'Wheel of Fortune' player misses out on $13,000 prize and fans are blaming Ryan Seacrest for it

Ryan Seacrest was no stranger to hosting TV shows before he took over the reins of "Wheel of Fortune from Pat Sajak, but handling the iconic game show has been a bumpy ride for him. Seacrest has been embroiled in some controversies both on and off the set. Most recently, fans of the show blamed Seacrest for costing a contestant $13,250 after failing to inform him about a crucial advantage. 

The controversial moment was witnessed during the Christmas special episode that aired on December 17th. The contestant in question was Phil McManus, a cancer survivor from Palmer, Massachusetts. McManus had some rough rounds before the incident and had some ground to make up with $0. 

He got the control of the wheel during a mid-game “Things” puzzle and landed on the Express Wedge. Seacrest explained to McManus that he could ride the train and get $1000 for every consonant and he could buy vowels. "But if you miss a letter, not up there, it’s a total bankrupt.” 

The contestant jumped in to ride the train and correctly guessed the consonants  "C,” “N,” and “H,” after which the puzzle read, “THR_ _ _ _ N_’ ‘ATTRACT_ _ NS," as per TV Insider. 

The contestant was struggling to get more when Seacrest asked him to “Hurry.”

In haste, McManus guessed “G” and then “W,” both of which were incorrect guesses that left him bankrupt and out of the game. “It was a good try. You had a good run. I like that you went for it," Seacrest said to console the player.

However, fans weren't happy with the host's conduct. While Seacrest had mentioned in the beginning that McManus could buy vowels, viewers pointed out that he should have reminded the player about it instead of rushing him. 

“I’m not going to lie it irked me that the guy didn’t call a vowel on the express when he was blanking on what to say next. Why not call a vowel?? He guessed a wrong letter and lost when he could have said a vowel which would have probably helped him out," a fan wrote in a Reddit discussion thread on the Wheel of Fortune forum.

Several users agreed with the original poster saying Seacrest could have done more. "I’ve noticed this a lot, Ryan is a great personality as a host but fails at game rule reminders. I’m sure this will come with time as he gets more comfortable with the role," @GameBoi27 commented. 

Many tried to justify the mistake and tried to find excuses for the host. "Ryan has too many jobs. If his work focus was strictly on doing the best at this job, these things wouldn't have happened. Just like on the final spin when someone says they want to solve & he just says 'ok' rather than - no, pick a letter & get some money. But no, he's planning his radio show, NY Eve show, American idol, and everything else in between," @jrclarke413 suggested. 

TV Insider pointed out that while Seacrest had big shoes to fill, he had done a considerably good job. As per the publication, his debut month was the strongest ratings month for the show in the past three years.

Seacrest has also done well with the contestant interviews, which he does without cue cards. Nevertheless, hosting a gameshow does come with a fair share of backlash.