‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant misses $70K with one letter — and accidentally renames a literary classic
The game arena of 'Wheel of Fortune' is no stranger to mistakes, but nothing comes close to an epic fail when a player misses an incredibly easy puzzle. It all unfolded during the Bonus puzzle, when a contestant was on the verge of winning the round, with the puzzle missing just a single character. What seems like an easy solve quickly descends into the biggest failure when the player, instead of the obvious letter, gives a very different answer, making fans crack up, and honestly, we totally get why.
The contestant in discussion is Kevin, who was just one letter away from solving the puzzle "A STREETCAR NA_ED DESIRE," which was a reference to the classic play 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' Instead of guessing the obvious 'M,' Kevin confidently said 'K,' hilariously turning the title into 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' Kevin's opponent, Lisa, quickly gave the right answer and saved the day, but host Pat Sajak joked, "And although you got the right answer, I'd rather see Kevin's play," summing up what many viewers were thinking, per Teen Vogue.
The internet quickly reacted to Kevin's blunder, with many sharing amusement over his hilarious guess in the comment section of the YouTube video. A fan commented, "Wow, even the audience was like, "Are you kidding me?" while another added, "This is my funniest game show answer from Wheel of Fortune..." Another noted, "Is Kevin for real? I think he has a dirty mind. Even the audience was like, Aww. Especially during the crossword puzzle round. Whoever heard of a sticky picket?" A fan noted, "He's never going to live this down."
Another viewer noted, "I actually watched this when the game was on and literally ROLF. It was hilarious. Had to find this clip to show some friends that didn't see. A streetcar named NAKED desire! Still cracks me up to this day." Meanwhile, a fan shared, "Lol, I don’t know what was on his mind when he thought the puzzle was “A Streetcar Named Desire." A fan remarked, "Came back here to relive this moment on the last day of Wheel of Fortune." In another similar instance, a contestant named Phil McManus from Palmer, Massachusetts, had viewers cringing during his turn in the 'Same Letter' Puzzle category.
The board read "Chocolate Chestnuts & Chi_ne_s," and with one crucial vowel still missing, McManus opted not to buy an 'I' and made a bold guess of "Chocolate, chestnuts, and chickens," per Upworthy. Though his answer was funny, it was clearly incorrect and not just in terms of context, as it's quite bizarre to even pair chickens with chocolate and chestnuts, but also because the remaining letters didn't align. This blunder allowed the next contestant to correctly solve the puzzle, "Chocolates, chestnuts & chimneys." In a lighthearted post-show interview, McManus admitted just how intense the moment felt, revealing, "I tell you, when the lights are on, and you know, the stars and Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White, I just went blank."