Fans Call Out 'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant for Lying to Pat Sajak

Pat Sajak

It may be Season 41 of Wheel of Fortune, but host Pat Sajak is still as quick-witted as ever!

On Tuesday's episode, which aired on Nov. 28, the longtime game show helm called out a contestant—Oxford, Pennsylvania-native Lindsey Ziegenfuss, a married mother of three and former police detective of 11 years—for seemingly doubling back to switch a letter after already making a choice for her guess.

Ziegenfuss had been thriving for the majority of the episode, often coming out victorious over her opponents, Anthony Jones and Leigh Wang.

However, when it was time to hit the Bonus Round, she seemingly attempted to dupe Sajak. After choosing the “Phrase” category, the game show player was faced with a four-word puzzle that read, “_ _ _ _S _ _ _ S_T,” with only the letters “RSTLNE” provided.

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As the 77-year-old, who is retiring, himself, after this season of the show, asked the woman to select three additional consonants and one more vowel, Ziegenfuss picked “H, D, S, and O,” not realizing that “S” had already been given.

The letters stopped appearing on the screen after “H” and “D,” and Sajak stopped to ensure he heard correctly. “Okay, that third letter was, you said H, D…?” the beloved host asked.

“H, D, C…,” Ziegenfuss replied, taking back her initial guess of the letter “S.” But Sajak, still sharp as a tack after all these years, didn’t let it slide, asking in response, “But you did say S, right?”

Ziegenfuss' smile gave away her guilt, though she didn’t admit to the mistake.

“No? Hold on,” Sajak continued. “Earlier, did you say S or F? You said H, D…”

“C,” Ziegenfuss repeated, still not accepting that Sajak caught on to her.

“Oh, so it wasn’t either S or F?” the host responded, as the studio audience laughed. “I think I got it—alright.”

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Still, none of her chosen letters were correct to solve the puzzle, which ultimately ended up being the phrase “Pay Us A Visit.” Though the ex-cop's misstep caused her to lose out on an additional $40k, she still left with a pretty penny—$23k in total winnings.

Vanna White appeared visibly confused throughout the ordeal, and she wasn't the only one, as at-home viewers took to social media to express their own gripes with the moment.

“This lady just lied on Wheel of Fortune about what letter she said,” wrote one fan on X. “Pat tried to correct her and asked her to repeat what she said. I rewound to confirm the lie. None of her other letters worked though and she couldn’t guess it, so instant karma for her.”

“UNREAL cop behavior on Wheel of Fortune tonight,” said another commenter, while one fan added, “She said S!!!!!”

As Sajak exits following the end of the current season of the series, White will remain in her spot, while Ryan Seacrest is set to step in as the next host.

Next: Pat Sajak Apologizes for ‘Terrible Prank’ After Puzzle Baffles All 3 Contestants