WHEEL of Fortune host Pat Sajak has taken a swipe at a player’s career choices during an uncomfortable interview exchange on Tuesday.

Matt, a proud father of two daughters, found himself at the mercy of an awkward transition joke from the seasoned TV presenter.

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Pat Sajak cracked a joke about Matt’s profession as a mascot that flatlined with fansCredit: Wheel of Fortune

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‘You’re used to wearing odd clothes because, not that those are odd, but you were a mascot,’ he stammeredCredit: Wheel of Fortune
The game show contestant initially boasted he was wearing socks with his daughters’ names – unfortunately, this detail did not get airtime.

Pat, 77, then veered off into a bizarre ramble, “You’re used to wearing odd clothes because…”

He quickly corrected himself, saying, “Not that those are odd, but you were a mascot.”

Matt nervously grinned and confirmed, “I was. I’ve been a mascot for everything from sports teams on the ice to fast food joints as a giant cow.”

“A giant cow?” Pat scoffed. “Which one’s your favorite?”

“The original,” Matt replied. “I was a bulldog on the ice for a local hockey team, living the dream.”

“Wow, a skating mascot,” Pat remarked before abruptly moving on with, “Well, it’s great to have you here.”

‘DONE PRETENDING TO CARE’

Fans took to social media, slamming the Wheel of Fortune mainstay for what they perceived as disinterest in engaging with the contestant.

“I’ve never seen someone so over their job like Pat Sajak,” one viewer wrote with a crying emoji. “He’s just done pretending to care and make small talk with people he doesn’t really care about or won’t see again on Wheel Of Fortune.”

Despite the awkward exchange, Matt solved nearly every puzzle in the episode and took home $35,600.

However, he flubbed the bonus puzzle, missing an extra $50,000.

RUSHMOR-ONIC

Meanwhile, Wheel of Fortune came under fire for an on-air blunder that further dampened an already lackluster giveaway prize on Monday.

After Tom nailed a puzzle as “A Herd of Caribou,” host Pat Sajak, 77, revealed the vacation he had won.

“You know, this is a really great trip you haven’t been on, we’re taking you on a tour of South Dakota!” he said.

The broadcast then showed sweeping visuals of the prize package while announcer Jim Thorton detailed the trip, which totaled $7,398.

However, fans spotted that one image to describe the prize package showed Devil’s Tower, a national monument at Devil’s Gate National Park in Wyoming.

Fans spun to social media, mocking the blunder between South Dakota and the accidentally featured Wyoming landmark.
Wheel of Fortune makes factual error while gifting player with ‘disappointing’ prize as fans demand an ‘apology’
“Wheel of Fortune needs to work on their geography! The trip giveaway for the prize puzzle was a trip to Western South Dakota, and the first image they showed was of Devil’s Tower in Wyoming! Lol,” one fan wrote on X.

“Did they really just show Devil’s tower when describing the tour of South Dakota? Time to break out a map, and apologize to the people of Wyoming,” wrote another.

“#wheeloffortune just gave away a trip to South Dakota and showed a picture of Devil’s Tower, which is in Wyoming!” wrote a third.

“This dude on Wheel of Fortune just won a vacation to South Dakota. LMAOOOO, I’d be heated,” another wrote.

SAJAK’S SASSY SENDOFF SEASON

Fans have called out Pat for spinning out many harsh comments during his last season as host.

Recently Pat mocked a contestant who struggled with a puzzle, likening it to “pulling teeth.”

He sarcastically told another contestant who missed their bonus puzzle: “You were so not close.”

In addition, fans were stunned when Pat screamed “shut up!” at an overenthused contestant seemingly out of nowhere.

In the fall, the host gave it to all three contestants after each made an incorrect guess on a puzzle.

He snarked to the player who finally solved it: “You were bound to get there eventually. There are only so many words in the English language.”

“Aw!” another contestant could be heard yelling off-screen as the audience nervously laughed.

A winner from earlier this season exclusively told The U.S. Sun that he was outshining Pat with his on-stage antics, causing the host to warn at a commercial break: “This is my show.”

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Meanwhile, on Monday’s episode Tom won a trip to the far-off land of South DakotaCredit: ABC

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The game show cut to show sweeping images of the prize packageCredit: ABC

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Fans spotted that one snap (above) was of Devil’s Tower National Monument in WyomingCredit: AB