If there’s one phobia I have in regard to appearing on a game show, it’s missing an incredibly obvious answer. This has especially been true in when it comes to Wheel of Fortune as of late. The show recently made headlines after a few contestants failed to answer a seemingly easy puzzle for an excruciating two minutes. Fortunately for those folks, there’s now a new front-runner for the worst round of guessing in Wheel of Fortune, and I’d honestly be surprised if Pat Sajak continues to chastise viewers about playing nice after this latest string of terrible guesses for an easy puzzle.
With 11 of 17 letters revealed on the board, it seemed like a recent batch of Wheel of Fortune contestants had the “What Are You Doing” category in the bag. Unfortunately, the seemingly obvious action made for an enigmatic puzzle, all due to a simple mispronunciation. Watch it all unfold in the clip from Christian Dixie below, and try not to rip out your hair while wondering why no one caught on to what “R_N_ING A P_DA_ B_A_” meant sooner:
It took a couple of tries, but in the end, Seann ultimately realized his mistake and said “pedal” as opposed to “paddle.” It seemed like all the contestants were a bit embarrassed after finally realizing their error, and it didn’t help that Pat Sajak then tried to break down the difference between the two types of boats and the distinction between them. A bunch of terrible guesses all around, and it’s hard to imagine anyone felt like a winner by the end.
I will defend the latest batch of Wheel Of Fortune contestants just a bit here, as it is easier to see how this particular snafu happened. Once the host shot down “Paddle Boat,” it seemed like the players got the impression that it had to be something completely different. Everyone got so caught up in trying to find something that didn’t sound like “paddle” that it took some time to realize they all meant to say “pedal." It’s embarrassing, but not quite as bad as some of the other wildly wrong answers fans have seen in the past.
Viewers teasing contestants for missing obvious guesses is embarrassing, but there are worse things that can happen in the game show world. For example, a man once won WoF with a pronunciation that was (technically) wrong, and fans let the show have it. I also can’t say getting a wrong answer is quite as cringy as what happened with a competitor on the The Price Is Right, who couldn’t find her way off the stage after giving an incorrect answer. In short, there are a lot of ways to be humiliated on a game show and, in some ways, it may just be safer to enjoy the game as a spectator.
Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays, but anyone who can’t wait for when it airs in their neck of the woods can always watch older episodes with a Netflix subscription. There’s no penalty for being wrong at home, so feel free to throw out all the wrong guesses you'd like while taking in the show.
