Amidst an otherwise jubilant and celebratory week on Wheel of Fortune, an early-game frustration of one contestant culminated in a moment of host Pat Sajak and contestant that was undoubtedly “testy” during the bonus round.
As the show enters its 41st season, which is expected to be Sajak’s last, the host has experienced an abundance of noteworthy occurrences, both positive and negative, to fill an entire highlight reel. Furthermore, the exchange he engaged in this week with a contestant named Jill is without a doubt a memorable moment to be added to the “Pat is getting salty” segment of that reel.
The scene as it transpired is as follows.
The accumulation
Following Jill’s narrow advancement to the bonus round and prior to commencing the final conundrum, Sajak, aged 77, recounted a “tale” that aptly encapsulated the entirety of the game she had encountered thus far.
“Early in the performance you gave, you called a letter that had already been called, which is a common occurrence here. You were indeed devastated by that. “Your concern was simply that you wouldn’t ruin the performance,” Sajak informed Jill. “You were faced with a conundrum that you believed you ought to have solved but failed to do so. She subsequently placed the responsibility on me during the commercial.
Obviously, the presenter also mentioned that she ultimately won a substantial sum of money (exactly $27,680) and a trip (to Barbados), so everything was resolved. That is, up until the last conundrum…
The last riddle
It was the “What Are You Doing?” category. Following her four-letter guesses and the addition of the customary RSTLNE, Jill observed the following on the puzzle board:
________ C_N ________ R__ N__ N
As time ran out and predictions such as “Working our…” and “Blocking our…” failed to produce accurate responses, the correct response was finally disclosed as “VOICING OUR OPINION.”
“Expressing our viewpoint? “Hold on,” Jill exhorted.
“Explanation of the phrase ‘come on'” Sajak inquired.
She asked with irony, “What kind of puzzle is that?” while expressing her opinion.
“You have yet to solve a puzzle,” he replied, adding, “It’s getting tense around here during the holiday season, isn’t it?”
Although Jill did not receive the additional $40,000 that she claimed “could have bought her a house,” she still obtained a trip and nearly $30,000.
Former perplexing riddles
This week’s moment is not the first time that viewers have expressed disapproval of the riddle deviating too far from the norm; they are not averse to discovering things they dislike. Nevertheless, the prevailing sentiment among social media users appeared to be more in favor of Sajak this time around.