‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Slam Ryan Seacrest Over Mispronunciation of Texas City

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Wheel of Fortune fans have been going back and forth over whether a contestant’s answer on Wednesday’s (November 6) episode should have been awarded despite their messy mispronunciation of a Texas city. And many are saying that host Ryan Seacrest was wrong to accept the answer.

The contestant in question was Alicia Sagle, a school nurse and fitness instructor from Red Wing, Minnesota, who was awarded the money in the first round’s “On The Map” category in spite of her mangled pronunciation of Lubbock.

Sagle had control of the wheel when she opted to solve the puzzle, which read “Dallas, Houston, and Lubbock, Texas.” However, she made a mess of pronouncing the name of the final city, calling it “Loo-bock” rather than “Lubbock.” Regardless, host Ryan Seacrest accepted the answer and awarded Sagle the $1,900.

This good luck would stay with Sagle throughout the game as she continued to rack up cash and also bagged herself a trip to New York City. In the end, she won the episode with $22,020 cash and advanced to the Bonus Round.

However, some viewers couldn’t get over the “Lubbock” controversy and took to social media to debate Seacrest’s decision to accept the answer.

“I would not have acccepted that mangling of Lubbock, Wheel of Fortune,” wrote one X user.

I would not have acccepted that mangling of Lubbock, Wheel of Fortune.

— Rocco C. (@ElRocco337) November 7, 2024

“Yeah not acceptable,” another agreed.

“Stormed out of the room when Ryan Seacrest accepted “LOO-BACH” for Lubbock, Texas on Wheel of Fortune,” said another.

Another added, “Lue-Bock vs. Lubbock. Who pronounces it which way? Let yourselves be known.”

Wheel of Fortune X

Meanwhile, a fan on the Wheel of Fortune Reddit forum wrote, “I was surprised they gave her that puzzle on tonight’s episode. It the past, they wouldn’t give credit for incorrect pronunciation. ”

“As a Texan I agree,” responded one commenter.

That said, not everyone was so harsh on Sagle’s mispronunication. One fan on X wrote, “I am so glad that they accepted her answer even though she pronounced Lubbock incorrectly and glad that Ryan Seacrest said it correctly.”

Others were simply amused, with one viewer writing, “Haha LOOObock, Texas. Makes it sound fancy.”

“Lady pronounced Lubbock as “loo-bach” on wheel of fortune and if I didn’t have a sleeping baby in my arms I’d cackkkkkkkle,” said another.

The controversial ruling comes after Monday’s (November 4) episode, which saw Seacrest accepting a contestant’s answer of “Expresso martini” instead of the correct answer, “Espresso Martini.”

As for Sagle, her luck ran out in the Bonus Round when she selected the “What Are You Doing?” category along with the additional letters, “D, C, G, and O.” This left her with a three-word puzzle that read: “_ _ _ _ N G / T _ E / R O _ N D S.”

Sagle struggled with the first word, guessing “Boxing, “Mobbing,” and “Mailing” before the timer ran out. Co-host Vanna White then turned the letters to reveal the correct answer, which was “Making The Rounds.”

Seacrest opened the prize envelope to reveal Sagle missed out on an extra $40,000. Still, she walked away with $22,000, a trip to NYC, and the knowledge of how to correctly pronounce Lubbock.