Wheel of Fortune viewers are livid and have accused host Pat Sajak of cheating a contestant out of $50,000.
While Pat Sajak finishes out his 41st and final season as the host of Wheel of Fortune, fans of the show have been more outspoken about his behavior on-air.
In recent months, many have claimed that Pat is robbing contestants of big money, either because he heard them incorrectly or he has a personal vendetta against them.
During a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune, a contestant named Tamara from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania tried her hand during the game’s Bonus Round.
The category was “What Are You Doing?” and after being supplied with the customary letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, Tamara chose her own, G, D, B, and A.
This left Tamara with a puzzle that read “_ _ _ N _ N G / A / B_ _ _ / _ L _ B.”
“Now, pay attention [to] what’s up there,” Pat told Tamara before her 10-second time limit began. “If you talk it out, you can do this.”
Wheel of Fortune contestant Tamara comes up short in the Bonus Round
Pat wished Tamara good luck as her timer began to count down, and she started to sound out some possible puzzle answers.
Tamara’s guess for the first word was initially “fanning,” but she quickly changed gears and changed her guess to “Running A Book Club” just before her buzzer sounded.
“You were right there,” Pat told Tamara. “Got there a little late, unfortunately.”
As the letters appeared on Vanna White’s board, it revealed the correct answer was “Joining A Book Club.”
Tamara let out a sigh as the studio audience commiserated with her, especially after learning that she had lost out on $50,000.
Tamara’s answer was close, but no cigar, although Wheel of Fortune viewers at home were certain she won the round.
Wheel of Fortune viewers blame Pat Sajak for robbing Tamara of $50,000
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Tamara’s supporters called on Pat and Vanna to do better, claiming they robbed her of some major cash.
“@WheelofFortune WHAT just happened?!?” moaned @justjonesie.
“Contestant got it Joining a Book Club BEFORE time ran out – barely – but before time ran out,” they continued, tagging Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and Maggie Sajak’s X handles.
Another Wheel of Fortune fan at home demanded that Wheel of Fortune producers give Tamara the $50,000 prize money, insisting that she said the correct puzzle answer before the timer sounded.
“On 2/24/24, Tamara won the bonus round, on wheel of fortune. She already mentioned the BOOK CLUB, Then called out, JOINING A BOOK .”
“So joining a book club camp out of her mouth before the time run out. [Wheel] of fortune always rob people money. Give her her $50,000. She won!!!!”
“I hate @WheelofFortune that was bulls**t give that lady her prize,” griped another.
In response, another X user corrected @AdamU824, writing, “She said ‘running a book club.'”
Tamara had fun during her Wheel of Fortune episode despite her Bonus Round loss
Tamara spoke with Wheel of Fortune’s Social Correspondent, Maggie Sajak, after the episode and explained what was going through her head during her Bonus Round.
“Well, I was almost there because I was thinking ‘Running A Book Club,’ because oftentimes I run a book club. So I think the little leadership brain took over.”
At the end of the day, Tamara admitted she had fun and her experience was “all good.”
When all was said and done, Tamara still walked away a winner, earning herself $21,132 for her puzzle-solving skills earlier in the game.