Ryan Seacrest WoF

Ryan Seacrest was slammed for a recent joke on Wheel of Fortune (Image: Screen Grab)

Wheel of Fortune fans have been left delighted over impressive wins by contestants, but they’re still not loving some questionable moments with show host Ryan Seacrest.

Seacrest has been a source of consternation for fans since taking over the reins from Pat Sajak on the show in 2024. Some laud him for his hosting skills, and others are still unsure how they feel about him.

While there have been concerns about his health recently, even as he vows not to slow down or stop his hectic schedule, some still find him to be a cringey host.

This included a recent episode of the show, in which he made a joke that was deemed too cheesy after a contestant missed out on a massive prize during the bonus round.

The moment occurred when Cherie Noisette, a player from Oak Lawn, Illinois, beat out her competitors on the Wednesday, October 15 episode.

WoF

Seacrest’s moment came after a bonus round puzzle that wasnt solved (Image: Screen Grab)

After securing $21,350 during regular game play, she headed to the Bonus Round, where she picked the “Phrase” puzzle.

After getting the requisite R, S, T, L, N, and E, she chose the additional letters of D, M, H, and A.

After all letters were on the board, the puzzle read, “_ _ ND _ _ A _ _ _ ARD.”

Though she was able to correctly guess the second word of “Awkward,” she was unable to figure out the first half of the puzzle in time.

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Fans groaned over Seacrest’s jokes as well as the consecutive bonus round losses (Image: Screen Grab)

It was after she lost out that Seacrest had the questionable moment, saying, “Well, it’s ‘Kind of Awkward’” before revealing that her prize would have been $40,000, which would have made her total $61,350.

Seacrest then said, “Nice try!” and “That’s alright!” but viewers appeared stuck on his apparent joke that also served as the answer to the puzzle, as well as the fact that bonus round contestants had been on a losing streak.

“That was…just like that awkward to lose out on the $40,000,” one person said on YouTube.

“This has been going on since Thursday, and it’s kind of an awkward situation. The answer to today’s puzzle tells the story,” another added.

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights