Pat Sajak tells ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant he doesn’t have a chance

Article content

Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak tells it like it is. So when he sees a contestant doesn’t have a hope of completing a puzzle, he’s not shy about letting them know they’ve got no chance to solve.

Article content

Sajak had Wheel fans in stitches after he bluntly told a contestant on a recent episode that they weren’t going to be able to complete the Bonus Category and answer to the question: “What Are You Doing?”

Article content

Article content

Article content

Jack had $71,700 going into the Bonus Round, but was stumped as the clock ticked down and the puzzle only read “_ _R_IN_ _ _NDS.”

“Bonds, wands, bands,” Jack said as he tried to work through the answer, which was revealed as “Forming Bonds,” but the buzzer quickly sounded to let him know his time was up.

“The first thing out of your mouth was right, it was actually bonds” Sajak, 76, said. “Sorry that didn’t work out for you, but you needed another letter or two to have any chance of winning.”

The beloved TV host then cringed as he showed the audience at home that if he had got the phrase right, Jack would have won an additional $75,000.

“This is just a number printed on cardboard,” Sajak said, trying to console Jack. “He has actual money,” he continued, pointing to Jack’s $71,700 haul.

Article content

“BIG mistake picking WHAT ARE YOU DOING. That puzzle was VERY tough,” one person said after Jack’s blunder, while another praised his overall gameplay, “Even though Jack didn’t get the bonus round & $75,000 surprisingly his total winnings was still better than the last 3 out of 4 contestants that won bonus rounds the other days which is (amazing) and won $71,700.”

Sajak, who is retiring at the end of this 41st season, has come under fire for his being rude to contestants on the long-running show.

Last year, he was lambasted online after after he mocked a player’s introduction story.

“That may have been the most pointless story ever told. And you told it … Congratulations to you,” he said.

Article content

Sajak’s curt reply quickly went viral with one social media user calling the longtime game show host “absolutely ruthless.”

Someone else weighed in writing, “Pat Sajak telling someone their story was pointless is the exact reason I can’t watch Wheel of Fortune. The audacity to be so rude is baffling.”

“Pat Sajak is just a grumpy old dude now,” one viewer remarked.

But Sajak doesn’t just take potshots. Earlier this year, during the show’s Teen Week, Sajak defended 10th grader Khushi as she tried to finish a phrase in the “Food & Drink” category, with the answer being “Fresh Tropical Fruit.”

With the puzzle almost solved, Khushi just needed the “S” and “H” to complete the answer. After guessing “H”, the teen was stumped with the final missing letter.

Article content

“Solve it or spin it or… but do something quickly,” host Pat Sajak urged as the clock ran down, which led Khushi to take another spin.

Clearly stumped and confused, when it came time for Khushi to give her answer she said, “I’ll go with a … ‘G’,” which would have spelled “FREGH.”

“What?” someone in the audience could be heard yelling in response after the buzzer squawked.

“You know when that happens and you’re sitting at home, you’re saying, ‘How in the world can that (not be solved)?’” Sajak said as he tried to defend Khushi. “But, you know, sometimes it’s a word that just doesn’t want to come into focus for you.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

X: @markhdaniell

Article content