Wheel of Fortune has had its share of nail-biting moments, out-of-left-field funny guesses, heartbreaking losses, and big, big wins. And, as one may anticipate, the present has no scarcity of opinions from followers who consider they’re recycling puzzles too often, or that the bonus round questions are too difficult. Just lately, a perpetual bee within the bonnet of followers was met with renewed scrutiny when a regulation pupil and single mother from Medina, Ohio, Arzice Salonga, missed out on $1,000 within the sport’s first toss-up spherical due to a mispronunciation of the phrase “safari.” It is ridiculous and unfair, and proves that Wheel of Fortune must amend their guidelines.
The ‘Wheel of Fortune’ “Occasion” Clue Debacle of February 2025
The class for the now-notorious second was “Occasion,” and on the board was a clue with two phrases that learn, “A F _ I _ _ N / _ A _ A _ _,” with $1K on the road. Salonga, a one-time Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader, buzzed in and answered “African Safari,” which was apparently incorrect. Longview’s Brian Nelson then buzzed in and answered “African Safari,” which was, in actual fact, appropriate. Now you could be asking your self simply how two similar solutions could be each proper and incorrect, offered this wasn’t a Bizarro Wheel of Fortune, however there’s a approach, which is why followers’ knickers are in a knot.
Because the outdated adage goes, “It isn’t what you say but how you say it,” and that may be the rationale why Salonga was deemed incorrect together with her guess. Salonga pronounced the phrase “safari” as “sa-FAIR-ee,” whereas Nelson pronounced it as “sa-FAR-ee,” which was dominated appropriate. Host Ryan Seacrest would verify, saying, “Sure, safari is the way in which you must say that. I simply checked with our judges to ensure.” Salonga’s look was considered one of shock which, undoubtedly, mirrored the seems of many Wheel of Fortune viewers with the ruling.
The “Safari” Debacle Proves the Have to Amend the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Guidelines
Followers took to social media with divided opinions. Those that agreed with the Wheel of Fortune judges commented that, on a present about phrases, these phrases needs to be pronounced appropriately, whereas one other merely wrote, “By no means heard somebody mispronounce ‘Safari’ as ‘Sa-fair-ee.'” However the common opinion is that Salonga was robbed, claiming it was clearly apparent what she meant when she stated “safari” the way in which she did. One other cited inconsistencies with comparable moments on the present, with one arguing, “Now they know good and nicely they need to have given her ‘Sa-fair-ree’. Sure, it’s pronounced saFARi, however nonetheless, slight cultural variation has been thought of earlier than.”
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Pronunciation has all the time been a controversial matter, not simply on Wheel of Fortune, however on others like Jeopardy. However it’s not like Salonga was blatantly incorrect, not like, say, answering “Right in the butt” instead of the correct “This is the best.” “Sa-fair-ee” is an odd pronunciation for certain, however to declare it as incorrect does not permit for cultural linguistics or different causes that justify announcing it the way in which Salonga did.
At worst, it is a “potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto” argument, with what’s being talked about being apparent even with the slight variation in pronunciation. By rights, it ought to hardly even require amending the foundations within the first place, when easy frequent sense says that the contestant is figuring out the phrase appropriately and in context. However by all means, amend the rule, if frequent sense is as overtly elusive because it seems to be. On this case, a positive ruling would doubtless have seen Salonga win the sport, or on the very least make it to the bonus spherical, based mostly solely on the truth that her ultimate tally of $15,698 fell simply wanting the $17,650 the winner had.
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