The Wheel Of Fortune Controversy Explained

"Wheel of Fortune" seems like such an innocuous show. You have three contestants spinning the big wheel and guessing letters, attempting to solve the various puzzles with nothing but a general category to guide them. There aren't that many rules to abide by. Contestants don't even need to phrase their responses in the form of a question. However, pronunciation is something that Pat Sajak and the judges take very seriously on the show, which makes one of the more recent episodes a bit of a conundrum.

One of the more viral moments from the show came when a contestant incorrectly pronounced "Achilles." Pat Sajak mentioned how they couldn't accept that answer, and as a result, the winner of the round went to someone else. That's what makes this instance of mispronunciation so confusing.

In the clip, the answer to the puzzle is "Quality Craftsmanship." However, the contestant pronounces it as "Quality Craftmanship" with no "S" in there. Despite the error, he's awarded the money for the round and ends up advancing to the final puzzle. Many fans have taken to social media to voice their concern for the moment and point out how it really isn't fair to the other two players on the episode.

There are numerous examples in the past of "Wheel of Fortune" being real sticklers about making sure players pronounce everything appropriately. However, this time, they seemed quick to jump the gun. Even before Steven finished speaking, Pat Sajak was quick to jump in and congratulate him on correctly guessing the puzzle. If they had waited a couple of seconds, the judges may have rung in to inform Sajak that they couldn't accept the answer, but at this point, the train had already left the station. 

The moment wasn't lost on viewers, who picked up on the slight error. It's easy enough to miss if you aren't really paying attention, but in a world of pausing and rewinding live television, it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn that some people have pored over the footage to confirm that Steven did not say the first "S" in "Craftsmanship."

For starters, Twitter user @BillVerkuilen chimed in with, "#WheelOfFortune why was Steven's response on 'Quality Craftsmanship' rules correct tonight?? He said 'quality craftmanship'—without the 'S'! That's incorrect! Lisa deserves another $9k, as she would have got that on the next turn." @SomeGuyOnHere99 also wanted justice for Lisa, stating, "The man on Wheel of Fortune today shouldn't have won. The last puzzle he said, "Quality craftmanship. He missed the "s" is craftsmanship. You can hear it if you listen closely. He should have gotten the buzz and the lady beside him should have gotten it."

Still, everyone on the episode walked away with some money, so they probably aren't too upset. But perhaps "Wheel of Fortune" will invite Lisa back onto the program for another shot at the grand prize.