HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

‘Wheel of Fortune’ host scolds player for grabbing $1M wedge too early — but fans say one thing

"Was that to not touch or to not finish the sentence?" a fan criticized after witnessing Sajak's actions.

Very few players walk away with the $1 million prize on 'Wheel of Fortune,' so when contestant Mary Ann landed on the coveted wedge, she screamed with excitement. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, reaching out to remove the wedge from the wheel. Annoyed by her reaction, veteran host Pat Sajak quickly shouted, "No, no, no, ba-ba-bop!" to stop her from grabbing the wedge too early. "Now, here’s what you do: you call a letter," the host reminded the Alabama native, referencing the rules. Mary Ann chose "H," and after two correct matches, she earned the chance to claim the prize. "And because there are two H’s, you may now pick up the million-dollar wedge." After she celebrated, he added, "You put a million dollars in front of someone, they just get goofy."

As per Fox News, the viral moment was widely shared on the game show’s official social media pages. "No one: Pat Sajak: Don't Touch That!!!" the caption read on Instagram. "Was that to not touch or to not finish the sentence?" a fan criticized. Similarly, fans remained divided over Sajak's reaction on X. "Please retire, Pat. Can't take this anymore," an X user slammed. "Lmao, wow! Triggered much?" a fan critiqued. Another viewer defended Sajak: "Wow! Chill, people! You're ready to jump down his throat for everything. He was just trying to stop her from grabbing the wedge before calling a letter."

"Every other day, thin-skinned keyboard warriors complain about Pat Sajak doing his job. Not to mention, he does it with a sense of humor. Grow up, people," a netizen remarked. Meanwhile, this is not the first time Sajak has stepped in to curb a contestant's enthusiasm. In May 2024, Rufus Cumberlande from Hawaii broke into a victory dance—only to learn his answer was wrong. His answer for the "Phrase" category during the tossup round was "Don't Look Away." Sajak quickly interrupted, saying, “No, no, no, no, no,” as Rufus kept fist-bumping opponents. “It’s not correct,” the host added. 

After the buzzer went off, the right answer was revealed as “Can’t look away.”Everybody’s congratulating everybody, and we get to keep the money!” Sajak said sarcastically, prompting laughter from the audience, as per TV Insider. Cumberlande couldn’t recover and finished last with total earnings of $3,000. In another moment, Sajak showed little empathy when a contestant shared an emotional backstory. In 2022, player Scott Ingwersen shared that he had to “chop off” his toe after a childhood accident. “Why are you telling this?” the 'Wheel of Fortune' host asked, as per Decider. “That may have been the most pointless story ever told. And you told it, Scott,” he continued with his snarky comment while adding, “Congratulations to you.”