A "Wheel of Fortune" contestant shocked host Pat Sajak this week with her letter selections of "Z" and "X" during a final puzzle, but despite calling odd letters, she still managed to win the game and walk away with $13,970.
Nura Fountana first guessed "Z," after which the following conversation
occurred with Sajak, according to ETOnline.com:
Sajak: "Can you say that again for me?"
Fountana: "Z."
Sajak: "Did you say Z?"
Fountana: "As in Zulu."
Sajak: "You did say Z. Okay."
On the Tuesday night episode, Sajak is clearly bemused by Fountana's game-playing strategy, including her choice of the letter "X" and her failure to guess a letter at all before the buzzer sounded.
When the round was over, he approached her and said, "You called some unusual letters in that round."
To which Fountana replied, "That's what I saw." Sajak laughed and said, "Well, that was an unsatisfactory answer, but she's not under oath. There's nothing I can do."
Despite losing that final round, Fountana won the game. Since the show aired, some have speculated the contestant was trying to throw the round so some of her fellow veterans, on the show as part of the Wheels Veterans Day celebrations, could win some money.
"Now there's no way to know if she was really trying to help or if she really did just forgot the rules — but seeing as she won in the end we think it's pretty obvious she
knew exactly what she was doing," wrote PerezHilton.com.