Friday night’s broadcast of Wheel of Fortune left audiences utterly baffled—not merely due to a highly unusual puzzle, but also because of a Bonus Round defeat that countless viewers considered incredibly obvious.
A Fierce Competition Begins
During the March 28 episode, a trio of competitors stepped up to the wheel: Stephen Sporer hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota; Christina White from Long Beach, California; and Megan Russell representing Sylvester, West Virginia.
Sporer and Russell initiated the game by cracking the first two toss-up puzzles, banking $1,000 apiece. However, the debut main puzzle introduced chaos as all three players landed on the dreaded Bankrupt wedge, leveling the playing field. Ultimately, Russell deciphered the puzzle, taking home $3,500.
Then arrived the second puzzle—a sequence that completely bewildered the viewing public.
Unpacking the ‘Green Flash’
With the board categorized under “Event,” White successfully solved the puzzle: “Seeing the green flash.” Yet, instead of applause, the answer ignited widespread confusion among fans who had never encountered the term.
“The Event category puzzle—What did that even mean???” one curious user questioned on Reddit.
“No idea,” another viewer confessed.
Thankfully, Wheel of Fortune made sure to clarify the mystery. As the broadcast concluded, hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White broke down the meaning of the peculiar phrase.
“Earlier in the show, we had a puzzle, ‘Seeing the green flash,’” White noted before looking toward Seacrest. “Have you ever heard of the green flash?”
Seacrest detailed it as a highly uncommon optical event that manifests just moments before the sun completely sets. “When I’m sitting there in a lawn chair with a wine cooler, watching its final moments, it flashes at the last second before dipping below the horizon. You see this green refraction of light—it’s quite beautiful.”
A large number of fans were grateful for the explanation, with one individual commenting, “I’m glad they explained it, but I’ve never heard of that before. Or seen it in the many, many sunsets I’ve watched.”
Sporer Locks In His Bonus Round Spot
The match pressed on with White securing a massive victory during the Prize Puzzle Round, accurately guessing “Take a shower under a waterfall.” This triumph landed her $9,000 alongside a lavish vacation to Aruba.
However, Sporer dominated the concluding segment, sweeping all three Triple Toss-Ups and padding his bankroll with $10,000. He subsequently cracked the final puzzle, “In the home stretch,” guaranteeing his spot in the Bonus Round with an impressive $35,000. White wrapped up a stellar performance with $22,132, and Russell finished with $5,800.
A Bonus Round Miss for the Books
Supported from the audience by his partner Jeremy and his best friend Mary, Sporer opted for “Phrase” as his final category. The board was displayed as:
O N O _ R _ _ _
Sporer requested the letters C, M, G, and O, but tension permeated the soundstage as he visibly struggled to solve it. In spite of multiple guesses, he was unable to produce the accurate phrase: “On Our Way.”
This miscalculation cost him an extra $40,000—a conclusion that completely shocked audiences tuning in from home.
“I GOT IT!! I cannot believe he didn’t know it was ‘On Our Way,’” one astonished individual posted on YouTube.
Another user confessed, “I was yelling the answer at my TV repeatedly, haha!”
“I’m usually not great at solving puzzles, but I figured this one out even before they added the extra letters,” a third spectator chimed in.
Ultimately, Sporer still exited the studio boasting a highly respectable $35,000, yet his overlooked opportunity will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the program’s most agonizing Bonus Round moments.