Wheel of Fortune brings back contestant Pat Sajak admits was treated unfairly by show in extre
WHEEL of Fortune has brought back a contestant whom they determined they slighted and deserved a second chance in an extremely rare gesture.
Pat Sajak openly apologized to Darcy for being "treated unfairly" when she first appeared in 2021 losing over a misruling, thus her invite to Friday's episode.
The contestant that producers felt wasn't done justice the first time around initially appeared on October 4 2021s episode.
On April 28th, 2023, Wheel of Fortune asked her back on as a result of what they felt was a misruling- something game shows virtually never do.
Darcy DuGal from San Diego California smiled as she was interviewed by Pat, 76, up top.
Pat explained to viewers the familiar face right away: “Darcy DuGal is here. And if she looks familiar- Darcy’s been here before."
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'NOT TREATED PARTICULARLY FAIRLY'
“We thought you might not have been treated particularly fairly, something that happened,” Pat said.
“So we invited you to come back- good to see you again.”
Darcy reminded fans she has one son, and loves to sail but came in second in a recent sailing race which she called "first place loser."
“Gotta be first at something,” she jokingly shaded.
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Pat then kept things light too: “Well you won't be lower than third here tonight!” she laughed. He sincerely added: “Nice to have you here.”
While Darcy once more did not come in first place, fans instantly wondered what caused the very rare move from any game show.
WHY THE CONTESTANT WAS ASKED BACK
One Twitter user wrote: "Why is Darcy back as a contestant?"
"Wonder what happened w/ Darcy previously, that she might have been treated 'unfairly,'" wondered another.
"Anyone know the story behind tonight’s contestant making a return appearance?" asked a third.
Someone on Twitter did know- user @wheelrob explained: "Darcy DuGal first appeared on #WheelofFortune on October 4, 2021.
"She was likely brought back due to a slippery judgment call that cost her the game and $30K.
"She wasn’t given the solve here because of the slight pause. Normally, answers that are STARTED before the buzzer count."
In the resurfaced clip [seen above], Darcy could be heard guessing multiple times for a tossup puzzle looking for “Taking a Walk in the Woods.”
She guessed: “Taking a walk in the wild,” “Taking a walk in the winds” “Taking a walk in the” - the buzzer sounded but she did say: “Woods.”
Wheel of Fortune usually allows players to complete their guess even if the buzzer sounded midway, but she was ruled against and lost despite having $30K at the time.
Other fans applauded the show for copping up to their misruling.
To understand the magnitude of the gesture, much like its sister show Jeopardy!, once a contestant appears they are no longer eligible to compete again.
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Other than one or two times in history, Jeopardy! has never asked a contestant back for regular season play but does currently have a Second Chance Tournament annually for those whom they think deserve it - whether it be for their near-wins or otherwise.
Wheel of Fortune has also announced a Fan Favorites week for the first time which will air May 8, but it doesn't involve misrulings.
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