Wheel of Fortune contestants rarely receive an offer from Pat Sajak to mark a significant milestone.
But a contestant named Matt declined when he was given a rare opportunity to be the first player in Wheel of Fortune history to do something alongside Pat.
Matt’s Bonus Round was featured in a clip on Wheel of Fortune’s official YouTube channel in a video captioned, “AVERT YOUR EYES!! Or don’t … 👀👀.”
Matt opted for the “Place” category for his Bonus Round appearance.
After co-host Vanna White revealed his automatic letters, Matt was left with a puzzle that wasn’t completely unsolvable.
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His board read, “_ E A C H / _ _ N _ A L _ _,” and host Pat Sajak wished Matt good luck as he asked the audience, “Can he do it?”
As Matt’s 10-second timer began to count down, he voiced possible solutions, getting the first word correct, “Beach.”
But by the time his 10 seconds was up, Matt couldn’t come up with the second word in the puzzle, “Bungalow.”
As Pat pulled out the prize card to show Matt what he had lost out on, Matt proclaimed, “I don’t wanna see.”
Contestant declines Pat Sajak’s offer to make Wheel of Fortune history
Pat played along, shrugging his shoulders and telling Matt, “Okay.”
That’s when Pat explained that Matt could have the chance to go down in Wheel of Fortune history as the first player ever to refuse to see the prize envelope.
“You know, there’s no rule that says you have to [see the envelope],” Pat explained.
“By the way, in the 97 years we’ve been on the air … whatever it is … no one has ever not looked. You wanna be the first?” Pat asked Matt, putting him on the spot.
After hearing what Pat had to say, though, Matt had a change of mind.
“No, I’ll look!” Matt said with apprehension in his voice.
Matt’s reaction caused Pat to chuckle as he jokingly told the studio audience and viewers at home, “They all talk big, but when it comes down to it…”
Matt jokes with Pat Sajak when he learns how much money he lost
When Pat finally revealed how much money Matt had lost (a whopping $50,000), he was clearly irritated and groaned.
“I didn’t wanna look!” Matt told Pat after the fact.
“Then you shouldn’t have looked!” Pat fired back in jest.
All in all, though, Matt played well enough throughout the rest of the game that he earned himself $35,600 for the night.
Wheel of Fortune viewers commiserate with Matt
As one Wheel of Fortune fan at home pointed out, “[At] least it wasn’t $100,000” that Matt lost.
Or better yet, as @MrBrando07 noted, “Or $1,000,000.”
What will happen next on Wheel of Fortune? Keep tuning in to find out!
