Pat Sajak Defends Wheel of Fortune Contestants After Viral 'Feather in Your Cap' Puzzle Fail

Gerardo Mora/Getty Images Pat Sajak

Pat Sajak is coming to the defense of Tuesday night's Wheel of Fortune contestants.

During the episode of the game show, three contestants went viral after struggling to solve the common phrase, "Another Feather In Your Cap" in a nearly complete puzzle.

In total, it took the three competitors eight turns and 10 attempts to solve the five-word puzzle — something viewers were quick to criticize on social media.

But on Wednesday, Sajak, 75, defended the contestants in a lengthy thread on Twitter, arguing that the pressures of live television can cause some contestants to not think clearly and viewers should take that into account before posting mean comments online.

"It always pains me when nice people come on our show to play a game and win some money and maybe fulfill a lifelong dream, and are then subject to online ridicule when they make a mistake or something goes awry," the longtime Wheel of Fortune host began.

"Last night's 'Feather in your cap' puzzle was a case in point. Sitting at home, it seems incredible that they couldn't solve it, but I knew in real time what was happening," Sajak wrote.

RELATED: Wheel of Fortune Answer Goes Viral After Contestants Fail to Solve Common Phrase

Continuing, Sajak provided some context into the situation and explained why the contestants struggled with the puzzle.

"The first attempted solve was 'Feather in your hat' which, by the way, is how a lot of people say it. So all three players thought it was a good solve, and were stunned when I said it was wrong," he explained. "Now imagine you're on national TV, and you're suddenly thrown a curve and you begin getting worried about looking stupid, and if the feather isn't in your hat, where the heck can it be? You start flailing away looking for alternatives rather than synonyms for 'hat.' And, of course, when it's solved, you want to crawl in a hole."

Sajak said he's "been praised online for 'keeping it together' and not making fun of the players" but the host noted that he didn't understand why any viewer would feel compelled to taunt the contestants.

"Truth is, all I want to do is help to get them through it and convince them that those things happen even to very bright people," he said. "But mocking them online and calling them names? These are good people in a bad situation under a kind of stress that you can't begin to appreciate from the comfort of your couch."

Philip Lewis/Twitter The puzzle from Tuesday night's episode

"Good-natured laughter is one thing. Heck, they laughed at themselves. But, hey, cut them some slack. Unless you're there, you have no idea how different it is in the studio," he continued.

Finishing his thread, Sajak revealed, "I have fun with players and I tease them occasionally, but when things go wrong, I feel for them, and I try to salve the wounds on camera and off. So, yeah, it was an oddly entertaining puzzle and it's okay to laugh at the situation. But have a little heart."

"After all, you may be there one day," he added. "And no one wants to be trending on Twitter."

In the now-viral clip, the contestants guessed "Another feather in your hat," "Another feather in your lap," and "Another feather in your map," before the correct answer was finally said.

The segment of wrong leads, which lasted for just over two minutes, was later referred to by one viewer as the "dumbest two minutes in Wheel of Fortune history."

Other fans said they were in "utter disbelief" watching the clip and have "never wanted to scream this loudly in my life."

The moment isn't the first time a Wheel of Fortune episode has made headlines as of late.

In mid-February, three people won jackpots of $100,000 on consecutive nights. The record was set in just two evenings, with the third win by contestant Bree Yokouchi baffling even Sajak. "I'm out of here. That's it, I'm through," the host said as he jokingly walked off the stage.

At the time, fans were rooting for a fourth win and an even bigger record, but the trend wasn't carried through the rest of the week.

Wheel of Fortune airs at 7:30 p.m. ET weekdays on ABC.