“Wheel of Fortune” fans were upset and disappointed over the actions of host Ryan Seacrest.
Earlier this week, a player named Arzice Salonga – a law student and single mom from Medina, Ohio – missed out on the game’s first toss up round worth $1,000.
The “Wheel of Fortune” category was “Event,” as the two-word puzzle read, “A F _ I _ _ N / _ A _ A _ _.”
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While the former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader buzzed in and answered “African Safari,” she was ruled incorrect for her pronunciation of “safari.” Salonga appeared to pronounce the word as “sa-FAIR-ee.”
Another “Wheel of Fortune” contestant, Brian Nelson from Longview, Texas, buzzed in to guess the puzzle with the correct pronunciation, which the game show ruled correct.
Seacrest chimed in and said, “Yes, safari is the way you have to say that,” as Salonga appeared shocked. He added, “I just checked with our judges to make sure.”
Fans were quick to react on social media to the questionable ruling.
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“She was robbed IMO [in my opinion],” a fan wrote on Reddit.
One viewer wrote on X, “Cmon, Wheel of Fortune judges. I knew what she meant when she said African ‘Safari’ that way.”
Another fan argued, “Now they know good and well they should have given her ‘Sa-fair-ree’ yes it’s pronounced saFARi but still, slight cultural variation has been considered before.”
Other “Wheel of Fortune” viewers agreed with the show’s ruling.
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“Never heard someone mispronounce ‘Safari’ as ‘Sa-fair-ee,’” one user wrote.
Another commented, “I’m gonna go against the grain. Wheel is a show about words. You should pronounce the words correctly to win.”
The brutal “Wheel of Fortune” ruling comes after Seacrest had other bizarre moments on the game show.
Last month, Seacrest was tackled to the ground after an overly excited contestant competed on the beloved game show for the grand prize money.
A Pittsburgh native named Daniel showed how ecstatic he was after an intense bonus round during the episode.
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The category was “Living Things,” and Daniel chose the letters H, G, D and O. After being left with G _ _ _ _ E S, the “Wheel of Fortune” contestant beat the buzzer in what viewers were calling an “insane” moment.
Once the player guessed “Guppies,” Daniel jumped up and down with excitement before hugging Seacrest and accidentally knocking him down.
After Seacrest was pushed to the ground, Daniel kept asking the host whether he was OK.
Seacrest assured him, “I’m good, I’m good.”
The “Wheel of Fortune” announcer was heard overhead saying, “Daniel, easy on our host, but celebrate with $40,000,” as the contestant took home the grand prize.
