He’s spinning his wheels.
Legendary, long-running “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, 77 — known for his snark — had one of his most shocking reactions yet, when a contestant bombed an easy answer.
On Tuesday’s episode, contestant Brittany was trying to solve a “phrase” puzzle in an attempt to win $11,200.
The puzzle read: “ ‘A_ _T_ING’ ‘IS’ ‘POSSI_ _ E.”
But, instead of solving the simple puzzle, Brittany spun again and requested an “R.”
The audience gasped, clearly shocked, while Brittany seemed regretful.
Sajak said, “I’m sorry, no R.”
The next contestant, Susan, was able to solve it: “Anything is possible.”
Neither Susan nor Brittany ultimately won, as the third player, Grant, got $27,000 before the bonus round.
But the oddest part of the episode happened after, when Sajak then addressed the camera about Brittany’s mistake.
“Sometimes you’re sitting at home and you think, ‘I know that,’ ” he said to the audience at home, seemingly empathizing with Brittany.
“It’s a funny thing. Sometimes, it doesn’t want to come into focus — and then we move on to the next round.”
Fans on social media laid into Brittany, writing on X, formerly Twitter, “I can’t believe she said ‘R’ , proving that anything is not possible” and “How did she not know it? It was pretty much complete, apart from like 3 letters now she’s made me grind my teeth, and I can’t stop.”
But the oddest part of the episode happened after, when Sajak then addressed the camera about Brittany’s mistake.
“Sometimes you’re sitting at home and you think, ‘I know that,’ ” he said to the audience at home, seemingly empathizing with Brittany.
“It’s a funny thing. Sometimes, it doesn’t want to come into focus — and then we move on to the next round.”
FORTUNE
Fans on social media laid into Brittany, writing on X, formerly Twitter, “I can’t believe she said ‘R’ , proving that anything is not possible” and “How did she not know it? It was pretty much complete, apart from like 3 letters now she’s made me grind my teeth, and I can’t stop.”
In the past, he’s snapped at contestants to “shut up” and he’s been brutally honest, telling contestants that they have “no chance” at winning.
He’s also had meltdowns on the show, and isn’t known for his forgiving nature.
So it was out of character for him to defend a constant who flubbed an easy puzzle.
Sajak will retire after 43 years on the show. His final episode will air June 7, and he’ll be replaced by Ryan Seacrest in the fall.
