Contestant misses $1 million on 'Wheel of Fortune' with challenging puzzle, audience boos

A "Wheel of Fortune" contestant missed a $1 million prize with the tough puzzle.

During the May 22 episode of "Wheel of Fortune," finalist Paul Dodson faced significant disappointment as he missed a chance at a $1 million jackpot due to an exceptionally challenging puzzle. 

The audience at the taping expressed their discontent openly, booing when Dodson could not solve the puzzle under the category "What Are You Doing?"

The puzzle, presented with the standard letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, displayed: “_ _ _ _ _ L _ N _.” Dodson guessed the letters C, H, P, and A, none of which were correct. The final answer, “Quibbling,” was revealed, leading to audible gasps and subsequent boos from the audience. 

According to Oxford Languages, the definition of "quibbling" is “arguing or raising objections about a trivial matter.”

In a light-hearted moment, Dodson encouraged the audience to boo louder, using his arms to amplify the reaction, before laughing. However, host Pat Sajak did not share in the humor and responded to the audience's reaction with a pointed, “Who asked you?” This remark elicited laughter and applause from the audience.

Sajak then revealed that Dodson had missed out on an Infiniti car. He also showed where the $1 million card was located, indicating it was not far from Dodson’s chosen card. Despite the loss, Dodson, a married father of two from Aurora, Ohio, had accumulated $33,550, outperforming his competitors Venetia Brown from Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, who finished with $7,550, and Jessica Huffman from Moore, Oklahoma, who ended with $2,000.

Dodson chose the category “What Are You Doing?” over “Thing” and “Phrase” for his final round.

Following the broadcast, fans took to social media to voice their agreement with the in-person audience, asserting that “quibbling” was an excessively difficult word to guess.