When you're a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune, there's not much wiggle room when it comes to answers being deemed valid for winning cash prizes.
Not only do you have to be able to spell the words on the board, but you also have to properly pronounce them.
Contestant Shauna Williams learned this the hard way after solving the puzzle but failing to correctly pronounce the word "congenial."
With two empty spaces left on the word puzzle for “CONGENIAL COMPANY & CLEVER CONVERSATION," our enthusiastic contestant was able to add the missing letters "Y" and a "G" which earned her a total of $1,135.
But when host Pat Sajak asked her to read back what was on the board, Williams pronounced the word, "congenial" as "CAHN-juh-nul."
Ooh, so close.
You can watch the gameplay snafu here.
Viewers weighed in on the situation.
Don't shoot the messenger.
The rules do allow some leeway, but if a mispronunciation adds, changes or subtracts any letters in the word, it is not accepted.
And the judges make those calls, not Pat. He just relays their message.
— Barbara Thurlow (@GorillaGrins3) January 5, 2024
Some thought the game show should've cut Williams some slack.
To her credit, Williams got all the letters correct and the rushed verbalizing may have been the result of excitement and nerves.
Still, to lose out on the puzzle entirely must've stung.
But rules are rules in the popular game show, and Pat Sajak isn't budging, no matter how much the audience is rooting for the affable contestant.
Better luck next time, Shauna!
C-SPAN
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