Wheel of Fortune Contestant Leaves Ryan Seacrest Laughing With Hilarious ‘Poop’ Guess Before Losing $55,000 in Heartbreaking Bonus Round
A Wheel of Fortune contestant had host Ryan Seacrest bursting into laughter after making a series of outrageous guesses during the Bonus Round, including one involving the word “poop.”
Merek Chang, from Baldwin Park, California, had already secured an impressive victory on the October 28 episode when he faced the final puzzle.
However, his amusing attempts to solve it ultimately cost him an additional $55,000, turning a potentially huge payday into one of the evening’s most memorable moments.
Merek Chang Wins $20,350 After a Competitive Game
Chang competed against Ameenah Montgomery, a mother of six from Arlington, Texas, and Anthony Bivona, from Rocky Point, New York.
Montgomery made an early impression by solving “Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave,” earning a trip to Savannah, Georgia, and bringing her winnings to $13,400.
Chang responded by correctly identifying the tongue twister “Which Witch Is Which?” before tackling another important puzzle.
Although he initially went bankrupt after calling a repeated letter while using the Express Wedge, he later recovered to solve “Disappearing Act.”
The victory earned him a trip to Glasgow and pushed him into the lead.
Bivona, who joked that his friends considered him an older, more muscular Ryan Seacrest lookalike, remained competitive throughout the game.
He eventually solved “Life in the Spotlight” and finished with $13,500, narrowly ahead of Montgomery’s $13,400.
But Chang emerged victorious with $20,350, earning his place in the Bonus Round.
Ryan Seacrest Cracks Up Over ‘Amusing Poop’ Guess
For the final puzzle, Chang selected the category Thing.
After receiving the standard letters R, S, T, L, N and E, he chose C, M, P and A.
The board displayed:
AM_S_N_ ___P
With the countdown underway, Chang desperately searched for a phrase that fit.
His first attempt was “Amusing Poop.”
When that failed, he tried “Amusing Goop” and then “Amusing Loop.”
None was correct.
The actual answer was “Amusing Quip.”
Seacrest couldn’t resist laughing at the contestant’s unusual suggestions.
“Those were funny guesses,” the host told him.
Missed Puzzle Costs Contestant a $75,350 Total
The laughter soon gave way to disappointment when Seacrest revealed the contents of the Bonus Round envelope.
Chang had missed out on $55,000, which would have increased his total winnings to $75,350.
Instead, he left with the $20,350 he had earned during the main game.
The moment quickly attracted attention online, with viewers particularly entertained by Chang’s first guess.
“Amusing poop!” one Reddit user repeated, adding a laughing emoji.
Although Chang failed to claim the additional prize, his unexpected answers provided a memorable finish to an otherwise successful appearance.
And while the correct phrase was “Amusing Quip,” his accidental comedy certainly lived up to the puzzle’s description.
Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays in syndication, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu and Peacock.