On last Thursday’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune,” things got a bit awkward.
Pat Sajak, the host of the famous game show, accidentally revealed the answer to the puzzle in the bonus round. However, no one noticed.
When watching the show, fans could see the letters “_ _ _ TE _ RAN _ L _” were left in a puzzle. The contestant had about half the letters.
“Yikes. Well, I’d rather be standing here than there, quite frankly,” Sajak said.
“Quite frankly,” as it turns out, was the answer to the puzzle.
It didn’t matter because the contestant still failed to solve it.
Later in the episode, Vanna White asked him if he realized what he had done.
“I did, right after I said it. I wonder how many people at home caught it,” Sajak responded.
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Sajak has been hosting “Wheel of Fortune” since 1982, where he has made mistakes and even has caused fans to question his behavior.
In February, Sajak suffered online backlash after some believe he mocked a contestant’s speech impediment.
During the contestant introductions on the episode, the 74-year-old was chatting with Chris Brimble, who spoke with a lisp. After Brimble described his job as tech salesman, instead of responding, “I see,” Sajak said, “I thee.”
While the comment appeared to get some laughs from people off-screen, many viewers took to Twitter to voice their concerns.
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“Did @patsajak just mock one of the contestants??” one wrote.
“...say a cheap shot making fun of a contestant with a lisp. I teach speech therapy. You have been on the air for far too long. It’s time for you to retire,” added another.
Neither Sajak nor “Wheel of Fortune” has publicly commented on the controversy.
Brimble wound up winning $12,250 but didn’t advance to the bonus puzzle.
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