Current:Home > NewsPat Sajak celebrates 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's mistake: 'We get to keep the money!' -WealthConverge Strategies
Pat Sajak celebrates 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant's mistake: 'We get to keep the money!'
View
Date:2025-04-18 18:25:09
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! (6)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Delaney Schnell, Jess Parratto fail to add medals while Chinese diving stars shine
- DJ Moore signs 4-year, $110 million extension with Chicago Bears
- Texas’ floating Rio Grande barrier can stay for now, court rules as larger legal battle persists
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- 3 inmates dead and at least 9 injured in rural Nevada prison ‘altercation,’ officials say
- Three Facilities Contribute Half of Houston’s Chemical Air Pollution
- USWNT vs. Australia live updates: USA lineup at Olympics, how to watch
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Baby Reindeer Star Richard Gadd Responds to Alleged Real-Life Stalker’s Netflix Lawsuit
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Firefighters make progress against massive blaze in California ahead of warming weather
- American Bobby Finke surges to silver in men's 800 free
- The best 3-row SUVs with captain's seats that command comfort
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- City lawyers offer different view about why Chicago police stopped man before fatal shooting
- Interest rate cut coming soon, but Fed likely won't tell you exactly when this week
- Haunting Secrets About The Blair Witch Project: Hungry Actors, Nauseous Audiences & Those Rocks
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
The Latest: Project 2025’s director steps down, and Trump says Harris ‘doesn’t like Jewish people’
Mississippi man who defrauded pandemic relief fund out of $800K gets 18-month prison term
An all-electric police fleet? California city replaces all gas-powered police cars.
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Body found of SU student reported missing in July; 3 arrested, including mother of deceased’s child
Firefighters make progress against massive blaze in California ahead of warming weather
MLB trade deadline live updates: Jack Flaherty to Dodgers, latest news