Current:Home > StocksPat Sajak celebrates 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's mistake: 'We get to keep the money!' -×
Pat Sajak celebrates 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's mistake: 'We get to keep the money!'
View
Date:2025-04-14 15:20:17
You won't be able to look away from the latest "Wheel of Fortune" flub.
On Monday's episode, the first installment of the long-running syndicated game show's 2024 fan-favorites week, the contestants started prematurely celebrating what they thought was a correct answer — only to find out the guess was wrong.
After Michigan's Cynthia King solved two phrases, she was stumped by the third and final phrase presented in that round: "_ _ n'_ l_ok aw_ _." Hawaii's Rufus Cumberlander rang in and guessed "Don't look away."
"No, no, no, no no!" Sajak said as Cumberlander fist-bumped King and Luidgi Altidor of Brooklyn, New York on either side of him. Even Vanna White was applauding the answer.
As the puzzle board filled in the letters, the last one revealed "Can't look away."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"Everybody is congratulating everybody," Sajak said as the contestants reacted in dismay. "And: We get to keep the money!" Sajak added victoriously.
What to know about the last episode:Release date, how to watch Pat Sajak’s last show
The contestants' over-confidence comes on the heels of a viral moment the show experienced last week, when Tavaris Williams saw "_ _ _ _ i_ t_e b _ _ t!" on the board and guessed "Right in the butt!"
As his fellow contestants and the audience reeled from an uncharacteristically crude guess, consummate professional Sajak replied: "No." As it turns out, the phrase read "This is the best!"
After four decades at the helm with White, Sajak is down to his final episodes of "Wheel." On June 7, the show will air its Season 41 finale, which will mark the host's last. The final week, whose theme will be "Thanks for the memories," will feature tributes to Sajak.
This fall, Ryan Seacrest will take the reins as host. He'll be joined by Vanna White, who in September extended her contract with the game show through its 2025-26 season.
Pat Sajak will continue working on 'Wheel of Fortune' as a consultant
Suzanne Prete, the EVP of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, honored Sajak's legacy in a statement issued shortly after announcing his impending retirement.
"As the host of 'Wheel of Fortune,' Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years," she said. "We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season."
Pat Sajak highlights:Look back at the best quotes from the 'Wheel of Fortune' host
Sajak "has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting," Prete revealed.
Sajak and White have hosted "Wheel of Fortune" in its current iteration since its debut in syndication in 1983, according to Sony Pictures Television Studios, which produces the show.
The concept was created in 1975 by Merv Griffin as an NBC daytime show based on the popular game “Hangman," per Sony Pictures Television.
veryGood! (37)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- No, the IRS isn't calling you. It isn't texting or emailing you, either
- Biden names CIA Director William Burns to his cabinet
- Phoenix residents ration air conditioning, fearing future electric bills, as record-breaking heat turns homes into air fryers
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Your banking questions, answered
- Inside Clean Energy: In Illinois, an Energy Bill Passes That Illustrates the Battle Lines of the Broader Energy Debate
- Inside Clean Energy: Natural Gas Prices Are Rising. Here’s Why That Helps the Cleanest (and Dirtiest) Electricity Sources
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Chipotle and Sweetgreen's short-lived beef over a chicken burrito bowl gets resolved
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Illinois Now Boasts the ‘Most Equitable’ Climate Law in America. So What Will That Mean?
- No, the IRS isn't calling you. It isn't texting or emailing you, either
- UN Report Says Humanity Has Altered 70 Percent of the Earth’s Land, Putting the Planet on a ‘Crisis Footing’
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Will There Be a Barbie Movie Sequel? Margot Robbie Says...
- Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' sneakers sell for a record-breaking $2.2 million
- Illinois Solar Companies Say They Are ‘Held Hostage’ by Statehouse Gridlock
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Hawaii's lawmakers mull imposing fees to pay for ecotourism crush
The Fed's radical new bank band-aid
The loneliness of Fox News' Bret Baier
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
Full transcript of Face the Nation, July 23, 2023
Melanie Lynskey Honors Former Costar Julian Sands After He's Confirmed Dead
The one and only Tony Bennett
Like
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- This Leakproof Water Bottle With 56,000+ Perfect Amazon Ratings Will Become Your Next Travel Essential
- Two Md. Lawmakers Demand Answers from Environmental Regulators. The Hogan Administration Says They’ll Have to Wait