‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Mocks Contestant Struggling with Easy Puzzle: ‘It’s Like Pulling Teeth’

After hosting Wheel of Fortune for more than four decades, Pat Sajak knows precisely what the audience at home is thinking and isn’t afraid to speak on their behalf.

That’s what happened on Wednesday night’s (January 24) episode when one contestant struggled with a seemingly easy puzzle, leading Sajak to quip, ‘It’s like pulling teeth.’

The contestant in question was Deanna Palmer, a resident of Rancho Cucamonga, California, who has a skill for reading upside down and writing backward. During the first round, under the “Events” category, Palmer came up against a puzzle that read: “THE   _ _ ST   BEAUTI_UL   SUNSETS.”

Palmer paused as she considered the puzzle, leading Sajak to hurry her up and ask her, “Any other buying?”

Unable to figure it out, Palmer chose to buy an “O,” making the puzzle read, “THE   _ O ST   BEAUTI_UL   SUNSETS.”

“I’m going to solve it,” Palmer eventually said as Sajak responded, “Please!”

Palmer answered correctly with “The Most Beautiful Sunsets,” leading to laughter and applause from the studio audience.

As Palmer herself laughed at the situation, Sajak joked, “I felt less like a game show host and more like a dentist… pulling teeth to get there.”

“I’m more like a dentist. It’s like pulling teeth.” PAT STOP,” wrote one viewer on X (formerly Twitter) in response to Sajak’s dig.

“I’m more like a dentist. It’s like pulling teeth”
PAT STOP#wheeloffortune

— mirmaid (@Miranda_Sky) January 25, 2024

This came a day after Sajak poked fun at contestant Micah White after he failed to figure out a difficult Bonus Round puzzle, which ended up being “Fluffy Flapjacks.”

“Oh, you were so not close,” the long-time host told White.

As for Palmer, after finally working out the “Most Beautiful Sunsets” puzzle, she dominated the rest of the episode, amassing a total of $22,100 and propelling herself to the Bonus Round.

However, she was faced with a challenging puzzle under the “What Are You Doing?” category that read, “S P E A _ _ N G   _ R A N _ L _” after she’d picked her additional letters of “P, D, G, and A.”

Palmer was able to figure out the first word but couldn’t come up with the complete answer (“Speaking Frankly”) before the buzzer ran out.

Unfortunately, she missed out on a brand new Mustang Convertible. Still, she walked off into the sunset with over $20,000, so all in all, not a bad night.