Wheel of Fortune has gifted viewers with a number of viral moments over the years. Many times recently, we’ve seen the game show in the headlines for the inconsistent enforcement of its rules — whether that’s keeping a contestant from the car she seemingly won, or allowing a win after a player gave an incorrect answer. But the most fun moments come simply from someone's complete failure to solve what appears to be an easy puzzle. Fans who tuned in to the March 1 episode of Wheel of Fortune experienced just that, as two players made multiple bad guesses on a mostly solved puzzle over a span of two excruciating minutes, as their fellow third contestant kept getting screwed by the wheel.
The three contestants in question were looking for a Phrase, and once Laura bought an “O,” which brought the puzzle to a mostly completed “ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_,” all forward progress came to a screeching halt. The last word was clearly the problem, thus beginning what may have been the most hilariously frustrating two minutes in Wheel of Fortune’s 46-year history. Check out the clip below:
This might have been the worst two minute stretch in Wheel of Fortune history 😂 pic.twitter.com/lz6HynkkF5March 2, 2022
I have no issue whatsoever with Laura's first guess of "Another feather in your hat.” “Hat” is close enough to “cap” that I kinda think she knew the answer subconsciously, even if it never bubbled to the surface. But then Christopher then asked for a “G,” which was wrong, and I don’t even know what he was going for. Next up, Thomas landed on Bankrupt.
Then we were back to Laura, and she went straight for the solve, not willing to risk meeting the same fate as Thomas. Her guess? “Another feather in your lap.” ... Why, though, Laura? Did you already have one feather in your lap, for either tickling or medical purposes, and you needed another?
This was actually my favorite part of the clip, because longtime hostess Vanna White made the slightest of advances forward to reveal the remaining letters, assuming Laura would be guessing correctly. Hearing “lap,” however, stopped her in her tracks! Christopher, who was just as stumped as Laura, then asked for “D,” because that's the kind of game Christopher plays. Alas, there was none. Thomas, who was once again set up perfectly to swoop in for the win, spun the wheel and landed on Lose a Turn. Poor Thomas.
Back to Laura, and the third time’s a charm, right? She chose to spin the wheel this time and added the “P” to the final word! Success is imminent! Time to solve! “Another feather in your map.” [Very sad trombone.] That doesn’t even make any sense, and in a different way than her "lap" guess didn't make sense.
This time, Christopher went Bankrupt, saving the world from him guessing "X" or something, and Thomas took his rightful place atop the throne. His guess added the “C” to the puzzle, and he solved with “Another feather in your cap,” surely to the exasperated cheers of viewers nationwide. Wow, there is no way Thomas could have expected that puzzle to go around three times to give him another crack at it after losing out two turns in a row.
As fans of anything are wont to do these days, a number of viewers quickly took to Twitter to comment on the fiasco by saying some unkind things about the contestants. And while I admit to a certain amount of schadenfreude here, we would all do well to remember that it’s surely much harder to be playing the game up on that stage than it is from the comfort of our homes. And you can stick that feather in your map all day long.
Pat Sajak recently celebrated his 40th anniversary as host of Wheel of Fortune, and he knows as well as anybody that the next viral blunder could be coming any moment. Remember the time he nearly conjured Candyman? Yeah, we all make mistakes.
Check your local listings to find Wheel of Fortune in your area, and take a peek at our 2022 TV Schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.
