzard” instead of “major blizzard.”

“Wheel of Fortune” has been on the air since 1975, but the show is about to go through a major change.

Sajak, 77, will step away from his job as host after the Season 41 finale, which airs on June 7.

He will be replaced by Ryan Seacrest.

“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Pat wrote in his emotional send-off. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”

Vanna White will remain on the ABC show as the beloved letter turner.