The host spoke during the time alloted to the contestant to answer, causing it to run out.

The contestants trying to solve the puzzle (Cover image source: Instagram | Phily498)

Ryan Seacrest has done a decent job replacing Pat Sajak as the host of “Wheel of Fortune,” but he still faces flak for some blunders. In a recent episode of the show, the host cost a contestant $10,000 by speaking when it was their turn. By doing so, he caused their time to run out before they could give an answer.

Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest attend the WOF S42 – Pier Wheel Launch at Santa Monica Pier | (Image Source: Getty Images | Phillip Faraone)
The contestant named Pia Wilson was solving a puzzle in the ‘What Time Is It?’ category. At this point, Wilson had $10,200 in her purse at this point and might have made it to the Bonus Round had Seacrest not interfered.

After the six consonants were revealed, the ‘Only Vowels’ bells were sounded as per a Y! Entertainment report. This meant that the contestant could only choose vowels. Wilson knew this and immediately hit her buzzer. However, Seacrest cut into her time and explained that for those who might not have known about it. The contestant was about to guess an A, but her timer went off. This gave the chance to her opponent to take the win, and that is exactly what happened.
Screenshot showing a stunned Ryan Seacrest. (Image source: YouTube | Game Show Tube)

Wilson did not seem very pleased about it, and fans of the show did not like it either. They took to Reddit to express their opinions. One of the fans who commented was there during the taping, and they shared what went down after the incident.

“Ryan asked her after the cameras stopped rolling if she knew it, and she indicated that she did. A group quickly gathered around her, and after some discussion, it was decided that they would play an additional $2500 TDV spinning round that wouldn’t count in the standings where Pia would start, and 3 consonants would be revealed before the first spin. In the end, she won that round. Had never heard of anything like that happening before,” they revealed.

Screenshot showing the round in which the controversy happened. (Image source: Instagram | phily498)
Other fans simply expressed their discontent with the host for costing a contestant the win and perhaps a possible Bonus Round chance. “I looked up and joined this subreddit just to look for this comment!!! Dude he wouldn’t shut up, and she KNEW the puzzle! I am so mad for her lol,” one fan commented.

“Yes! I was shocked. The timer shouldn’t start until he stops talking,” quipped another. “It feels like there were at least 2 long-standing rules that were broken. One was the contestant getting 3 seconds to give their answer. That clock should have started after Ryan shut the hell up, not after the letter got posted,” a third wrote.