The game show saw some big changes this year, most notably the departure of Pat Sajak after 40 years as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
Ryan Seacrest takes over permanently and joins Ken Jennings as the new leaders of some of the longest-running shows on television, where contestants have treated viewers to some wild moments ranging from the risque to the confusing this year. Have given.
Check out the wildest game show moments of 2024 below, including an explanation for a viral “Wheel of Fortune” player’s unexpected answer.
“Wheel of Fortune” contestant Tavaris Williams became an instant viral sensation due to his May 23 appearance and his NSFW answer.
While flipping a puzzle, the puzzle board appears with the phrase “_ _ _ _ /I _ /T _ E /B _ _ T!” Were the letters of.
Williams immediately called out and confidently said, “Okay.”
There was a brief silence at his response, then laughter from the audience, followed by “What?” Williams got a look of surprise on her face as she got a “no” from fellow contestant Tyra, and a definite “no” from Sajak.
The correct answer was “It’s the best!”
“I tried to beat my contestants by humming first and letting my brain take over,” Williams told Fox News Digital about her now-infamous TV moment.
“And when my mind was ready to speak, I saw the R, I saw the B, I saw the T. I went for ‘Right in the Butt’… and once [host Pat Sajak] Said ‘No’, oh, that was the worst feeling,” he added, laughing.
After taping, Williams had to keep the moment a secret from his family, who had gathered to watch it live.
“My wife says, ‘I’m married to a meme now,'” he said with a laugh, noting that his family was overall very supportive.
Williams walked away with $9,500, but as soon as the moment aired, fans laughed loudly at the bizarre answer on social media.
History making low score
A “Jeopardy!” The contestant earned an unfortunate place in the show’s history when he earned the show’s second lowest score ever.
Erin Buecker, who walked away with a final score of -$7,200, told Fox News Digital that although she had a “great” time taping the episode, she would describe it as an “out-of-body experience” .
“You’re looking, you’re seeing clues, but you don’t remember what category it is in,” she explained. “You’re reminding yourself to, you know, not make weird faces because you’re on live television. … The way they tape it makes it seem like it’s a live show. They really try to keep it really tight.
And even though she did not perform as well as she had hoped, Bueckers said she would “love to do it again.”
famous faces
“In danger!” This year there were not one but two contestants who forced the audience to watch double.
The first was David Erb, who bore a striking resemblance to actor Clint Eastwood.
“David looks like many different people. Clint Eastwood is one of them, “Jeopardy!” the fan wrote on Reddit.
Another ex shared on Twitter, “Is it just me or does David on #Jeopardy remind anyone else of young Clint Eastwood?”
Another contestant who caught viewers’ attention was Father Steve Jakubowski, a Catholic priest from Michigan who quickly gained a lot of fans online.
“There’s a hot pastor on Jeopardy and send help,” one person wrote on X.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jakubowski said that “Jeopardy!” “Was a great experience.”
“Ken and all the producers and the team were very kind to me about the novelty of including a Catholic priest on the show,” he said. “I hope it has made a positive impact on my community and church. The show airs at 3:30 where I live in Austin, and so we had a watch party at our parish school with our students and their parents – it was so much fun to share it with our parish.
second day on the job
Seacrest replaced Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” this year, and people immediately blamed him for a contestant’s big loss.
During her second night hosting, contestant Airika won the $1 million prize during her turn. The wager could be exchanged for a $100,000 wager in the bonus round, meaning that if she won the game, she could potentially win a larger prize.
Erica solved the first puzzle, and landed on the $1,000 mystery puzzle and was given the option to unveil it or leave it.
“It could be bankrupt or it could be $10,000,” Seacrest explained, and after deciding to risk it, Airica unveiled the bankrupt wedge and Seacrest had to take back the million-dollar wedge.
Fans online felt that Seacrest did not explain the rules properly, and compared him negatively to Sajak.
“Pat should have explained that if he had taken the risk, he would have lost millions of dollars,” one fan wrote on X.
Others defended Seacrest, noting that contestants received a list of rules and gameplay ahead of time, or were possibly given information about the rules in a cut-down portion for time.
sexist clue
Jennings faced the brunt of criticism for a “sexist” clue during an October episode of the show.
During the episode, the category “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” contained a clue that read, “Men rarely pass…”
Returning champion Will Wallace correctly answered, “Girls who wear glasses.”
Jennings acknowledged that the gesture may have made female contestant Heather Ryan uncomfortable because she wore glasses on the show.
“A little problematic, sorry, Heather,” Jennings commented, and Wallace added “very” in defense of his opponent.
The questionable phrase came from acclaimed poet Dorothy Parker.
Fans of the game show were quick to react to the tense situation on social media.
One viewer wrote on X, “Still angry about this. She used her intelligence to get here, but was insulted by a sexist and rude comment.”
celebrity illusion
Some “Jeopardy!” The clues leave the contestants completely stunned, as was the case with some of the pop culture clues this year.
In February, during the final Jeopardy round of “Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard”, contestants were eliminated by a letter in a Johnny Cash song title.
The clue to the question was, “‘It was kind of a prod to me to play it straight,'” said Johnny Cash of this 1956 hit, to which the correct answer was “I Walk the Line.”
Unfortunately for all the contestants, all points and time for the Champions Wildcard were lost due to one letter. All three contestants answered “Walk the Line” except for the letter “I”.
A month later, on an episode of “Jeopardy: Tournament of Champions”, contestants Ben Chan, Yogesh Raut and Troy Meyer missed a $400 clue about a Taylor Swift song in the “Youth Songs” category.
The sign read by Jennings states, “Inspired by his best friend, Tay Tay sings ‘When someone tells you they love you’ in this titular age ‘You’re gonna believe them.’ “
The correct answer was “Fifteen”, the title of a country pop song from Swift’s second studio album, 2008’s “Fearless”. The musician previously said that “Fifteen” was inspired by her high school best friend Abigail Anderson, who experienced a painful breakup with a boyfriend when she and Swift were both 15 years old.
“We’ll get killed for this,” the mayor said, laughing.
“Painful” mistake
“Wheel of Fortune” fans were disappointed by a player’s costly mistake during an episode in May.
Contestant Kimberly Wright landed on the Express Way when the board read “DU _ _ – _ _ LLED PLATYPUS.”
“I’m going to get called the F,” Wright groaned from the studio audience.
Wright apparently believed the correct answer was “duck-billed platypus”, when it was actually “duck-billed platypus”.
Contestant Mary Kiyoski of Owosso, Michigan, solved the puzzle and won a $7,250 trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.
“Oh my God, that was painful. F?? He thought the platypus was full? With whom exactly?” one viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
