A cringeworthy moment unfolded on Wheel of Fortune Tuesday night when contestant Nikol Gamble narrowly missed solving a 12-word puzzle in the “Song Lyrics” category — all thanks to one unfortunate guess.
With the board nearly complete, it read:
SEE / THE / LINE / WHERE / THE / S _ Y / MEETS / THE / SEA / IT / CALLS / ME.
Gamble, an escape room owner from Houston, guessed “O,” turning “sky” into “soy” — despite host Ryan Seacrest having just announced there were no vowels left. The buzzer sounded, and the audience let out a collective gasp.
Fellow contestant Rachael Traywick quickly swooped in with the correct answer: “sky” — a lyric from Disney’s Moana song “How Far I’ll Go.”
The moment quickly went viral, drawing reactions ranging from shock to amusement. Gamble, unfortunately, walked away with nothing, while competitor Dustin Whittern moved on to the Bonus Round and walked off with $68,880.
Even Vanna White noted it was the longest puzzle in the show’s history — a memorable milestone for viewers, though likely one Gamble won’t forget anytime soon.
