‘Wheel of Fortune’ accused of ‘elitism’ after rejecting Virginia player’s answer over regional accent
‘Wheel of Fortune’ faced fan backlash after rejecting a contestant’s answer due to what appeared to be a regional accent. The episode, which aired on February 11, featured a contestant whose correct answer was rejected due to perceived mispronunciation. According to TV Insider, fans considered the ruling overly harsh, attributing it to regional dialect rather than actual mispronunciation. After the episode, viewers labeled the show “elitist,” arguing that the contestant had a regional accent, not a mispronunciation. The contestant, Denise Zinzi of Oakton, Virginia, competed against Chris Wiley from Meridianville, Alabama, and Yumemi Turk from Torrance, California.
While the game was flowing smoothly, the issues arose in the Mystery Round, where the contestants were given a four-word “Before and After” puzzle. When Zinzi spun the wheel, she guessed two Ns and a G. Eventually, the puzzle on the board looked like “L O V E / L E T T E R / O _ / R E S I G N _ T I O N.” Attempting to solve, Zinzi appeared to respond with “Love Letter of Resination,” although her enunciation of the “G” in “Resignation” was reportedly unclear.
@WheelofFortune You’ve done it again. The woman got the frikken G and you penalize her for mispronunciation. #elitists You should be ashamed of yourselves pic.twitter.com/7GXooCYZmZ
— John V. Szeluga (@szeluga) February 12, 2025
After a brief moment of silence, host Ryan Seacrest told the contestant, “No, that’s not it.” This then gave Turk a move, who answered the puzzle correctly, saying, “Love Letter Of Resignation,” making sure to emphasize the “G.” The host said, “That’s it, resiGnation.” However, some fans of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ felt it was harsh of the show and that they had unfairly penalized Zinzi for her regional accent.
Taking
his frustration to X, a fan wrote, “@WheelofFortune You’ve done it again. The woman got the frikkin G, and you penalize her for mispronunciation. #elitists You should be ashamed of yourselves.” Notably, fan reactions extended beyond X to platforms like Reddit, where similar criticisms were voiced. as on Reddit, one fan wrote, “I think they ripped Denise off with the ‘Letter of Resignation’ puzzle tonight. Bless her heart.” “I was going to bring this one up too. The puzzle was something like ‘cup and ladle,’ and they said ‘cup and ladder,’” a comment read.
“She had just called the G. She knew there was a G. She just didn't know it wasn't silent like in resign,” one more comment read, also stating, “It's also possible to say that G very softly in your throat like we do in some other words, like SAGUARO and GUACAMOLE (and perhaps others which escape me at the moment). Didn't she have a Hispanic name? I think she got dinged for her accent. Not cool.” However, several other commenters on Reddit stated, “She definitely said it wrong. Resonation is the act of producing or exhibiting resonance. It can also mean to respond to something in a personal or emotional way,” while someone else said, “Resination is not a word.”