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‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant loses $50K after Pat Sajak mishears her answer in tense bonus round

'You messed it up again!' an enraged fan wrote on social media, slamming Pat Sajak for a seemingly unfair call

Throughout his 41-season-long association with 'Wheel of Fortune,' Pat Sajak often faced criticism from viewers. However, there was one instance when he was accused of robbing a player of their hard-earned win. The episode, which aired in February 2024, had a contestant who failed to sail through the bonus puzzle, resulting in a major loss. However, the drama unfolded after the episode, as many fans accused Sajak of failing to support the player when, in fact, she gave the correct answer. But is that really the case?

The contestant in question was Tamara Atkins, who chose the 'What Are You Doing?' category and was left with “___N_NG A B___ _L_B,” according to The New York Post. Sajak encouraged her, saying, "Now pay attention to what’s up there. There's a huge letter board. If you talk it out, you can do this." The correct answer was "JOINING A BOOK CLUB." However, Atkins appeared to guess "running a book club," though some viewers thought she may have started to say something else before finalizing her answer. Sajak responded gently, "You were right there. Got there a little late, unfortunately. By the time you got to 'book club,' time was running out on you." Had she answered correctly, she would have won $50,000.

Instead, she went home with total winnings of $21,132. However, fans argued that Atkins had answered correctly, and that it was the host who had failed to recognize it. As soon as the episode aired, viewers took to X to express their frustration, with one commenting, "Wheel of fortune - the contestant got the puzzle right - you messed it up again!" while another added, "On 2/24/24, Tamara won the bonus round, on wheel of fortune. She already mentioned the BOOK CLUB, Then called out, JOINING A BOOK . So joining a book club camp out of her mouth before the time run out. Where of fortune always rob people money. Give her her $50,000. She won!!!!"

However, Atkins addressed the controversy in an interview with Pat's daughter, Maggie Sajak. She clarified her thought process, saying, "Well, I was almost there because I was thinking, 'Running A Book Club.' Because oftentimes I run a book club. I think the little leadership brain took over. But it was actually ‘Joining.’ So it was fun." Maggie responded warmly, saying, "All good, yes," and the two shared a laugh, putting the moment to rest with good spirits.

In another instance, Megan Carvale also faced the same issue, losing out on $40,000 during the bonus round of 'Wheel of Fortune.' Carvale soon clarified the controversy during her interview on ABC’s 'Good Morning America,' according to The New York Post.  After being asked to solve the puzzle under the 'Living Thing' category, which read P_N_ _RC_ _ D, many fans believed she had said "Pink Orchid," which was the right answer.

However, her pronunciation was unclear, and even the GMA hosts, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan, acknowledged the debate. Carvale responded with a smile, saying, "You know, I wish I said pink because I would have been $40,000 richer — but I said ‘something.’” She also reflected on the experience, saying: “It’s funny because going onto the show, I was so excited to be a part of it, and I was so bummed that I lost to the bonus round.”