Wheel of Fortune fans are livid after a contestant on the show was “screwed” in the bonus round of the game show.
As Pat Sajak is officially stepping down from the series, there’s been some changes made to the show that not everyone can get behind.
And now, there’s even more news.
Each Wheel of Fortune episode is opened by the hosting duo.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White are nothing short of iconic at this point.
And the pair usually waste no time in introducing the episode’s latest contestants.
Before challenging them to spin the famous wheel and answer questions in the battle for the much-desired cash prize.
The episode started like any other regular edition of Wheel of Fortune.
But things took an unexpected turn.
Pat Sajak has come under fire after he appeared to tackle a contestant.
And his actions have left the internet divided.
“This made me feel kind of uncomfortable,” wrote one commenter.
“Everyone needs to calm down – this is clearly a joke,” added another.
It all happened on the episode that aired March 21st, 2023.
It was an ordinary show, until the 76-year-olds actions took a bizarre turn.
The star player on the ep was a man of many talents, named Fred.
Fred claimed he was a bar trivia host, working as a drama teacher, and a professional wrestler.
Fred also caveated that he gets paid “very little,” for his wrestling.
And that he thinks of the sport more as a hobby “for fun.”
Fred won numerous rounds during the Hawaii-themed episode.
Solving the ‘Pineapple upside-down cake’ puzzle for starters, and going from strength to strength from there.
And it seemed as though Sajak took a little umbrage with Fred’s winning streak.
He was heard joking: “Well, the Fred Fletcher Jackson show continues.”
Lucky Fred got to the final round with $5,700 in the bank.
Totally dominating the other two contestants!
Something Sajak made another joke about!
“To you two, I want to say it happens sometimes – someone just gets really hot,” Sajak says.
He continued: “You want me to body slam him for you? I can do that.”
Fred then continued his winning streak, with a bonus of $40,000 for guessing the final phrase.
And Sajak couldn’t believe it!
In fact, he decided he had to keep his promise from earlier.
Sajak then approached Fred to tackle him!
He attempted to grab the contestant and pull him to the ground for being too good at the game!
Luckily, Fred got away unscathed.
And luckily for Sajak, the pro wrestler didn’t decide to fight back!
“Why didn’t he body slam Pat?” one fan joked in the comments.
Another added: “Fred is a part-time wrestler, so Pat joined with his prowess.”
A third wrote: “That was a good one!! The end was so funny.”
And it was clear the studio audience agreed, as they laughed and applauded Sajak’s stunt.
But even a scuffle with Sajak couldn’t damped Fred’s night.
He took home his $75,800 earnings!
Plus a legendary story that’ll go down in Wheel of Fortune history.
Not a bad night’s work!
Fred even proudly flexed his biceps at the end of the show.
And if you’re interested in more Sajak wrestling, Wheel of Fortune will host a WWE week from 27th-31st March.
“Seeing the criticizing that [Sajak] gets online is a little unfair.”
“I was the one who was put in the hold and I was perfectly okay with it.”
Watch the moment that got everybody talking here.
And now, there’s been another big Wheel of Fortune controversy.
A botched bonus round?
The January 30 episode of the popular game show ended in controversy after viewers claim Megan–the contestant who made it to the bonus round–lost, even though she seems to have guessed the correct answer.
The category was “Living Thing,” and the puzzle that appeared after she got the traditional R, S, T, L, N, and E and guessed her letters was “P_N_ _RC_ _ D.”
The first words out of Megan’s mouth once the timer started sounded like “pink orchid,” the correct answer to the puzzle.
But, even though she seemingly guessed the correct answer, nothing happened, and she continued to guess until her time was up.
“You might have been overthinking a type of orchid,” host Pat Sajak told her after the buzzer sounded and the missing letters were revealed.
“Pink,” Megan said while laughing, not showing any anger that she had actually guessed it prior.
“I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you,” Sajak continued before he revealed that she missed out on $40,000.
While Megan didn’t seem too upset by the loss, people on social media sure were.
“Hey @WheelofFortune I definitely heard the contestant say ‘pink orchid’ at the beginning of that final puzzle & rewound it to make sure. You owe her some $$$,” one fan wrote.
“The woman got screwed on #WheelOfFortune bonus puzzle tonight, she totally said ‘PINK ORCHID’ right at the start,” someone else pointed out.
Regardless of the backlash, Wheel of Fortune has yet to comment on the supposed snub–so it looks like fans will have to settle for Sajak’s initial judgement.