‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Accused of Unfair Ruling that Changed Who Won (VIDEO)
Some Wheel of Fortune fans would like a word with new host Ryan Seacrest over what they felt was an overly lenient ruling on a player’s mispronunciation. While viewers understand that Seacrest is still finding his footing, the ruling may have been his first major slip-up, as it technically gave one player the win and took it away from another.
On Monday, November 4’s episode, the players were presented with triple toss-ups in the “Food and Drink” category near the tail end of the game. Kenneth Blount-Hames, a 13-year flight attendant from Charlotte, North Carolina, via Atlanta, Georgia, rang in on the last puzzle, which was seeking “Espresso Martini.” However, Kenneth solved it by saying, “Expresso martini.” Seacrest allowed it, rewarding him with the puzzle, which was worth $2000.
View this post on Instagram
The ruling would have been small beans, except that Kenneth finished the episode with $18,850, while fellow player Darren finished with $18,750, or just $100 less. As the winner, Kenneth moved on to the Bonus Round instead of Darren (where he missed the $75,000 bonus puzzle).
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize Seacrest for what turned out to be a consequential moment. Others shared instances when Pat Sajak, who was always strict about pronunciation, did not award a player a puzzle they mispronounced.
“As strict as Wheel of Fortune usually is with pronunciation, somehow they let ‘expresso martini’ slide?” one fan wrote.
“He really did not win. Seacrest is an idiot,” another fan lashed out. “Kenneth pronounced ‘espresso’ incorrectly. Took a win away from someone else. He pronounced it ‘Expresso.’ Instead of ‘Espresso.’ They should have beeped it wrong. Travesty.”
“Agreed!” wrote a third, sharing the clip. “Nothing against Kenneth, he was a good player, but when they’ve ruled against the mispronunciations of ‘Achilles Heel’ and ‘Curio Cabinet’, saying EXpresso should have been disallowed.”
Agreed! Nothing against Kenneth, he was a good player, but when they’ve ruled against the mispronunciations of Achilles Heel and Curio Cabinet, saying EXpresso should have been disallowed. #WheelofFortune pic.twitter.com/qbfkxErtGF
— Beth (@1bethemc) November 5, 2024
Meanwhile, WoF fans have generally warmed up to Seacrest, who became the official replacement for Sajak alongside the iconic Vanna White after four decades. His debut month was the strongest ratings month for WoF in the past three years. That said, there have been some other questionable moments.
In September, Seacrest suffered what fans dubbed his “first blooper”, involving a delayed reaction to rewarding a bonus round. Fans also called out the host for ruling against another player before the timer was up. And there have been a few on-screen “glitches,” some let-down trip destinations, and some off-kilter bonus puzzles (Cashew Nuts?). However, none of those snafus potentially swayed the outcome.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services