Pat Sajak accepts questionable “Wheel of Fortune” answer, driving fans nuts
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Nuts!
On Tuesday's episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Nadine Cedro of Toms River, N.J. solved a puzzle with a response that many fans deemed unacceptable.
The puzzle in question was a crossword, in which the four correct answers were all the second half of compound words that begin with "butter." The right answers were "fly," "fingers," "bean," and "nut" — but Cedro seemed to pluralize the last word, guessing "nuts" with an "S" instead of the correct singular form of the word. Despite this possible error, Pat Sajak accepted the clue as correct.
Fans were quick to catch the slip-up, noting that the closed captioning confirmed the extra letter at the end of the word.
@PatOnWheel, @TheVannaWhite @WheelofFortune She said "nuts", not "nut". Even closed captioning picked up the "s". #WheelOfFortune pic.twitter.com/qqdjcLfDDh
— Meka Jamesa Larimer (@VoldeMeka) October 17, 2023
We re-round it 3 times because our whole family heard nutS. She shouldn't have won the round.
— Dustin 🇺🇸🍺🦌🇺🇸 (@beer_n_deer) October 17, 2023
@WheelofFortune that Nadine said nuts not nut I caught it!!
No S added! #NoS 10-17-23 show— Leticia Gutierrez (@Leticia30623883) October 17, 2023
@WheelofFortune on October 17th 2023 contestant, pluralized nut on the crossword puzzle solve and PAT did not catch it.
— jim murphy (@Murphothegreat) October 18, 2023
Representatives for Wheel of Fortune did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
The issue certainly seems small, but contestants have missed out on major prizes over even smaller technicalities. In 2021, player Charlene Rubush correctly solved a puzzle to win a new car, but a pause in her response prompted Sajak to deem her answer incorrect, barring her from the prize. (Audi stepped in to give her a car anyway.) Contestants have also been penalized for separating multi-word responses with the word "and."
Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty Images Pat Sajak on of 'Wheel of Fortune'
Wheel will soon spin into a new era, as it's Sajak's last season with the show after 41 years as its host. "It's been a wonderful ride," he said upon the announcement. Later, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest will take on hosting duties starting next season. "I can't wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White," Seacrest said at the time.
Meanwhile, White extended her contract with the show through the 2025-26 season. She considered retiring at the same time as Sajak, but ultimately decided against it. "Of course it's a thought. It's like, 'Well, wait, if you're leaving, what am I going to do? How can I stay without you?'" White told PEOPLE. "It was a very hard decision for me to make, because it definitely crossed my mind. It's like, 'I just don't know if I can do this without you,' but I thought about it and I'm not ready to retire, so I am staying on."
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