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Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak confused his fans when he disappeared from hosting duties during the bonus round on Wednesday's show.
Sajak, 76, had been hosting for the entirety but ducked out for the bonus round and Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton stepped in.
Some fans joked on Twitter that it was a "soft launch" for the announcer one day replacing Sajak permanently, but in reality Thornton took over the hosting duties because the winning contestant, Sarah, said how much she "loved" the announcer.
"I love Jim Thornton so much. And how could someone not? His voice is so soothing and energizing. He's hilarious and just such a good person and when I don't hear his voice I worry about him," she said of Thornton at the top of the show.
Thornton joked in reply: "I'll give you an hour to cut that out Sarah."
Sajak then asked if "money had changed hands," suggesting Thornton had bribed Sarah to say nice things about him.
"No, I promise, no," Thornton, who joined the ABC show in 2011, replied emphatically.
Sarah had also requested some extra time with Thornton and seemingly for the first time in the show's history the announcer took over hosting and appeared after the ad break to guide her through the bonus round.
Thornton encouraged Sarah telling her she had done well so far in the show.
"Let's see if you can add to it, good luck," he added.
Sadly, his support did not help Sarah, who failed to guess the final puzzle correctly and missed out on the $40,000 bonus.
Thornton comforted her saying: "At least I got to meet Sarah."
The show then cut to Sajak who could be seen walking up to the announcer's booth and saying: "In case you missed it here's tonight's bonus puzzle."
He then quickly made his way back to the main stage for the credits and joked to his co-host, Vanna White, "What's up, did I miss anything?" to which she replied, "Not much just the bonus round."
Fans loved the quirky moment, but others were confused when Thornton turned up to host.
"Oh for some reason him and Jim switched places, that was nuts. anyways still mad at that final puzzle she deserved that win," tweeted one person.
Another added: "A rare "Wheel Of Fortune" moment. Pat Sajak isn't doing the Bonus Round but announcer Jim Thornton is. Sarah the contestant is a huge fan of his."
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more