‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Call Out Pat Sajak Over ‘Unfair’ Ruling

Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak can’t seem to win; when he’s not been accused of being too harsh on contestants, he’s been blamed for being too lenient.

The latter happened on Friday’s (March 1) game, when some viewers felt like the legendary host shouldn’t have accepted a response due to a mispronunciation.

Geri Ogunti from Columbus, Ohio, was up against Patrick Varone from Wakefield, Massachusetts, and Sarah Vach from Greenville, North Carolina.

Early in the episode, the three contestants were faced with a puzzle under the “On The Map” category. After each taking turns to guess letters, the board read, “_ R _ NKF _ RT    G _ R _ AN _.”

Ogunti attempted to solve the puzzle, answering “Frankfort Germany,” with emphasis on the FORT rather than FURT.

Sajak hesitated for a brief moment before deeming the answer correct. “Yes, that’s it, yes, you got it,” the long-time host said.

However, some viewers at home were not happy with the decision and took to social media to air their grievances.

“Frankfort is *not* Frankfurt,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).

“It’s not pronounced FrankFORT Germany,” added another.

Frankfort is *not* Frankfurt. #WheelOfFortune

— Ronnie (@texmexinjersey) March 2, 2024

@WheelofFortune It’s not pronounced FrankFORT Germany

— Karen McLennon (@shelbyKLS) March 2, 2024

Another viewer commented, “Happened again on @WheelofFortune lady mispronounced and @patsajak let it go. She said Frankfort Germany and its Frankfurt Germany.”

Despite being awarded $2000 for her answer, Ogunti failed to win the episode. Instead, Vach powered ahead and won the episode with $17,160 (plus a trip to Costa Rica), though she couldn’t figure out the Bonus Round puzzle to add an extra $40,000 to her winnings.

This is the third mispronunciation controversy on Wheel in recent months. Last month, a contestant lost out on the Bonus Round after answering “Running A Book Club,” though some thought she gave the correct answer of “Joining A Book Club.”

And, in January, a contestant was denied the bonus prize despite many viewers thinking she said the correct answer. There was debate over whether she said “Pink Orchid” (the correct response) or “Something Orchid.”