‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Runs off Stage After Vanna White’s Confession

You never know what’s going to happen on Wheel of Fortune, and sometimes not even host Pat Sajak is prepared. On March 15, a contestant named Chris struggled through the Eurythmics’ lyrics “sweet dreams are made of this” (Chris guessed “these”) before picking the category “flavorful dumplings.” At the end of the game, Vanna White admitted something about her own kitchen habits.

“I have a confession to make,” White said. “I don’t make my own dumplings. I use canned biscuits. There you go.” In hilarious response, Sajak jokingly declares “I can’t take this” and storms off stage in a fake huff. White is clearly bemused.

Sajak recently made headlines after coming to the defense of a contestant who missed “a feather in your cap,” much to the Ire of viewers at home.  A video of the full sequence of events quickly went viral on Twitter after the broadcast, leading to many making fun of the contestants. Sajak asked viewers to “cut them some slack” because the contestants were “in a bad situation under a kind of stress that you can’t begin to appreciate from the comfort of your couch.”

On Wednesday morning, Sajak posted a long statement on Twitter, defending the contestants. “It always pains me when nice people come on our show to play a game and win some money and maybe fulfill a lifelong dream, and are then subject to online ridicule when they make a mistake or something goes awry,” he began. “Last night’s ‘Feather in your cap’ puzzle was a case in point.”

While it may seem “incredible” that the contestants couldn’t solve it, Sajak understood what was really happening. After all, he has the kind of game show hosting experience few others have.”I’ve been praised online for ‘keeping it together’ and not making fun of the players. Truth is, all I want to do is help to get them through it and convince them that those things happen even to very bright people,” Sajak wrote. “But mocking them online and calling them names? These are good people in a bad situation under a kind of stress that you can’t begin to appreciate from the comfort of your couch.”

Sajak noted that “good-natured laughing is one thing” and the contestants laughed at their own mistakes. However, Sajak asked fans to “cut them some slack,” adding that unless you were in their position, you can’t understand how the scene played out differently in the studio.

“I have fun with players and I tease them occasionally, but when things go wrong, I feel for them, and I try to salve the wounds on camera and off. So, yeah, it was an oddly entertaining puzzle and it’s okay to laugh at the situation. But have a little heart,” Sajak concluded. “After all, you may be there one day. And no one wants to be trending on Twitter.”