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Can you solve this "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle?

Is there any game show that allows contestants to royally embarrass themselves on national TV quite like Wheel of Fortune? There’s always someone going viral for taking a big swing and missing on a phrase that seemed pretty apparent to the casual viewer. And when you take a big loss on aWOF word puzzle, there are a lot of folks shaking their heads at home. More than 8 million people watch the game show every night. Yikes.

One rather notorious of the wheel was Gishma Tabari from Encino, California, whose fantasy-inspired whiff of a common phrase back in 2023 earned her a lot of groans and some support from those who thought her imagination was inspiring. The 3-word puzzle read: “TH _ _ RITI _ S _ GR _ E,” and Tabari offered the answer, “The British Ogre.” The guess surprised host Pat Sajak, who responded, "Uh, no.” Tabari must have missed that there was a space between the R and the E in the puzzle, so ogre would have had to be spelled with 2 Rs.

She also probably wasn’t aware that England isn’t a place known for its ogres. The correct answer was: “The Critics Agree.”

The answer inspired a lot of activity on X, where people couldn’t believe someone could come up with such a fanciful answer to a puzzle with such a straightforward solution.







One person even created a lovely image of what could be the British Ogre.

Although…not everyone had a problem with the guess.

"OK, the puzzle was clearly THE CRITICS AGREE but to be honest I prefer THE BRITISH OGRE because the puzzles could use some more wacky originality sometimes.#WheelOfFortune"— Pasha Paterson (@zer0bandwidth) December 13, 2023

On the bright side, the incorrect guess is an opportunity for the world to learn that ogres aren’t a significant part of English folklore. Sure, there are characters in English myths and legends that have ogre-like qualities, such as Grendel from "Beowulf," the monstrous creature that terrorizes the mead hall of King Hrothgar. There’s also the Boggart, a mischievous spirit much like a hobgoblin and trolls, which appear in some English tales although they originate in Scandinavia.

If you’re looking for ogres in Europe, France is the best place to go.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The word ogre is of French descent and comes from the name of the Etruscan god of the underworld, Orcus. Orcus is a large, ugly, bearded giant who enjoys consuming human flesh. Ogres are primarily known for eating children, which they believe will give them eternal life.

As for Wheel of Fortune, the show will undergo significant changes over the next few years. The show’s host, Pat Sajak, 76, stepped down from the show at the end of the 2024 season after hosting it for 41 years. In September 2024, radio host and “American Idol” emcee Ryan Seacrest took over the hosting spot.

Although, it was just announced that Sajak would be making a special guest appearance on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, performing what he called "Final Spin."

And in case you're wondering how Tabari is doing: on her Instagram she wears her "Wheel of Fortune Flub Girl" title with pride, declaring she is "British Ogre for life."

This article originally appeared two years ago.

Can you solve this "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle?

Is there any game show that allows contestants to royally embarrass themselves on national TV quite like “Wheel of Fortune”? There’s always someone going viral for taking a big swing and missing on a phrase that seemed pretty apparent to the casual viewer. And when you take a big loss on a “Wheel of Fortune'' word puzzle, there are a lot of folks shaking their heads at home. More than 8 million people watch the game show every night.

The latest victim of the wheel is Gishma Tabari from Encino, California, whose fantasy-inspired whiff of a common phrase earned her a lot of groans and some support from those who thought her imagination was inspiring. The 3-word puzzle read: “TH _ _ RITI _ S _ GR _ E,” and Tabari offered the answer, “The British Ogre.” The guess surprised host Pat Sajak, who responded, "Uh, no.” Tabari must have missed that there was a space between the R and the E in the puzzle, so ogre would have had to be spelled with 2 Rs.

She also probably wasn’t aware that England isn’t a place known for its ogres.

The correct answer was: “The Critics Agree.”

The answer inspired a lot of activity on X, where people couldn’t believe someone could come up with such a fanciful answer to a puzzle with such a straightforward solution.

Michael created a lovely Photoshop image of what could be the British Ogre.

Not everyone had a problem with the guess.

The incorrect guess is an opportunity for the world to learn that ogres aren’t a significant part of English folklore. Sure, there are characters in English myths and legends that have ogre-like qualities, such as Grendel from "Beowulf," the monstrous creature that terrorizes the mead hall of King Hrothgar. There’s also the Boggart, a mischievous spirit much like a hobgoblin and trolls, which appear in some English tales although they originate in Scandinavia.

If you’re looking for ogres in Europe, France is the best place to go.

The word ogre is of French descent and comes from the name of the Etruscan god of the underworld, Orcus. Orcus is a large, ugly, bearded giant who enjoys consuming human flesh. Ogres are primarily known for eating children, which they believe will give them eternal life.

As for “Wheel of Fortune,” the show will undergo significant changes over the next few years. The show’s host, Pat Sajak, 76, has announced that he is stepping down from the show at the end of the 2024 season after hosting it for 41 years. In September 2024, radio host and “American Idol” emcee Ryan Seacrest will take over the hosting spot.

Seacrest says that changes to the show will be minimal once he takes over.

“With this game show, it’s such a success and has been for generations,” Seacrest said in a new interview with People. “You don’t mess with it, just don’t mess with it. Just get out of the way, say ‘good evening,’ and let’s play.”


This article originally appeared last year.

@ACinPhilly/X

He'll never eat poultry again.

It’s hard to say which is more entertaining—epic game show wins…or hilarious game show fails. Wheel of Fortune has provided us plenty of both over the years, and this time, it delivered a funny defeat that just so happened to be holiday themed.

During the beloved game show’s Dec. 17 episode, a contestant named Phil McManus hailing from Palmer, Massachusetts, attempted to solve a puzzle in “Same Letter” category, with the board reading “Chocolate Chestnuts & Chi_ne_s.”

Declining to buy an "I," McManusdecided to go for gold and guessed “Chocolates, chestnuts and chickens.” And while I suppose you can enjoy chicken on Christmas, this was not the correct answer. Not to mention the “E” and “N” would have to be in a different spot. But hey, our eyes play tricks on us when under pressure!

This set up another contestant to name the correct answer (“Chocolates, chestnuts & chimneys”) and for Wheel of Fortune fans to have a field day.

It ain't a proper Christmas without poultry!, one person joked.

Another quipped., “That was my shopping list last weekend,” someone

Still another person said.“When I think of chocolates and chestnuts, the next word I think of is chickens.”

Meanwhile, someone on Instagram shared, “I laughed so loud that my deaf dog jumped out of her bed,”

Someone else asked,“Love Wheel of Fortune but where do these contestants come from?”

But again, we all make silly mistakes when we’re nervous. This moment actually harkens back to another puzzle solving mishap that happened only a month prior. Instead of guessing “Give yourself a round of applause,” the contestant, named Will, guessed, “Treat yourself a round of sausage.”

In a postmortem interview, he shared, “I tell you, when the lights are on, and you know, the stars and Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White, I just went blank."

Still, he was able to have a good laugh about it, and hopefully McManus was too. And of course, it’s not gonna keep us from screaming at the TV at home.

via WheelRob/X

Will Jodran has a hilarious answer on "Wheel of Fortune."

The Monday, November 11, Veteran’s Day episode of “Wheel of Fortune” featured military veterans competing for cash and prizes. But it’ll probably be best remembered for a hilarious answer given by Coast Guard veteran Will Jordan.

Jordan is a veteran police officer working as a school resource officer in Newington, Connecticut.

During Round 1` under the “Phrase” category, Jordan faced a 6-word puzzle that read “_ _ _ E / _ O U R S E _ F / A / R O U N _ / O F / A _ _ _ A U S E.” At that point, Jordan thought he had the answer and proudly proclaimed, “I’d like to solve.” His answer was as strange, to say the least: “Treat Yourself A Round Of Sausage.”

First of all, sausage doesn’t start with an “A.” Second, have you ever heard anyone say they’re going to eat a “round” of sausage? People will treat someone to a round of beer or golf. But sausage, not so much.



When the phrase came out of his mouth, Jordan seemed to realize he was wrong by yelling quickly, “No.” Kitina Thomas, a retired Air Force vet from San Antonio, Texas, followed up Jordan’s incorrect guess with the correct answer: “Give Yourself A Round Of Applause.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” host Ryan Seacrest said. “Although, Will, I kind of like yours better. That sounds better than just clapping right now.” At the end of the game, Army Reserves veteran Chantel Toran took first place with $13,000, Thomas made $10,500, while Jordan finished in third with $8,000. He says he will use the money to take his family on a cruise.

Viewers took to social media to share their thoughts on Jordan’s hilarious answer.

“I think he realized he didn’t know right after he said he’d like to solve,” an X user wrote.

“I don't know how Vanna keeps a straight face the whole time. Hahaha,” an X user added.

“I can’t breathe. I was laughing so hard. He was so confident, too. “I’D LIKE TO SOLVE!” said one Reddit user.



When the game was over, Jordan told Maggie Sajak, former host Pat Sajak’s daughter, that he was so starstruck that it screwed up his performance. "I tell you when the lights go on and you know the stars—Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White. I just went blank."

But he hoped Sajak’s father would get a kick out of his outlandish answer. "If your dad in retirement is watching this show, maybe cracks a beer and gets a laugh, then it was worth it,” Jordan said. Pat Sajak, who hosted “Wheel of Fortune” for 41 seasons, recently handled over the reigns of the show to “Kelly and Ryan” host Ryan Seacrest.

Ultimately, Jordan is a little scared about what he may have to deal with when he returns home to Connecticut. "I'm sure I'm going to have sausages in my locker and police car when I get back. We'll try to have some fun with it,” he joked.