‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Says She ‘Blacked Out’ On Puzzle Before Losing $40,000

A Wheel of Fortune contestant admitted that she “blacked out” on a puzzle when she blurted out an answer that didn’t make any sense. Despite the mishap, she moved on to the Bonus Round but didn’t win the $40,000.

Mekdes Getahun, from Dallas, Texas, faced off against Jeremy Owusu, from Bronx, New York, and Nolan Baack, from Austin, Texas, on Thursday, April 10. Getahun told host Ryan Seacrest that she is a writer and is in the process of publishing a book about her mom, who died in 2021. They used to watch Wheel every day together.

Getahun, and Owusu, a newlywed, both solved the first two toss-ups. Baack, a sixth grade social studies teacher, solved the first puzzle— “Sabrina Carpenter Ants” and took the lead. However, Getahun solved the next one and quickly caught up to her opponent.

Mekdes took the lead on the next puzzle with $16,000 and won a trip to Las Vegas to see the iHeartRadio Music Festival.

During the Triple Toss-Up round, Owusu solved the first one. Getahun buzzed in for the second saying, “Singing on a table,” but that was wrong. Baack solved “Singing on a stage” and won the $2,000. However, Getahun solved the third one, giving her $2,000 more.

In an after-show interview, Getahun told social media correspondent Maggie Sajak that she “blacked out” during that moment.

 

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Sajak asked her how she felt after her game. “I’m very excited. I’m pretty sure I blacked out. I don’t remember what I said. I heard there was some singing on the table stuff,” Getahun said. The clip then played of her messing up the toss-up. “I don’t remember that.”

“It’s all a blur,” Sajak said.

“I just remember I couldn’t believe it,” the game show contestant admitted.

Sajak told her that the good news was the moment happened on TV, so they recorded it and she could see it any time.

Getahun solved the final puzzle — “I Can’t Believe It!” — with only three letters on the board. Seacrest wanted to know how she did that, to which she said she didn’t know. The writer ended with $19,500. Baack left with $4,450. Owusu left with $3,000.

For the Bonus Round, Getahun chose the category “What are you doing?”

After Wheel gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E,” Getahun chose “W,D,G, and I.” Her puzzle then looked like “_R_ _TI_ING   G_IT_R   _ _ _RDS.”

Getahun couldn’t figure out the first word. She said, “straightening guitar chords,” “stringing guitar chords,” and “playing guitar chords.” The puzzle was “Practicing Guitar Chords.” She lost out on an additional $40,000.

However, she will be back on Friday for iHeartRadio week, where the top three winners of the week come back for a second chance. They will play with artists Jason Derulo, Andy Grammer, and JoJo.