Wheel of Fortune asks back contestant Pat Sajak 'wrestled' and other former fan-favorites for wild w

Publish date: 2024-05-08

WHEEL of Fortune has made a major move and announced they're bringing back 15 former contestants for a new special.

Next month, the memorable past players- including the guy whom Pat Sajak attempted to wrestle to the ground - will compete again in "Fan Favorites" week.

Wheel of Fortune announced the never-before-done "Fan Favorites" week on Friday.

Following in the footsteps of Jeopardy! - in which the returning champ returns the next night, not to mention tournaments - the beloved game show will also be bringing back familiar faces.

According to their website, both previous winners and losers have been invited back for another spin from May 8 to May 12.

Its description reads: "Game sweepers will battle it out, impressive solvers will go head to head, and those who had bad luck at the wheel will get another chance at victory!"

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The lineup and schedule are as follows:

Each player's most notable moment was featured under their name on Wheel's website - Pat wrestling Fred did not get mentioned.

'THIS IS SO COOL!'

One fan tweeted upon the news: "This is cool. I like the new energy #WheelOfFortune has now. They’re trying new things, but not making huge changes that would upset the long-time fans."

Emil de Leon tweeted: "I’ve been waiting over a month to announce this, and over 9 years for this SECOND opportunity, but your boy will be on Wheel of Fortune AGAIN."

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PAT HITS THE MAT

Pat, 76, became a trending topic after attempting to tussle Fred to the ground on March 21's episode.

The drama teacher and part-time wrestler flexed his skills by impressively solving every single puzzle, getting a rare perfect game and $75.8K in winnings.

"Just because he’s a professional wrestler… you want me to body slam him for you?" the host asked the other players at the time. 

The players responded with a "yes" to Pat's question, and the longtime TV figure didn't back down.

As Fred was celebrating getting the bonus round puzzle correct and literally flexing his muscles, Pat rushed over and put his arm around the contestant’s back.

Pat put Fred into a chokehold as Fred's dad stood by and the audience gasped - fans spun into a frenzy across the internet.

"Not Pat trying to do a wrestling move on the contestant" commented one person on Twitter.

Fred defended Pat and praised his unexpected wrestling prowess with TMZ after the fact - even if he sincerely was not expecting it to happen.

“As the guy he was putting in that hold, I loved that moment.

"I was genuinely trying to counter him and have a wrestling match. But he had me so tight that I wasn't going anywhere, he's stronger than he looks!"

Meanwhile, during the same week on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White will be facing Jeopardy!'s Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings.

There have actually been many new twists from the long-running game show during Season 40 that have impressed the die-hards.

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There was a rare Friday Finals during WWE week (meaning the three highest scorers during that special went to a finals episode).

And Wheel is now sometimes airing when a Final Spin isn't so final and winds up needing to be spun more than once.

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