The answer was staring her in the face -- all she needed to do was guess the ONE letter missing from Thursday night's "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle and she would have won a bunch of money.

The category was "Same Name" -- and the key word here is "Shower."

What kind of shower has 4 letters and ends with "_OLD"?

Should be obvious ... unless you're into water sports.

Melanie did not go with "Cold Shower" -- she went with "Gold Shower" ... an answer that would be more appropriate if the category was, "Things The Russians Reportedly Have on Video."

Don't worry, Jenn was able to swoop in and clean up when Melanie struck out.