A Wheel of Fortune Player Lost $62K in Seconds—and Everyone Watched It Happen
Bundle up! A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie competing on Wheel of Fortune unfortunately stumbled on his Bonus Round puzzle, despite numerous viewers at home insisting the answer was incredibly simple.
During the February 2 broadcast, Joey Moorman, hailing from Riverside, California, went head-to-head against Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native Daria Suib and Calumet City, Illinois resident Barnetta Pointer. Moorman is a thrill-seeker who actively pursues extreme activities wherever he travels, boasting a resume that includes bungee jumping, swimming alongside tiger sharks, and riding an impressive 162 different roller coasters.
He kicked off the game by solving the initial toss-up puzzle, securing $1,000. Suib, a proud dog owner whose pet actually achieved viral fame on TikTok, successfully solved the second toss-up, adding $2,000 to her own bank.
Pointer, a woman boasting a large extended family, tackled the “Before and After” category, correctly guessing “Key Lime Pie In the Sky.” Because she had landed on the Argentina vacation wedge, her total bank shot up to $9,915.
She maintained her momentum by solving “Night Fever Night Fever,” which bumped her earnings to $12,215. Moorman then made a massive comeback, banking $9,050 after solving “Colorful Coral Reef” during a highly successful run on the Express Train. Because it was the designated Prize Puzzle, he was also awarded a luxurious trip to the Cook Islands, bringing his total haul to $20,790 and securing him the lead.
Following that, all three competitors successfully answered one Triple Toss-up puzzle each, padding their respective banks with an extra $2,000.
Suib managed to crack the ultimate main-game puzzle—“Scaredy Cat”—for $4,500, concluding her night with a total of $8,500. Pointer wrapped up her appearance taking home $14,215. Ultimately, Moorman emerged as the evening’s grand champion with a total of $22,790.
For his Bonus Round, Moorman selected the category “What Are You Wearing?”. He was supported in the studio by his mother, Patty, and his younger sister, Emily. The family shared that they have bonded over watching Wheel of Fortune together ever since Joey was a little boy.
As is standard, the game automatically provided him with the letters “R, S, T, L, N, and E.” To complete his board, Moorman opted for the consonants “C, B, D” and the vowel “O.”
The board subsequently displayed: “BE_ _E _OOL CO_T.” As the high-pressure timer ticked away, Moorman frantically offered guesses like “Something Wool Coat,” “Berry Wool Coat,” and “Cool Coats.” Unfortunately, he was completely unable to land on the correct phrase: “Beige Wool Coat.”
“Beige isn’t one of those words that really pops into your head. Does it?” presenter Ryan Seacrest sympathetically asked.
“Nope,” Moorman agreed. The hidden envelope contained a $40,000 prize, which would have skyrocketed his final earnings to a staggering $62,790. Seacrest gave a disappointed shake of his head and extended a firm handshake to Moorman.
“Thanks for watching all these years,” Seacrest added kindly.
Even though Moorman struggled to crack the phrase under pressure, a multitude of fans took to the internet to declare they figured it out instantly and considered the puzzle “easy.”
“I thought this was an easy solve. I had this one solved pretty quickly,” one YouTube commenter noted.
“Easy puzzle. I thought he had it,” another viewer agreed.
“Unlike him, I was able to figure out the entire puzzle tonight,” chimed in a third individual.
“That was easy for me too, especially the ‘O’ was the right vowel to pick & a ‘B’ was a great choice as well,” an enthusiastic fan pointed out.
“Come on, man…. that was right there. I was just… shouting out that word beige… that didn’t come out of his head??” wrote one final frustrated viewer.
Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays (check your local listings) and is available to stream the following day on Hulu and Peacock.
Source: tvinsider.com