“Wheel of Fortune” viewers are outraged after host Ryan Seacrest snubbed one of the players over the game’s pronunciation rule.
Earlier this week, contestant Arzice Salonga lost the game’s first toss-up round that was worth $1,000.
The category was “Event,” as the two-word puzzle read, “A F _ I _ _ N / _ A _ A _ _.”
The law student and single mother from Medina, Ohio, buzzed and answered “African Safari,” but was told she was incorrect.
Another contestant, Brian Nelson from Texas, buzzed in and won the game with the correct pronunciation.
“Yes, safari is the way you have to say that,” Seacrest, 50, said. “I just checked with our judges to make sure.”
Salonga pronounced the word as “sa-fair-i” at the time.
Fans quickly took to social media to question the ruling.
“Lady just said ‘sa-fairy’ on wheel of fortune… the puzzle was african safari,” one person on X wrote with an Ariana Grande meme attached.
“another person tweeted.
Another person wrote on X: “Wheel of Fortune just penalized a player for a minor pronunciation error. Everyone knew exactly what she was saying.”
One person on Reddit added: “She was robbed IMO.”
This isn’t the first time Seacrest had a bizarre moment with a contestant.
Last month, contestant Daniel Thomas chose the letters H, G, D and O. After being left with G _ _ _ _ E S, the “Wheel of Fortune” contestant beat the buzzer and correctly guessed “Guppies.”
Seacrest assured him, “I’m good, I’m good” after Thomas repeatedly asked him if he was okay.
News
A poor 12-year-old Black girl saved a millionaire on a plane after he had a stroke — but what he whispered to her next made her break down in tears…
A poor 12-year-old Black girl saved a millionaire on a plane after he had a stroke — but what he…
“I’ll pay you back when I’m grown up,” the homeless girl pleaded with the millionaire, asking for a small box of milk for her baby brother who was crying from hunger — his response stunned everyone around.
“I’ll pay you back when I’m grown up,” the homeless girl pleaded with the millionaire, asking for a small box…
A poor college student spent the night with a billionaire boss to pay for her mother’s hospital bills — but after that night, the billionaire left his wife to be with her…
A poor college student spent the night with a billionaire boss to pay for her mother’s hospital bills — but…
The billionaire only slept with virgins — until he met this poor black maid, who completely changed him…
The billionaire only slept with virgins — until he met this poor black maid, who completely changed him… The rumor…
A homeless Black woman collapsed by the roadside, her two-year-old twin children crying in despair — and when a billionaire passed by, he was stunned to see that the two children looked exactly like him…
A homeless Black woman collapsed by the roadside, her two-year-old twin children crying in despair — and when a billionaire…
A millionaire got his maid pregnant and abandoned her, thinking she wasn’t worthy of him. But when they met again ten years later, he was filled with regret — and could only look up to her.
A millionaire got his maid pregnant and abandoned her, thinking she wasn’t worthy of him. But when they met again…
End of content
No more pages to load
