Pat Sajak Fires Back at ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans for Mocking Contestants: “Have a Little Heart”

Pat Sajak is laying down the hammer. After a brutal series of mistakes hit Wheel of Fortune last night, the game show host has taken to Twitter to express his resentment towards folks who feel the need to shame the poor players.

The error came when the contestants on last night’s (Mar. 1) show failed to solve a puzzle that should’ve read “Another feather in your cap.” It took a whole flurry of tries the players to get it right, ranging from “Another feather in your hat” to “Another feather in your lap” to “Another feather in your map.” And while folks had fun roasting the gargantuan gaffe, Sajak couldn’t help but empathize with the poor players.

“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 tweeted earlier today. “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.”

Sajak then walked viewers through the blunder, saying he could tell what was happening in the mind of the contestant. All three players thought the initial “feather in the hat” solve was correct, but were “stunned” to hear otherwise. He then said most people start “flailing” to solve the puzzle once their first guess is incorrect, but want to “crawl into a hole” after the solution finally appears.

“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,” he continued. “But mocking people 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.”

The host begged Wheel of Fortune viewers to ease up on the players, to “cut them some slack” as they make their jokes on Twitter and other social medias.

“I have fun with the players and I tease them occasionally, but when things go wrong, I feel for them, and I try to salve the wounds on camera and off. So, yeah, it was an oddly entertaining puzzle and it’s okay to laugh at the situation. But have a little heart,” Sajak concluded. “After all, you may be there one day. And no one wants to be trending on Twitter.”

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights on ABC at 7:30/6:30c.

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