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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Mispronounces ‘Flamenco’ as ‘Flamingo’ and Twitter Is Freaking Out

A contestant on Wheel of Fortune said “adios” to $7,000 and a vacation to Spain when he pronounced “flamenco” as “flamingo.”

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Jonny had just solved a puzzle for the phrase “Flamenco dance lessons,” on the game show’s Monday, April 9, episode, when host Pat Sajak buzzed him for the wrong answer.

“To explain, what we all heard was — and I know you didn’t mean to say it, but you gave us a G instead of a C,” Sajak, 71, explained, to a visibly distraught Jonny. Watch the Wheel of Fortune blunder in the video above!

Wheel of Fortune
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Mispronounces ‘Flamenco’ as ‘Flamingo’

Fellow contestant Ashley would go on to pronounce the word correctly and took home both the cash and the trip. 

Naturally, Twitter erupted. “OMG, he spent 20 seconds mumbling ‘Flamingo’ and ‘Flamenco’ to himself. You just don’t recover from this. It’s over. R.I.P. in peace Jonny,” wrote one user. Added another: “THIS MAN ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE SOLVED THE PUZZLE BUT SAID FLAMINGO INSTEAD OF FLAMENCO AND THE WOMAN NEXT TO HIM WON THE TRIP AND HE’S HELLA PISSED. THIS IS THE DRAMA I LIVE FOR.” 

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A third person revealed that they were “dying laughing.”

It wasn’t Jonny’s best night. Before the Flamenco/Flamingo gaffe, he landed on the $2,500 mark and was two letters from solving “Dog and Pony Show Me the Money.” The puzzle was missing the letters “g” and “p.” Jonny guessed “c.”

Jonny should reach out to Nick Spicher. The museum educator lost $3,200 on Jeopardy in January after botching Coolio’s song “Gangsta’s Paradise.” HostAlex Trebek broke the bad news at the time. “The judges have reevaluated one of your responses a few moments ago, Nick,” he said. “You said ‘Gangster’s’ instead of ‘Gangsta’s’ on that song by Coolio.” 

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