WATCH: 'Wheel Of Fortune' Contestant Loses After Mispronouncing 1 Word In Puzzle She Solved
A "Wheel of Fortune" contestant found herself losing a round she had seemingly won after mispronouncing a word.
During Wednesday night's episode of the popular game show, Shauna Williams successfully solved the puzzle in the "Same Letter" category, revealing the answer as "congenial company & clever conversation." However, her victory was short-lived due to a mispronunciation.
Host Pat Sajak denied Williams points after she mispronounced the word "congenial" when reading the puzzle aloud.
"Uh, no," Sajak said after the contestant answered.
Sajak's ruling led to her fellow contestant, Steve Sporre, correctly pronouncing the answer and gaining the points for Williams' initially solved riddle.
No way this lady lost Wheel of Fortune with the entire puzzle solved 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/aO4A5UXbvv
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) January 4, 2024
Viewers were quick to react on social media, expressing surprise and questioning the fairness of Sajak's decision.
Some said they were unaware that pronunciation was a rule on the show. But one fan stated, "It's been a while since somebody got buzzed for mispronouncing a word."
This incident isn't the first time a contestant faced such a setback on "Wheel of Fortune."
In 2014, a player named Julian lost a chance to play for $1 million when he mispronounced a word in the answer "Mythological Hero Achilles."
Though he solved the puzzle, the college freshman pronounced Achilles as "A-chill-us" while saying the answer.
Sajak informed him they couldn't accept the answer, and the contestant's rival went on to swoop in and solve the puzzle.
More recently, in 2021, contestant Charlene Rubush missed out on the grand prize of an Audi Q3 due to a technicality.
Sajak said at the time that while she correctly answered the bonus round puzzle, she paused for too long while giving her response.
But following her loss, Audi reached out to Rubush and gave her a car.
"You're a winner in our eyes, Charlene. Now, let's get you a prize," the luxury car company tweeted at the time.
You're a winner in our eyes, Charlene. Now, let's get you a prize. Time to #GiveHerTheQ3. https://t.co/x0e3j1CqY9
— Audi USA (@Audi) December 22, 2021
Last year, Sajak addressed the criticism contestants often face, expressing empathy for participants who, despite their best efforts, are subject to online ridicule.
He mentioned a specific puzzle, "Feather in your cap," which no player could solve in one episode of the show.
"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," Sajak said, according to People. "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."
