HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Could ‘Wheel of Fortune’ really be rigged? Pat Sajak’s $100K streak moment still fuels fan theories

During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune,' Pat Sajak joked, "I'm outta here. That's it. I'm through. $121,000 dollars. I'm outta here."

Pat Sajak looked completely shocked when three contestants in a row won the grand prize on ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ During a February 9, 2022, episode, contestant Bree Yokouchi won the $100,000 grand prize. The reality game show set a new record as Yokouchi was the third contestant to win the grand prize in the same week. According to USA Today, Yokouchi, an elementary school teacher from Portland, Oregon, had picked the $100,000 grand prize envelope from the Bonus Wheel. Right after this move, she successfully solved the puzzle, making her the winner. In total, Yokouchi had earned a total of $121,638 in cash and a trip to St. Lucia. In her interview, Yokouchi stated, “I was just excited to be here this morning,” adding that being “the third $100,000 winner in a row” felt amazing. 

Meanwhile, the host, Sajak, was stunned as he was heard stating, "How are they doing this?" Sajak tossed the third $100,000 envelope in a row. When he opened it, he joked, "I'm outta here. That's it. I'm through. $121,000 dollars. I'm outta here." After he left the set, he, however, returned with Yokouchi and co-host Vanna White soon and talked about the grand moment. Sajak stated, "You know it's not just landing on that, that’s amazing enough, but that was a heck of a solve. Going for four tomorrow." Yokouchi was the third contestant to win the grand prize in the Bonus Round. Before her, Lisa Kramer and Mark Baer had won the same prize in the previous episodes of the same week. Baer had also nabbed a total of $126,550 in cash as well as a trip to the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, a few fans of the show had accused the three consecutive wins of being rigged. A comment under the X (formerly Twitter) post read, "This feels like it is staged/rigged." Please show us the other card so we can know for sure there is only 1 $100,000 card." Another comment from a viewer read, "Great way to pay to go viral if so." The comments were even seen on Reddit that read, "Worth noting that while outcomes can’t be rigged, airing orders sure can. If Wheel was concerned about the preemptions, they could’ve rearranged the episode air dates to get more eyeballs."

Weaving a theory, a person wrote, "Maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist, but this just happens to 'happen' when Jeopardy is in the news every day for recently having a trans champion on a huge winning streak?" One Reddit user asked, "And who broke the system, or is this clever marketing?" Another one said, "I thought it was funny when Pat Sajak mentioned they would then be investigated by the board. Game shows are indeed serious business."

Recently, the grand prize in the Bonus Round was won by a Visalia resident, Jackie Fakhoury. As per the Visalia Times-Delta, during the October 23, 2024 episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune, ’ Fakhoury won the $100,000 grand prize. This victory had even marked the first grand win since Sajak left the show and Ryan Seacrest took over the hosting duties. Earlier on the show, Fakhoury had won a total of $14,400 in prizes and also a $10,000 trip to Romania. As per the outlet, her trip, the 10-day ‘Castles and Monasteries Tour,’ also included a trip to Dracula's Castle. 

For Fakhoury, “becoming a ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant” was on her bucket list. In her statement, the contestant had mentioned, “I've been trying for quite some time,” also adding that she had done some “wonky little videos to try to stand out a little bit” while filling out the form for the reality game show two to three times.  ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is in its 42nd Season at present. The new host took over the duties of Sajak since the episode on September 9, 2024. In his opening remarks, Seacrest stated, “Welcome to ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ I am your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and of course, my good friend Vanna White.”