Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak got sassy over a contestant’s wildly off the mark answer as he sees out his final episodes of the popular game show.
Contender Allison was faced with the letter configuration of ‘_ _ _ TS _N D _ _G_R E S’ when she had to take her best shot at deducing what the completed phrase was, with a mere 10 seconds on the clock.
‘Boats and…,’ she began before trailing off.
‘Coats and hangars? Coats and… boats and…,’ she stuttered, before the buzzer went off signaling her time was up.
On Wednesday’s episode of Wheel of Fortune, contestant Allison was faced with a headscratcher of a puzzle, with the configuration reading: ‘_ _ _T S _N D _ _G_R E S’
‘Boats and…,’ she began before trailing off. ‘Coats and hangars? Coats and… boats and…,’ she stuttered, before the buzzer went off, signaling her 10-second window was up
‘Ooh, you were so not close!’ Pat quipped before revealing the correct solution: ‘Facts and Figures’
‘I’d rather that be the case, you know?’ Allison laughed.
‘I know, because then you don’t have to kick yourself!’ Pat bantered back.
Pat, 77, then revealed the extra cash bonus that had been at stake: $40,000, which Allison did not win.
Still, she managed to rack up $14,400 to take home with her earlier in the game.
The host ultimately congratulated her, saying, ‘You did very well,’ while shaking her hand.
The episodes of the long-running game show this week mark the end of Pat’s 43-year reign on the popular program.
The beloved host made his debut on Wheel of Fortune in December 1981.
‘Ooh, you were so not close!’ Pat quipped to Allison, with the correct solution being: ‘Facts and Figures’
Allison missed out on $40,000 in winnings, but still went home with a solid $14,400
His longtime co-host and presenter on the show, Vanna White, 67, started the following year, and plans to stay on with the show after Pat’s retirement.
This time last year, Pat announced that this past season, his 41st with the show, would be his final as host.
Appearing on Good Morning America alongside daughter Maggie, 29, earlier this week, Pat revealed his rationale for bidding Wheel of Fortune farewell, with his final spin as host imminently arriving on Friday, June 7.
‘I have always said, you heard me say this dozens of times – I’d rather leave a couple years too early than too late,’ Pat said.
‘Could I still do it? Yeah. I think I could for a while. [But] there’s also some other things in life we’d like to do.
‘I’m enjoying this last year. It’s been a great 40 years. I’m looking forward to whatever’s ahead.’
