Stinger

A Stinger is a decoy letter from the short-lived 80s game show The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime.

History
Usually at the beginning of the main round, the keyboard lit all of the letters that were in the puzzle plus one extra letter called the "Stinger". The stinger, was always shown at the start to the home viewer so they can keep their eyes on it, but not to the contestants. Any letter could be the stinger (except the letters Q, X and Z) but the star key is the only one that is never the stinger. If either couple found the stinger, then they immediately lost their turn and a new clue was played.

The Style of the Stinger
In season 1, as the stinger letter was revealed to the home viewers, it was signified by a sound effect (the studio audience booed at it in season 2). In season 2, the word stinger with a exclamation point at the end was shown to the home viewers.

Shows appeared
The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime (1986-1987)