Wheel of Fortune fans slam ‘cold-blooded’ host Pat Sajak for ‘rudely mocking’ contestant’s intro story
WHEEL of Fortune host Pat Sajak is being slammed online for seeming to make light of a contestant’s personal and emotional backstory. It all happened on Wednesday’s show, during the player interviews portion of the program. That was when contestant Scott Ingwersen told a story about nearly losing his big toe, and wanting to use his […]
WHEEL of Fortune host Pat Sajak is being slammed online for seeming to make light of a contestant’s personal and emotional backstory.
It all happened on Wednesday’s show, during the player interviews portion of the program.
That was when contestant Scott Ingwersen told a story about nearly losing his big toe, and wanting to use his 15 minutes of fame to thank the first responders who helped him.
According to Scott: “It’s important to know that when I was 12 years old, I was riding a 10-speed bike with flip-flops, and I fell and completely cut off the top of my toe.
“The next car that came by were two paramedics that were on their way to their job, and they said, ‘It’s just a laceration.’
But I didn’t know what that was, so it freaked me out even more.”
Scott went on to explain that the paramedics stayed to help him, quite possibly saving his toe.
“My toe is reattached, and I just want to say thank you to them 30 years later.”
But Pat, 75, was seemingly unimpressed, and even quieted down the applauding audience to share his displeasure.
“That may have been the most pointless story ever told. And you told it, Scott,” Pat said to the player. “Congratulations to you.”
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FAN OUTCRY
Fans almost immediately voiced their support for Scott online, and attacked the long time host for his outburst.
One person tweeted: “Not the 1st time he’s been rude; Pat Sajak is just a grumpy old dude now.”
Another commented: “When did Pat Sajak get so cold-blooded?”
One fan demanded an apology, while another cut deeper: “Pat Sajak is such an a**hole. Who says to someone “that’s the most pointless story ever” when someone is opening up on National TV???”
PUZZLE PROBLEMS
The backlash comes just days after Pat came to the defense of three players who themselves were being ridiculed online, after continually missing on what many thought was an easy puzzle.
The three had trouble coming up with the answer for “another feather in your cap,” even though nearly all of the letters had been revealed.
The players offered up incorrect guesses including “another feather in your map” and “another feather in your lap.”
Viewers at the time couldn’t believe that the seemingly common phrase was overlooked so many times in the infuriating on-air moments.
Actor Josh Gad tweeted out a hilarious video of him giggling as he watched the controversial moment, captioned: “God help us all.”
“This might have been the worst two minute stretch in Wheel of Fortune history,” NBA podcast host Warren Shaw tweeted.
Other Twitter users posted about their “disbelief” and many said that they were even screaming at their television in their frustration at the moment.
One commenter said, “That round was brutal.”
“How have all 3 contestants on wheel of fortune right now never heard the phrase ‘another feather in your cap’??” Another tweet reads. “This is madness!!!”
PAT TO THE RESCUE
Bu the legendary game show host himself spoke out against the backlash.
“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,” he tweeted on March 2.
“I’ve been praised online for ‘keeping it together’ and not making fun of the players.
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.
“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.”
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