In an unfortunate spin of timing, “Wheel of Fortune” aired an episode referencing the “Fast & Furious” film franchise just days after movie co-star Paul Walker’s shocking death.
“The Fast and the Furious” was a puzzle answer that aired on Monday in about 200 TV markets, including New York, show host Pat Sajak said.
“Feel terrible about timing of ‘Fast & Furious’ puzzle tonight,” Sajak tweeted. “Taped long ago & went out to 200 local station days ago.”
The episode was taped two months ago, long before Walker and a friend perished in a fiery one-car crash north of Los Angeles last Saturday.
The show, in a tweet to fans, said: “To our Wheel Watchers: The show that included the puzzle ‘The Fast and The Furious’ was taped on 10/4/13. It’s an unfortunate coincidence that it aired tonight. The hearts of everyone at Wheel of Fortune go out to the family, friends & fans of Paul Walker.”
It was unclear when “Wheel” producers let any of the 200 stations know the “Fast” puzzle was on tap for Monday night.
As the “movie title” puzzle aired, “Wheel” fans in New York and Los Angeles saw a crawl across their TV screens explaining the cringe-worthy moment.
“This episode was taped a few weeks ago, prior to the tragic passing of ‘The Fast and the Furious’ actor Paul Walker,” the message said.
A “Wheel” rep declined further comment on Tuesday.
Walker, 40, and a friend, Roger Rodas, 38, were burned beyond recognition when the red 2005 Porsche GT that Rodas was driving slammed into a lamppost and tree in an LA suburb Saturday afternoon.
Coroners tested the charred remains of Walker and his buddy on Tuesday to find out whether they were drunk or high when they died in a fiery, high-speed crash, officials said.
“That’s a question that people are going to want to know the answer to,” Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations for the Los Angeles coroner’s office, told The Post.
Even though their bodies were incinerated, autopsies performed Tuesday would be able to detect whether the victims were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Winter said.
“We can test for that, though it could take six or eight weeks to get the results,” he said.
Winter said the autopsies will also determine whether “the injuries are consistent with a high-speed collision into a fixed object” and that coroners would use dental records to formally identify the pair.
“We’ll make sure there’s no bullet holes or whatever,” he said, quickly adding that there was no evidence suggesting foul play or that Walker or Rodas died of anything beyond injuries from the wreck.
“Fast” star Vin Diesel visited the crash scene late Monday night and thanked mourners for their well wishes.
“If my brother were here today. And if he saw all the love you were bringing here. If he could see for himself that [you have] shown my brother love,” an emotional Diesel said, using a loudspeaker from a nearby LA Sheriff’s patrol car.
“I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for coming down here and showing that angel up in heaven how much you appreciated him.”
With Post Wires