SAJAK TAKES WHEEL TURN FOR WORST!
Storms off game show after player’s gigantic win
TEMPERAMENTAL Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak seems to be spinning out of control, stunned insiders say.
The 75-year-old’s bizarre behavior has been raising eyebrows, most recently with his headline-grabbing histrionics over an unlikely streak of contestants hitting jackpots, fueling ongoing rumors the game show is rigged.
At the beginning of a Feb. 9 segment, Sajak quipped: “Monday, we gave away $100,000 in the bonus round.
Yesterday, we gave away $100,000 in the bonus round. So, because of budgetary considerations, rather than cash, we’re playing for luncheon meats tonight.”
The joke fell flat, as often happens with Sajak’s odd sense of humor. But then he seemed to lose it entirely when Bree Yokouchi became the third contestant in three nights to win $100,000 in bonus prizes. At that point, Sajak tossed his cue cards and stomped offstage, blurting out: “I’m outta here. That’s it. I’m through.”
An insider reveals: “Pat was ushered back on stage and tried to make it look like a joke, but he was obviously upset. For many years, the show has suffered rumors that it’s rigged, and this landmark bonus grab has the conspiracy theorists back on the rampage. It’s the last thing anyone needs and adding to the tensions.”
Sajak — who rakes in $15 million a year — has felt slighted by show producers, who didn’t even acknowledge his 40th Wheel of Fortune anniversary last December, according to spies. The diss dug even deeper because CBS bigwigs always make a big deal out of rival game show host Drew Carey’s milestones on The Price Is Right.
Sajak has also snapped at contestants for practically no reason and made fun of one’s lisp.
“His ‘jokes’ are in bad taste, and colleagues attribute his tart tongue to jealousy and bitterness,” notes the insider.
“The way Pat sees it, he’s been slaving away on Wheel for 40 years without so much as a thank you. He’s been wanting out for a while now, and a lot of people wouldn’t mind seeing the door hit him in the back.”