Wheel of Fortune host, Pat Sajak, got physical with one of the contestants during a Tuesday episode of the game show. Sajak made a move that surprised the audience and viewers when he playfully put a contestant, Fred Jackson, in a chokehold after he played a perfect game.
In the video posted on the show’s Instagram account, Fred had earlier told Sajak during the introduction that aside from being a drama teacher and bar trivia host, he is also a professional wrestler although he doesn’t make much money out of it. It seems that the revelation from the player foreshadowed the bizarre moment that occurred later in the night as Sajak tried to verify if his wrestling skills are intact.
The host jokingly attempts to chokehold contestant, Fred Jackson while he celebrated his wins
During the game, the longtime host made jokes about the contestant’s background in combat sports, referring to him as a “brute”. Also, he humorously asked the audience if they want to see his wrestling skill in action by body-slamming Fred. “Just because he’s a professional wrestler … you want me to body slam him for you?” the host asked the other contestants, who replied in the affirmative with a “yes.”
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Despite the distraction, Fred concentrated and managed to make it to the bonus round and impressively solved the puzzle in the “Phrase” category, in just three attempts. Wheel of Fortune’s co-host Vanna White confirmed that he had correctly guessed the answer, which was “His mind is wandering”. Sajak then announced that the drama teacher had won $75,800, leaving him emotional and overwhelmed with joy. Fred flexed his muscles in celebration and shared a heartfelt hug with his father.
However it seems Sajak had been waiting for a vulnerable moment to successfully pull his stunt on the contestant— the game show host took advantage of Fred’s celebratory mood as he made a run to grab and subdue him and then placed him in a halfway headlock position.
Fans react to Pat Sajak’s video
Fans and Viewers of the show took to Twitter to comment on the hilarious video. “What was with Pat at the end?” one fan wrote. “Not only another Perfect Game,” another fan commented. “But another showdown with Pat vs. another contestant!’ A third person joking warned the host writing, “Don’t fall Pat.”
Some other fans were surprised at the move showcased by the longtime host. “Not Pat trying to do a wrestling move on the contestant,” one stunned fan wrote. While another person applauded his spectacular skills, “Fred with the rare clean sweep!!”