Pat Sajak Is Being Destroyed By Fans Over Contestant’s Correct Answer
Wheel of Fortune fans claim contestant Neetu Varshney correctly solved the $2 thousand Toss-Up puzzle but was not credited by Pat Sajak.
Pat Sajak is under fire from Wheel of Fortune fans for what they perceive to be his mishearing of a contestant’s correct answer. According to The Sun, some viewers are claiming last night’s contestant Neetu Varshney correctly solved the $2 thousand Toss-Up puzzle but was not credited with the solve by the game show’s host. It’s hardly the first time Sajak has been accused of short-changing a contestant, but the vast majority of these objections are generally found to be based on incorrect audience perceptions, not actual gaffes on the part of the host or the show.
In this case, fans are claiming that Pat Sajak misheard Varshney because of her accent, though the game show clip seems to tell a different story. The puzzle solution, in the “Phrase” category, was “At a moment’s notice,” and Varshney did correctly guess the “a moment’s notice” portion. The issue with her solve was over the word “At,” which some viewers claim she said, but was not credited for.
What Pat Sajak and most Wheel of Fortune viewers heard was Varshney guessing “In a moment’s notice.” A quick listen to the clip, featured in The Sun‘s story, seems to confirm this was indeed what she said, with fellow contestant Jeremy then correctly solving with “At a moment’s notice.” In his response, Sajak tells Varshney she almost solved it, but emphasizes “At” in his reiteration of the correct answer.
For her part, Varshney did not object to Pat Sajak’s assessment, and the Wheel of Fortune game went on as usual from there. Jeremy ultimately went to the bonus round with $49,618, which, while impressive, was all he could win after missing the final solution. But even though it appears Varshney did in fact give the wrong answer in the first Toss-Up, Wheel watchers aren’t done with their critique of her treatment.
Again accusing Pat Sajak of mishearing because of her accent, some Wheel of Fortune viewers claim Varshney was again robbed when, for the second Toss-Up of the night, she guessed “Mail of America” when the solution to the puzzle, in the “Landmark” category, was “Mall of America.” Once again, Varshney’s accent was not an issue as her pronunciation of the incorrect solution was again clear, with no possible explanation from her speech patterns for mispronouncing “Mall” as “Mail.” Sometimes, it seems Wheel fans are just looking for something to complain about.
Though The Sun also reported that Pat Sajak did recently admit that a Wheel of Fortune contestant was brought back onto the show because she had earlier been treated unfairly, this is a very rare occurrence. In that case, Darcy DuGal, a contestant from 2021, was allowed to be on the show a second time after it was discovered that producers had in fact errantly ruled that her correct solve was not valid. Darcy came in third on her second appearance, but it was good to see the show make amends and take responsibility for their mistake.
In these cases, it’s important to remember that, while Pat Sajak is certainly in charge of the show on stage, Wheel of Fortune has producers listening to every word spoken and watching every spin closely to ensure that the rules are followed and the game goes smoothly and fairly. The show is recorded months in advance and every episode is edited, with rounds sometimes being replayed on set if there is a big enough problem. After 40 years, the Wheel team is well-versed in the show’s intricacies and it is exceedingly rare that an actual mistake will make it to air.
