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Pat Sajak made mistake on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ — but no one caught it

Pat Sajak has hosted “Wheel of Fortune” since 1981 — when the game show was on daytime television — but he did something recently that he had never done before. (AJC file photo)
Pat Sajak has hosted “Wheel of Fortune” since 1981 — when the game show was on daytime television — but he did something recently that he had never done before. (AJC file photo)
By Rich Barak
April 21, 2021

Pat Sajak has hosted “Wheel of Fortune” since 1981 — when the game show was on daytime television — but he did something recently that he had never done before.

The “Wheel of Fortune” host, 74, accidentally revealed the solved puzzle during the bonus round on an episode last week.

“Yikes,” Sajak said when seven of the 12 letters in the puzzle remained unturned. “Well, I’d rather be standing here than there, quite frankly.”

The “quite frankly” part wasn’t clearly enunciated by Sajak, which likely was for the best because “quite frankly” was the puzzle’s answer. The contestant did not solve the puzzle.

“Wheel of Fortune” shared the moment on Twitter and other social platforms.

“Did anyone catch this?” the show captioned the clip.

At the end of the broadcast, co-host Vanna White brought up the bungle.

“Did you hear what you said?” White asked.

“I did, right after I said it,” Sajak said, chuckling.

“I wonder how many people at home caught it. But in setting up the thing, there weren’t many letters up there and I said, ‘I’d rather be here than up there, quite frankly’ — which was the puzzle. But it goes to show you that people are concentrating and they’re not paying any attention to me.”

About the Author

· Rich Barak works in the sports department as a leader/coach. In his career, Barak has covered everyone from Tommy Lasorda to Timothy Leary. He can be reached via email at Richard.Barak@ajc.com, on Twitter at @RBARACK or by calling 217-722-0184.

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