If you've ever had the hot lights of a TV studio set beating down on you in the midst of some very important decision-making, while the eyes of a big crowd locked onto your face, then you know that mental triumphs can be few and far between. However, I don't know if we can blame the lights for the irresponsibly epic flub seen below, in which one of theatre and cinema's great works is sullied.
For the $1.50 summary of the head-smacking moment, one pop culture-tinged puzzle from yesterday's Wheel of Fortune episode was very, very clearly A Streetcar Named Desire, the classic Tennessee Williams play that Elia Kazan adapted into the equally classic 1947 film starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. And when all of the letters were there except for the very last letter, the "M" in "Named," our big winner here could have just solved the puzzle...had he actually known what it was. I guess if someone doesn't know that the streetcar was named, figuratively or metaphorically, then that person probably don't know the names of lots of stuff.
And so, for his guess, he offered up the letter "K," turning this timeless story of struggles and emotions into a broken sentence implying nudity might be involved. A Streetcar Naked Desire. There was definitely a boob on the Wheel of Fortune stage that day, everyone. The only way this could have been any better is if the contestant's name had been Stella, so that Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and the entire studio audience could have yelled it at him after making that guess.
Wanna know why I haven't talked about what the contestant's name is yet? Because it was worth waiting for. His name is Kevin. In the face of adversarial situations, the guy whose name starts with a "K" relies on his back-pocket instinct wherein he just adds a "K" to something. I admit "Stick a K in it" has measurable enjoyment going for it by way of life mantra, but since my name is Nick, I would just have "Stick an N in it," which makes anyone saying it appear to have sinus issues.
Game show gaffes and local news oddities are two of many reasons why TV will always be a constant source of fun. It's like Blanche du Bois says herself at the end of A Streetcar Named Desire, only with "buffoonery" replacing "kindness."
While my new dreams to watch Kevin take on this woman in a puzzle duel will never come to light, we can all find Wheel of Fortune airing weeknights in syndication, so your local listings will be your best bet. (Or your "bekt bet," eh, Kevin?) Head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to check out everything that's hitting primetime in the coming months.
