“I NEVER FAILED IN RESEARCH… UNTIL I WAS ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE” — the cancer-fighting scientist exclaimed in shock after losing his car in the game.

An unlucky Wheel of Fortune contestant was just one letter away from solving the Bonus Round puzzle and winning a brand new car on Thursday’s (July 10) episode.

The episode, which originally aired on December 26, 2024, and was repeated this week as part of the summer reruns, saw scientist James Sun from Needham, Massachusetts, advance to the Bonus Round after winning the episode with $26,154 cash and a trip to St. Lucia.

Early in the show, Sun told host Ryan Seacrest that he works in the biotechnology industry on early cancer detection. He also revealed he’s been taking flying lessons with his 9-year-old daughter, but he stopped after the lessons made him motion sick. This shocked Seacrest, who said he couldn’t believe they let a 9-year-old fly an airplane but not drive a car.

Sun had success throughout the episode and almost finished the evening on a high in the Bonus Round. Before picking his category, Sun introduced his wife Bandi, daughter Anina, and brother Andrew, who were supporting him in the audience.

“Oh, that’s the pilot?” Seacrest quipped. “I would definitely fly with her.”

After selecting the often tricky “Phrase” category and the additional letters “P, H, D, and A,” Sun was left with a three-word puzzle that read, “_ _ R T H / T H E / H _ P E.”

With only three missing letters, it seemed like Sun would have no trouble figuring out the solution in the ten-second time limit. Unfortunately, just one letter tripped him up. Sun guessed “Worth The Hope,” which was incorrect, and then continued to use phrases with the word “hope.”

After the timer ran out, Seacrest announced the correct answer, telling Sun, “Are you ready for it? Worth The Hype. You were so close, right out of the gate!”

Adding insult to injury, Seacrest then opened the prize envelope to reveal that Sun missed out on the brand-new Ford Escape.

“Just one letter wrong! Oh, well. Nothing to sneeze at,” one YouTube commenter wrote.

“James was so close, off by 1 letter. I was guessing and I was about to guess “worth the hype”, but I blanked out,” said another.

“I thought it the answer was worth the hope as well,” another added.

Another wrote, “I literally slapped the table multiple times when he didn’t get it.”

“The one time it lands on the car and it’s lost?! This is just disappointing!” said one commenter.