Pat Sajak Apologized For Scolding An ‘Ungrateful’ ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Contestant

Wheel of Fortune has a long history of players making hilarious gaffes, but a contestant getting the right answer has rarely caused problems on the show. Wednesday’s Wheel may be a clear exception, though, as a contestant was actually scolded and called “ungrateful” when he questioned a puzzle’s construction after he answered correctly.

It all started when contestant Darin correctly solved the puzzle about items that start with the word “kitchen.”

“Cabinet, oven, towels, sink,” Darin said, correctly. But after the celebration music was over, he asked a question about the weirdness of the phrase “kitchen oven.” correctly answered. However, the contestant pointed out it didn’t necessarily make sense.

“Kitchen oven? What was that?” Darin said.

“Yeah, where else would you keep an oven?” Sajak responded, before he riffed a bit.

“You won! Don’t argue, Darin! You got the puzzle!” Sajak said. “Ungrateful players, I’ve had it!”

Sajak raised his voice, perhaps a bit surprisingly, before he said “no I’m only teasing” at a regular volume. But the moment was a bit of a shock for fans, some of which thought Darin had made a good point.

It raised some noise on social media, and fans also noted that later on, Sajak apologized again to the contestant he scolded in the moment.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you, Darin,” Sajak said at the end of the show.

It was a moment that had fans talking on Twitter, as some thought Sajak was clearly kidding while others wondered if he was actually frustrated by the comments. It’s Sajak’s job to give fans good TV, and the jokes are a part of it. But considering he actually went back and apologized at the end of the show, it’s likely that even he knew he may have been a bit too harsh on Wednesday.