Game shows have rules, and usually these game shows take their rules very seriously. For example, on the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” one of the rules is that the contestant has to solve the puzzle by saying it exactly correctly, not adding any words and not leaving any words out.

Sometimes “Wheel of Fortune” has been known to stick to this rule almost too strictly. In some cases, contestants win out on very big prizes simply because they left out or added one small preposition or article. Considering how strict they are with this rule, it would only seem fair that they’re always super strict with this rule. Fans noticed when they seemed to let one slide.

On April 8th, contestant Calvin Lee had earned his turn on the bonus round. He only had 10 seconds to solve the puzzle, and he didn’t have a lot of help on the board. The category was “Fun & Games.” He got to choose three more letters, and none of them were on the board.

Before 10 seconds started counting down, Pat Sajak encouraged Lee, saying, “The category’s fun and games. That’ll give you something to think about.” Lee pressed on. He didn’t give up. He guessed up until the very end when Sajak announced him the winner.

Here’s the problem. Lee didn’t solve the puzzle correctly. The puzzle’s answer was “The Final Buzzer.” Lee said, “Final Buzzer.” As mentioned earlier, “Wheel of Fortune” is usually really strict about what they consider a correct answer, and leaving out the word “the” is a very big deal. Watch Lee solve the puzzle for yourself in the video below.

Fans of the show have mixed feelings about Lee’s win which earned him a new car. Some are happy for him winning, but many don’t feel that it was right for “Wheel of Fortune” to allow Lee to win when many others have lost for similar less than exact answers.

@WheelofFortune Why did Calvin win tonight by saying “Final Buzzer” and not “The Final Buzzer?” Your rules are not uniform. #WheelOfFortune

— Kevin Jones (@KevJ25) April 8, 2022

Doubt it. Most game shows let the contestant keep the prize if the host is the one who screws up.

— Do not follow (@sfntntntwhstbwt) April 9, 2022

Amused that they didn’t penalize him for saying “Final Buzzer” instead of “The Final Buzzer.” I wonder if that was a slip up by the producers or intentional. #WheelOfFortune

— Do not follow (@sfntntntwhstbwt) April 8, 2022

Do you think Sajak messed up? Do you think Lee should have been given the car even though he didn’t say “the” in his answer?