'Wheel of Fortune' contestant wins $26,000 — and viewers are convinced he gave the wrong answer

Late last year, Ryan Seacrest made his long-awaited debut on Wheel of Fortune replacing long-time host, Pat Sajak. While Seacrest's selection generated a lot of chatter among the fans, his performance on the very first episode also came under fire from some. As it turns out, Seacrest accepted a wrong answer from a contestant, allegedly handing him an illegitimate win. Die-hard fans show were shocked by the technical blunder, with some claiming that the new host wasn't fit to host the iconic show. 

The mix-up happened during the third puzzle of the new host's debut episode. The contestant, Terry Watson was attempting to solve a puzzle that had nearly all the letters filled in. With so much help, Watson went on to guess the puzzle, “vine-ripened tomatoes,” and was declared a winner of the round by the host. This earned him a chance to progress through and ultimately reach the bonus round of the show.

While the segment moved ahead smoothly, the fans of the show picked up on something very unusual. Viewers took to social media to point out that the contestant hadn't got the answer right as he mispronounced the second word of the puzzle.

A viewer shared a clip from the round on YouTube, suggesting that Watson said "vine-ripening tomatoes" instead of "vine-ripened tomatoes". Thus, his answer should've been declared incorrect.

Fans of the show agreed in the comments claiming that Seacrest made a blunder in his very first episode. "I heard that also. Wow," @suez6087 commented. It even came up on a Reddit post discussing Seacrest's debut. "Was it just me or did the guy say "vine-riping tomatoes" And not "vine-ripened tomatoes" Should Ryan have stopped that?!?" @JustAnotherNerdyMom asked. 

However, there were people who defended the new host suggesting that it wasn't his fault if the judges told him to accept the answer. "It's up to the judges, not the host. They buzz if it's wrong. Takes the pressure off him; he's just there to coach contestants on the next thing to do and keep things on pace," @OldBlueKat suggested. 

Some even suggested that there was nothing wrong with the answer as they too heard ripening, which was correct. 

Nevertheless, Watson reaped the benefits of the alleged goof-up. He went on to compete in the bonus round of the episode taking along  $25,849 with him and a trip to Mexico. After he picked up the bonus envelop, he chose the category "Thing" and the puzzle read, "_ _ G _ T_ L   _ _ _ T _ R_  N T," with the standard letters filled in. Watson then went on to pick the letters DHCA after which the board red, "D _ G _ TA L   _ _ _ T _ R_  N T."

Watson went on to make several incorrect guesses but failed to get the answer "DIGITAL FOOTPRINT". The player grunted as the host revealed that he had missed out on the chance of winning an additional $40,000. 

Despite all that, Watson still walked away with more than $25,000 from the show, which many believe he didn't deserve.