Understandably, much of the conversation surrounding Wheel of Fortune over the summer was zoomed in on the fact that Pat Sajak will be retiring after the current season, with Ryan Seacrest taking his place, not to mention Vanna White’s complex negotiations that took months to finalize, ending with a new contract extension. But with the new season having started on September 11, fans could be sure it wouldn’t take long for behind-the-scenes issues to get overshadowed by contestants offering bonkers ass incorrect guesses. And that time has now arrived.
Enter the lovely and genial Wheel of Fortune hopeful Jessica Washington, whose job at the hyper-busy Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta has clearly not provided the path to expertise regarding other forms of travel. Faced with a puzzle within the category “What Are You Doing?” that had all of its letters filled out, save for one, Washington took a brave step forward and made a completely baffling guess. Check out the puzzle below and see if you can figure it out.
Even though it seems like a pretty easy swing-and-connect, Jessica Washington had other ideas:
I’d like to solve it, Pat. Dining in the dining jar.
The guess earned a non-plussed "No," from Pat Sajak, who then turned to the next contestant, and that person did manage to correctly guess that the final word in the puzzle wasn't "jar," but "car." Because dining cars are things that exist, and dining jars aren't. Had that logic been put in play before the guess, Washington might have walked out of there a winner. But with those plans dashed, it's back to the old drawing jar, I guess.
As it goes, social media wasn't about to let that Wheel of Fortune moment pass without questioning why it existed in the first place.
Dining in the dining jar. What does that even mean? #WheelOfFortuneSeptember 26, 2023
I guess if anyone had "hear someone say the phrase 'dining in the dining jar'" on their bucket list, this was the perfect episode to watch, but otherwise...
New season of Wheel of Fortune but still some unfathomable responses. When have you ever heard the term “dining in the dining jar” before tonight? An epic of epic fails.
@oldschool_joeyd
Thankfully, Jessica Washington didn't seem to be too put off by her silly answer, as she promoted the episode on Instagram ahead of its airing, though obviously without referencing anything that went on.
To be fair, I'm sure a lot of people below a certain age haven't ever considered a dining car, and haven't ever had a train ride that would have involved one. Though anyone who recently rewatched Murder on the Orient Express in anticipation for The Haunting of Venice probably had it in mind.
Wheel of Fortune airs weekday evenings in syndication — right around when one might be catching some dinner in the dining car — so be sure to check your local listings to see when and where it plays in your area. And after poking through our 2023 TV premiere schedule, don’t forget to peep out the upcoming season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune when it kicks off on Wednesday, September 27.
