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Pat Sajak abruptly halts ‘Wheel of Fortune’ after player celebrates wrong answer — talk about awkward

"We get to keep the money," Pat Sajak sarcastically said while interrupting an awkward moment on 'Wheel of Fortune'

After hosting over 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak has interacted with countless contestants on 'Wheel of Fortune.' While most of the time Sajak remained cool as a cucumber, there have been times when he has lost his composure. In one such instance, the TV host had the most unfiltered reaction to a contestant's early celebration. To top it off, Sajak was so furious that he abruptly stopped the game.

During the May 27, 2024 episode of 'Wheel of Fortune,' host Sajak watched as contestants Luidgi Altidor, Rufus Cumberlander, and Cynthia King competed for the major win. After King correctly solved two earlier phrases, she was stumped by the final one, "_ n' l_ok aw_ _," per USA Today. During a 'Toss-up' puzzle on the show, Cumberlander rang in and confidently exclaimed, "Don't Look Away!" to which King immediately applauded him, and Altidor gave him a fist bump in support. Even Vanna White began clapping, and the audience cheered, all convinced the puzzle was solved.

However, Sajak quickly realized the answer was wrong and tried to stop the celebration, shouting, "No, no, no, no, no!" as the contestants continued to cheer. Still frustrated, he added, "No, it's not correct!" when no one picked up on the mistake, as per Monsters and Critics. After a few awkward moments, the buzzer finally sounded and the correct answer, "Can't Look Away," was revealed. The contestants were stunned. "Everybody's congratulating everybody," Pat said to the audience, then added, "And we get to keep the money!"

Despite the mishap, he graciously told King and Altidor it was "nice of them" to support Cumberlander. Because Cumberlander gave an incorrect answer, King was awarded the points for that round, having already won the previous two puzzles. A two-time 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant from Warren, Michigan, King ended the night as the big winner with $19,390. Speaking about King's previous 'Wheel of Fortune' appearance, the mother mastered the bonus puzzle and took home a total of $83,842. After winning $18,054 during the main game, she advanced to the bonus round, where she picked the 'Phrase' category, as per The US Sun. 

Before the puzzle began, the overexcited contestant was so animated that Sajak jokingly told her to "settle down." King then picked her letters, 'Y, B, M, and O,' which turned out to be smart choices. As the puzzle "_O / O_S__F / A / A_O" appeared, she seemed confident. Sajak then teased her saying, "Don’t hyperventilate," as the timer started. Without missing a beat, King correctly solved it, saying, "Do Yourself A Favor." Her reaction was explosive as she started screaming, jumping, and waving her arms. Sajak then revealed she had won $40,000, and with the added value of her cruise prize, 

In another 'Wheel of Fortune' instance, Sajak playfully attempted to wrestle drama teacher, bar trivia host, and part-time pro wrestler contestant Fred Jackson. Though the contestant admitted he doesn't get paid much, he said he does wrestling "for the fun," as per Entertainment Weekly. Fred dominated the game and took home an impressive $75,800. Sajak decided to end the show on a high-energy note.

In honor of Fred’s wrestling background, Sajak asked the other contestants with a grin, "Just because he's a professional wrestler, you want me to body-slam him for you?" True to his word, Sajak later approached Jackson and, in a humorous moment, attempted to put him in a headlock, which quickly turned into a playful embrace rather than a slam. The audience burst into laughter as Fred went along with the gag, smiling through Sajak’s light-hearted "attack."