‘Wheel of Fortune’ player looked uncomfortable when Pat Sajak reached for her face— and it only got weirder
During his 41 seasons hosting stint on 'Wheel of Fortune,' Pat Sajak has mostly remained supportive and respectful. However, there have been instances when the legendary host has crossed the boundary. In one such instance, Sajak could be seen almost touching a contestant's face. The situation gets more awkward when the contestants can be seen visibly uncomfortable but play along, making for an awkward 'Wheel of Fortune' moment.
In a 2023 episode of 'Wheel of Fortune,' Sajak made contestant Jen, a Florida resident, visibly uncomfortable when he crossed a line during her introduction. Jen introduced herself by sharing that she is "a proud aunt with seven godchildren" and "happily married." But host Sajak unexpectedly shifted focus, saying, "Let's talk about your eyelash," per The US Sun.
Jen explained, "So I don't know why this is occurring, but I have a recurring grey eyelash that has followed me throughout my life. And I just think I’m going to name it and keep it forever." Sajak pressed, "It's a gray eyelash?" Jen confirmed, "It's a grey eyelash." Then, in a move that made some viewers uneasy, Pat walked over to her and placed his hands just inches from her eyes. "Is it there? Wait a minute, hold on," he said, appearing to try to pluck or inspect the eyelash himself. The interaction stirred discomfort, as the gesture crossed a personal boundary.
The audience can be heard letting out a nervous laugh as Jen responded with, "Thanks so much." Pat then asked, "Feeling better?" Jen played along, joking it was "a little painful," but added that she felt "A-okay," showing she took the moment in stride and appeared to be in on the humor. Notably, Jen went on to win the main game with $13,710 as she defeated contestants Ani and Scott, who got on the nerves of viewers by spinning excessively and hoarding vowels.
Although she missed the bonus puzzle "Vouch For Them" and lost out on an extra $50,000, Jen remained in good spirits. In another instance, Sajak faced criticism from viewers for being overly snarky toward contestant Scott Ingwersen. Sajak brought up a detail from Ingwersen's application, saying, "You had your big toe cut off. Why are you telling me this?" per The Independent.
Poor Scott just wanted to tell his story. Pat just throwing the shade 😂 #WheelOfFortune #patsajak pic.twitter.com/0wkEL2aRan
— AyeRaeRae43 (@AyeRae43) March 10, 2022
Scott explained, "It's important to know that when I was 12 years old, I was riding a 10-speed bike with flip-flops, and I fell and completely cut off the top of my toe. The next car that came by had two paramedics who were on their way to their job, and they said, 'It's just a laceration.' But I didn't know what that was, so it freaked me out even more." He added, "And my toe is reattached, and I just want to say 'thank you' to them 30 years later." While the audience responded with a sympathetic "aw," Sajak dismissed the story, saying, "That may have been the most pointless story ever told. And you told it, Scott. Congratulations to you."