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‘Wheel of Fortune’ turns icy as Pat Sajak snaps at contestant who questions the puzzle after losing

“You’re not gonna get a whole lot of help. In fact, that is it,” Sajak said after Jill chose the wrong letters.

'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak clashed with a contestant named Jill during a 2023 Christmas episode. Jill advanced to the Bonus Round after solving several earlier puzzles. However, she stumbled on a tricky Bonus Round puzzle and missed out on the cash prize, according to The New York Post. “What kind of puzzle is that?” she let out her frustration after failing to win. “It’s a puzzle you didn’t solve.” Sajak clapped back in defense of the show. He continued in jest, “It’s getting testy here on Christmas.”

"And then you had a puzzle that you think you should have solved, and you didn't. And then she blamed me during the commercial, and then she won a trip, and now she's dancing," Sajak joked as he introduced Jill for the Bonus Round. "It’s been a memorable Christmas so far. Ok, you're not going to get a whole heck of a lot of help. In fact, that is it. And it looks tough for me," the veteran host added. Jill had already won $27,680, and she chose the "What are you Doing?" category for the puzzle board. In an endearing moment, she was joined by her spouse, Steve, who applauded her from the backstage, as per The Sun.

The puzzle board featured the traditional letters "RSTLNE," and Jill chose a "C, M, H, A" in a bid to guess the correct answer. Sajak wasn’t too encouraging. “You’re not gonna get a whole lot of help. In fact, that is it,” he said, as only one “R” appeared on the three-word puzzle. It then read, “_ _ _ C _ N _’ ‘_ _ R’ ‘_ _ _ N _ _ N’ as the ten-second timer went off. Trying to stay upbeat, Sajak said, “Maybe something will pop into your head." Jill racked her brains as she tried to guess the right answer: "Walking our…working our…” she said, and the buzzer went off. “Voicing Our Opinion?" was the right answer. "Come on," Jill exclaimed, visibly disappointed. "Just a little late," Sajak said. He didn't hold back: “What do you mean, come on?”

Jill missed out on $40,000, but she did walk away with $27,680. Fans hilariously trolled Sajak's reaction and labeled it 'shots fired', "Jill: What kind of a puzzle is that? Pat, it's a puzzle you didn't solve. Shots fired, lol," a viewer commented under the viral YouTube video. "I watched the show last night on YouTube Premium on TV, and Jill was being very rude and disrespectful to Pat Sajak after she did not solve the puzzle in the bonus round."

"I don’t know if she has kids, but if she does, her kids and her parents will have a sit-down with her and talk about how bad she behaved on the show. Jill needs to write an apology letter to Pat on how bad she behaved and say she is very sorry for what she did," a 'Wheel of Fortune' fan criticized the contestant. "Harsh puzzle, she should have called a V, P, and an O. That would have helped her solve it," a netizen opined.