‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant's wildly incorrect puzzle guess leaves fans (and us) howling in disbelief

Chocolates, chestnuts and what? ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant's bizarre answer to holiday-theme puzzle costs him $9,550
PUBLISHED JUN 22, 2025
A screenshot of Vanna White from an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42 (Image Source: YouTube | Worldly Nues)
A screenshot of Vanna White from an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42 (Image Source: YouTube | Worldly Nues)

A 'Wheel of Fortune' player's wild guess on a puzzle had everyone in stitches! During a holiday-themed episode of 'Wheel of Fortune', which was released on December 17, 2024, contestant Phil McManus, originally from Palmer, Mass., made a funny guess while solving the three-word puzzle that started with the letter C. The correct answer to the same letter puzzle was “Chocolates, Chestnuts & Chimneys.” When Ryan Seacrest asked McManus to share his guess, he ended up saying, "Chocolate, Chestnuts and Chickens." Soon after, another contestant named Matt Komma from Riverton, Utah, entered the chat and gave the right answer: “Chocolate, Chestnuts and Chimneys.” 



 

At that point in time, McManus ended up losing $9,550 due to his wildly incorrect answer. On the other hand, when we talk about Komma, he added $4,220 to his bank. Once the episode dropped, the fans of the fan-favorite game show couldn't stop themselves from poking fun at McManus's hilarious answer. One social media user took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote, "That was my shopping list last weekend. #WheelofFortune."



 

Followed by a second user who penned, "When I think of chocolates and chestnuts, the next word I think of is chickens. #WheelofFortune" Another netizen went on to say, "Christmas theme episode of Wheel of Fortune! And this was the guess by the contestant. Love Wheel of Fortune but where do these contestants come from #chickens #wheeloffortune." A user remarked, "He did it a 2nd time too!" to which McMarnus responded by writing, "I sure did, and it was quite thrilling lmao."



 

Another user jokingly wrote,"Treat yourself a round of sausage! And chickens! #wheeloffortune," while referring to a wrong guess that was made on a November 2024 episode of 'Wheel of Fortune.' At that point in time, Will Jordan, a Coast Guard veteran, from Wethersfield, Connecticut was seen competing against Chantel Toran, an Army Reserves vet from Middleburg, Florida, and Kitina Thomas, a retired Air Force vet from San Antonio, Texas. During the first round under the 'Phrase' category, the players were supposed to solve a six-word phrase that read: “_ _ _ E / _ O U R S E _ F / A / R O U N _ / O F / A _ _ _ A U S E.” Jordan seemed very confident and he quipped, "I’d like to solve." However, Jordan ended up making a hilariously incorrect guess. When Jordan was asked to give the final answer, he said, "Treat Yourself A Round Of Sausage.”



 

Obviously, Jordan's answer was wrong. Shortly afterward, Thomas correctly guessed the puzzle when he said, "Give Yourself A Round Of Applause.” Then, Seacrest went on to say, “Yeah, that’s it. Although, Will, I kind of like yours better. That sounds better than just clapping right now.” As per TV Insider, while having a conversation with Pat Sajak's daughter Maggie Sajak after the episode dropped, Jordan candidly spoke about his wrong guess and noted, “I’m sure I’m gonna have sausages in my locker and police car when I get back.” It seems like the word 'sausage' is going to haunt Jordan forever. 

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