Watch: ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Jokingly Unloads on ‘Ungrateful’ Contestant

Even Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak seems to have had enough of 2020. In an episode that aired Wednesday, Sajak got so exasperated with one contestant he jokingly yelled at him and called the contestant “ungrateful.” Later, Sajak apologized, but the initial moment went viral.

In the segment, contestant Darin McBain solved a special crossword puzzle where all the words were parts of expressions that began with “kitchen.” The words were, “cabinet,” “towels,” “oven” and “sink.” After getting it correct, McBain was puzzled. “Kitchen oven? What was that?” he asked. “Who calls it a ‘kitchen oven’?”

Sajak was clearly surprised by this since usually the only contestants who complain are the ones who get puzzles wrong. “You won! Don’t argue, Darin! You got the puzzle! Ungrateful players, I’ve had it,” Sajak said, notes Entertainment Weekly. He then quickly added, “No, I’m just teasing… I finally snapped.” At the end of the episode, McBain came in second place. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Darin,” he told the contestant, who previously said his mother was on the show in 1982. “I just don’t remember your mother giving us trouble like you did.”

Some Twitter users sided with McBain but found no malice in what Sajak did. “The contestant was right! I said the exact same thing before he did! And Pat was just having fun. No harm, no foul,” one fan wrote. “It was all in jest and very funny and Pat was in Thanksgiving form,” another tweeted. “Surprise he was as ‘cool’ as he was, he is human after all.”

Usually, Wheel of Fortune clips go viral when a contestant makes an embarrassing mistake. For example, in an episode last week, a contestant thought he had solved a puzzle by yelling, “I’m declaring victory!” Unfortunately for him, the puzzle was only “Declaring Victory,” so he got the answer wrong. The contestant claimed he forgot he added the extra word, but Sajak had to tell him that did not matter. The next contestant correctly said just “Declaring Victory.”

Soon, celebrities might be the ones making themselves look silly on Wheel of Fortune. Earlier this month, ABC ordered a celebrity edition of the classic show, which will feature Sajak and Vanna White as hosts. The celebrities will each get a chance to win $1 million for their favorite charity. The regular syndicated version of Wheel of Fortune was renewed through the 2022-23 season.