‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant wins Mini Cooper, but makes everyone cringe with what he yelled next
Since the time 'Wheel of Fortune' premiered in 1975, many colorful characters have graced the stage of the fan-favorite game show. During an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42, which was released on March 3, one contestant was dubbed “the most annoying contestant ever" by the fans. At first, P.J. Wilder, who is a house husband from Hanford, California, caught the attention of Ryan Seacrest due to his massive mustache. While having a conversation with Seacrest, Wilder stated that Hercule Poirot served as the inspiration behind his mustache. For the unversed, let us share with you that Poirot is a fictional character that was created by British writer Agatha Christie.
According to TV Insider, Seacrest wondered if Wilder faced any troubles while eating his food because of his mustache and asked the game show contestant, “Do you mind if I ask… apple sauce, how… can you?” Shortly afterward, Wilder jokingly stated that he uses "two spoons", one to brush the mustache aside and the other to eat the food. Speaking of Wilder, he got off to a shaky start in the initial rounds, but he found his way back in the Express Round, where he won $4,200 as well as a trip to Antigua worth $8,460.
Following his win, Wilder couldn't control his excitement and shouted, "Whooo! Vamanos." Soon after, Wilder cracked another puzzle, “Omelet Station” in the Triple Toss-Up round, disclosing that he describes them as “Bomblets.” Later on, Wilder raised some eyebrows during the final puzzle when he guessed, "Sand in my Swimsuit," but he took a small pause between the last words as the buzzer sounded.
Then, Seacrest checked in with the judges to see if Wilder's answer would be accepted or not. At that point, Wilder yelled, “Count it! Count it!” Meanwhile, his fellow contestant McGowan shook her head and appeared uncomfortable. Eventually, the judges accepted Wilder's answer, and he screamed, “Let’s f****** go!” As Seacrest cut to commercials, he said, "You cannot change the station. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him in the Bonus Round, but it’s going to be interesting.” During the Bonus Round, Wilder ended up guessing the puzzle correctly, which read, “What Are You Wearing?” and he won a Mini Cooper S Signature Convertible worth $41,200. At the end of the episode, Wilder's total score was $74,860.
After the episode dropped, many fans of the show slammed Wilder for his over-the-top reactions. One user asked on the Reddit 'Wheel of Fortune' forum, "Anyone else think this guy PJ is the most annoying contestant ever?” Followed by a second user who penned, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a contestant look as visibly annoyed at another contestant as Caitlin did while the judges were checking PJ’s answer and he was screaming, 'Count it! Count it!” I can’t say I blame her one bit, though." Another user went on to say, "Felt like a comedian trying to get airtime." A user remarked, "I literally came here to express the same sentiment. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a contestant that irritated me so much.” Another user quipped, "I’ve never felt so uncomfortable watching an episode of Wheel of Fortune."