Mispronunciation costs 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant thousands
Poor Jonny! A “Wheel of Fortune” contestant appeared completely confused after he thought he successfully solved a puzzle on Monday night’s episode.
Contestant Jonny read the completed puzzle “flamingo dance lessons,” instead of the correct pronunciation of “flamenco dance lessons.”
While some of the audience cheered for Jonny, most were silent as they realized his mistake.
Jonny had $7,100 in the round before losing it all with that mistake.
The next contestant in the lineup, Ashley, correctly read the puzzle, and then host Pat Sajak explained the mistake.
“To explain, what we all heard was, and I know you didn’t mean to say it, but you gave a ‘g’ instead of a ‘c,’” host Pat Sajak explained to the contestant.
“Wheel” officials played back the video during a break to make sure they heard Jonny’s pronunciation correctly.
“It was unintentional, but you have to kind of go by the rules,” Sajak said.