14 times “Wheel of Fortune” contestants gave hilariously wrong answers
14 times “Wheel of Fortune” contestants gave hilariously wrong answers
Britt HayesThu, September 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM UTC
1
‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestants attempt to solve a puzzle on the May 23, 2024 episodeCredit: Hulu“Treat yourself to a round of sausage.”
A huge part of what makes Wheel of Fortune so fun to watch is the feeling of playing along with the contestants.
As they solve puzzles and accumulate cash and prizes, we get a vicarious thrill from knowing that could easily be us — and it could be, because almost anyone can sign up to be a contestant. On the other hand, there’s nothing more entertaining than when a contestant shouts out an answer that is so hilariously incorrect that it defies logic. It’s even better when the answer is painfully obvious, and even better still when the contestant declares their answer with the utmost confidence.
Wheel of Fortune has been on the air for more than 40 years, and in that time, contestants have developed strategies to make the most of their possible winnings. It’s not uncommon to see a player continuously spin the wheel, risking bankruptcy and lost turns in the pursuit of stacking up cash while filling the board with as many letters as possible. When there are only one or two letters left to be filled, it’s thrilling to watch players who can’t resist the call of spinning the wheel just one more time, even when the answer is blatantly obvious.
Surely they must know the solution as well as you or I do, and yet, when it comes time to solve the puzzle, they fumble the answer. The reaction it induces is a distinct blend of frustration, disbelief, and amusement that can only be expressed by scream-laughing at your TV.
Read on for 14 of the most wildly incorrect Wheel of Fortune answers in recent memory.
Treat yourself to a round of sausage
Will Jordan on the Nov. 11, 2024 episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune’Credit: Hulu
The category for the round in this 2024 episode was “Phrase.” After successfully guessing several consonants and buying a few vowels, police officer Will Jordan feels confident enough to solve the puzzle, guessing, “Treat yourself to a round of sausage.” Not only have they already established that there aren’t any Ts on the board, but that’s not a common phrase (though maybe it should be?). The correct answer: Give yourself a round of applause.
“I tell you, when the lights are on and [you see] the stars, Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White, I just went blank,” Jordan said in a post-game video posted to TikTok. “If your dad in retirement is watching this show maybe cracks a beer and gets a laugh, it was worth it.”
New York Cheesesteak
In this episode from 2025, Gaelyn Nease is set up quite nicely to solve the “Food & Drink” puzzle, especially after the Es hit the board, leaving her with: “NE _ / _ OR _ / _ HEESE _ A _ E.”
Nease hesitantly guesses “New York Cheese... steak,” which probably enraged more than a few Philadelphians. Fellow contestant Carmetta Wells chimes in with the correct answer — New York Cheesecake — and wins a VIP ticket to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, hosted by Wheel of Fortune’s Ryan Seacrest. Wells went on to win a total of $68,250, while Nease took home $2,000.
The British Ogre
The category for this 2023 puzzle was “Show Biz,” which is important context for understanding why contestant Gishma Tabari’s brain came up with the answer it did. When she makes her guess, the board reads: “TH _ / _ RITI _ S/ _ GR _ E.”
“The British ogre?” Tabari guesses, which raises some interesting questions, such as who is the British ogre? Does she mean Shrek? Is he not Scottish? In any case, the correct answer is “The critics agree.”
In an interview with Fox News following the episode, Tabari said she had a feeling she might do something like this. “The funny part was, right before I went on, I went to my husband, Saman, and I was like, ‘My fear is that I’m gonna go on the show and I’m gonna say or do something stupid that everyone’s gonna laugh,’” she said. “That’s exactly what happened.”
Jill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Nicole Parker blew it in the first round of her 2021 episode, which began with the category “The 80s.” (Oddly, Wheel of Fortune, a word-based game that denies contestants winnings for incorrect pronunciations, labels this category “The 80’s,” with an apostrophe before the S, which is grammatically incorrect.)
On the board: “_ ILL & TED’s / E _ _ ELLENT / ADVENTURE.” Even if you haven’t seen the classic Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter sci-fi comedy, chances are you’re at least familiar with the title. Not so for Parker, who guesses “Jill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Bogus!
Parker wound up in second place, taking home $6,800.
A Streetcar Naked Desire
A ‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzle from the March 21, 2017 episodeCredit: Hulu
One of the most iconic missolves in recent history happened in the first round of this 2017 episode. The category is “Title,” and after his fellow contestants load up the board with letters — and both hit a Bankrupt wedge — Kevin Haas takes his turn at the wheel. The resulting board reads, “A / STREETCAR / NA _ ED / DESIRE,” which is clearly referring to the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire, which was famously adapted into a 1951 movie starring Marlon Brando.
Rather than solve the puzzle, Haas decides to spin the wheel again and get a little extra cash for putting the final letter on the board. After landing on $600, Haas suggests the letter K — which would make the answer A Streetcar Naked Desire. Maybe that’s the name of the adult-film spoof?
In the end, Haas went home with just $1,000. “Yes, it has taught me the correct title of that famous 1947 Broadway play,” Haas said in a statement released through Wheel of Fortune. “I am happy I brought so many smiles to you all, and so I will smile with you and look back onto this moment and join you in the laughs. That my friends, is the naked truth.”
Marvin the Magician
This next flub takes us all the way back to 2013. It happened during the speed-up round, when contestants take turns rapidly guessing letters. With “M _ R _ _ N / T _ _ / M _ _ _ C _ _ N” on the board, Valerie Medina guesses “Marvin the Magician,” suggesting a Looney Tunes plot that we’d like to see.
Patricia Loftman adds an H to the board but fails to come up with a guess, passing the turn over to Laura Nelson, who adds a G, giving us “M _ R _ _ N / T _ _ / M _ G _ C _ _ N.” Nelson then stuns everyone by repeating Medina’s guess of “Marvin the Magician.”
On Medina’s next turn, she suggests an L, putting ““M _ RL _ N / T _ _ / M _ _ _ C _ _ N” on the board. Surely Medina will get it right this time? Nope! “Marlin the Magician,” she says, and Nelson begins applauding as Sajak shouts “No!”
Advertisement
Finally, Loftman gives the correct answer: Merlin the Magician.
I Have the Wine
‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzle from the Jan. 10, 2013 episodeCredit: ABC
During the Jackpot round of this 2013 episode, Natasha Holly is banking serious cash (no pun intended) when she has the opportunity to win nearly $10,000 if she can just solve this puzzle: “I / _ A _ _ / THE / _ INE / BY / J _ HNNY / _ A _ H.”
Holly goes for the solve, guessing, “I Have the Wine by Johnny Cash.” Of course she loses the Jackpot and the puzzle goes over to Jason Jedlicka, who adds two Ls before risking another spin and hitting Bankrupt. Ryan Jobe finally solves for the correct answer: “I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash.”
Superman and Spider-Woman
‘Wheel of Fortune’ puzzle from the June 5, 2012 episodeCredit: Hulu
This hilariously wrong answer occurred during another Jackpot round, this time in a 2012 episode featuring newlywed couples. After Sarah and Mike Munoz add a handful of letters to the board, we’ve got “S _ _ ER _ AN / AND / W _ NDER / WO _ AN,” which seems like a total layup, right?!
Mike guesses “Superman and Spider-Woman,” breaking everyone’s brains and costing the couple $3,100. Thankfully, they recovered enough to walk away in second place with $7,450, but still — Superman and Spider-Woman? They’re not even from the same universe!
Start in the right way
In the fourth round of this 2015 episode, the category is “Things.” Shermian Daniel adds a handful of letters to the board, resulting in “_ TAR _ / IN / THE / NIGHT / _ _ _.” With $2,350 on the line, Daniel offers to solve the puzzle.
“Start in the right way,” she says, which is wrong on multiple levels. Not only is that not a “thing,” but the fourth word has already been revealed as “night.” Daniel ultimately ended up in second place with $5,850.
Snow White’s long-lost friend
On a very special Disney-themed episode in 2015, Terra Harris kicks off the mystery round by going bankrupt. After her fellow contestants get several letters on the board, Harris manages to bounce back, banking a possible $14,200. The category is “Characters,” and this is what’s on the board: “DOPEY / _ RU _PY / DO _ / _ ASH _ UL / HAPPY / SNEE _ Y / AND / SLEEPY.”
It’s the names of the titular princess’ pals in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! Harris goes for the solve and says, “Dopey, Grumpy, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Sneaky, and Sleepy.” You know, “Sneeky,” Snow White’s long-lost friend. Don’t feel too bad for Harris, who took home just over $12,000 in second place.
Midnight Train to Germany
Contestant Beverly Duru attempts to solve the puzzle on the March 14, 2025 episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune’Credit: Hulu
In the opening toss-up round of this 2025 episode, Beverly Duru wastes no time at all giving us an amazing missolve. The category is “Song Title,” and the board reads, “MIDNI _ _ _ / _ R _ IN / T _ / GE _ RGI _.” To be fair, the puzzle is only about two-thirds of the way there, but based on Duru’s guess, she was at least somewhat familiar with what it was meant to say.
“Midnight Train to Germany,” she says, which is incorrect. The correct answer is, of course, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” the classic song by Gladys Knight & the Pips.
The Pointed Desert
This 2015 episode delivers a rare triple-flub during the speed-up round, in which the category is “Landmark.” Lindsey Hoffman adds a P to the board, resulting in “THE / P _ INTED / DESERT,” which is just begging to be solved. Hoffman guesses “The Pointed Desert,” which is incorrect, and with her remaining seconds offers up “The Printed Desert,” which is also incorrect.
The game goes over to fellow contestant James Trahan, who tries to solve, but instead just repeats what Hoffman said. “The Pointed Desert,” he says. When Sajak tells him there’s still time to offer another guess, Trahan is confused and thinks he needs to repeat his answer. “The Pointed Desert,” he says again.
The correct answer is “The Painted Desert.”
Where the soy meets the sea
Contestant Nikol Gamble on the March 25, 2025 episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune’Credit: Hulu
It’s the mystery round on this 2025 episode, the category is “Song Lyrics,” and the puzzle is a big one. Nikol Gamble has already spun the wheel and lost some potential winnings, but by the time the wheel returns to her, the puzzle looks like this: “SEE / THE / LINE / WHERE / THE / S _ _ / MEETS / THE / SEA / IT / _ ALLS / ME.”
Gamble suggests a C and a Y, which brings us to: “SEE / THE / LINE / WHERE / THE / S _ Y / MEETS / THE / SEA / IT / CALLS / ME.” Even if you don’t have a small child at home who watches Moana all the time, it’s easy enough to infer that the missing word is “sky.” Or so you would think.
Gamble tries to solve and says, “See the line where the soy meets the sea, it calls me.” The soy? THE SOY?!
Right in the... what?
‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestants attempt to solve a puzzle on the May 23, 2024 episodeCredit: Wheel of Fortune
We simply had to save the best for last. Wheel of Fortune contestant Tavaris Williams became an instant icon in the opening toss-up round of his 2024 episode. The category is “Phrase,” and the board is looking pretty sparse: “_ _ _ _ / I _ / T _ E / B _ _ T!”
But Williams braves it, feeling confident in his early guess: “Right in the butt!” he shouts, as if nothing could possibly make more sense.
Williams was all smiles during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live shortly after his missolve went viral. “Pat was the best — he made me feel so great about that at the break,” he recalled of the former Wheel of Fortune host. “He said, ‘You know, we’ll find a tactful way of editing it. I don’t know how, but we’ll do it.’”
Williams, who took home nearly $10,000 at the end of the game, went on to claim that he was unfamiliar with “right in the butt” as a phrase. “I have never used those words in sequential order a day in my life, Jimmy,” he said to the late-night host. Likely story.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
