A great misfortune.

Wheel of Fortune is a long-running, relatively simple TV quiz show. I don't watch it because it's too trite and the constant clapping at the revelation of every letter drives me mad. I do, however, usually change channels in time for the final puzzle. And while it's fun to see if one can guess the answer, it is also very unpleasant as it is one of the sickest moments on television. Sick because if the person does not get the puzzle, he or she of course loses the prize, which averages about $30,000 but can be as much as a million. What I find sick is that they have to reveal to them what they lost. Why? This revelation and their failure can only haunt them long after they leave the program, especially if they nearly guessed the puzzle correctly. This seems weirdly sadistic to me and completely unnecessary.