Tavaris Williams made Wheel of Fortune history with his viral NSFW answer, and now the game show contestant is ready to cash in on his newly found fame.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Tavaris’s puzzle-solving attempt sent shockwaves across the Wheel of Fortune community when he blurted out a tasteless guess.
Faced with a $1,000 toss-up puzzle in the “Phrase” category, Tavaris buzzed in before his opponents when the puzzle board read, “_ _ _ _ / I _ / T _ E / B _ _ T!”
Tavaris astounded host Pat Sajak, his fellow competitors, the live studio audience, and Wheel of Fortune viewers at home when he answered, “Right in the butt!”
Tavaris’s answer was clearly incorrect, and Pat handled the on-air moment with grace, joking with Tavaris.
“Tavaris, you’ve already made an impression on us,” Pat told him. “We’ll figure out a way to handle that tastefully. I have no idea what that’ll be, but…”
Now that all is said and done, and Tavaris’s video clip has made its rounds on social media and the internet, he says he’s ready to capitalize on his historic gaffe.
Wheel of Fortune contestant Tavaris Williams says he’s willing to cash in on his on-air snafu
Speaking with TMZ, Tavaris admitted that he’s willing to “be the face of” all things butt-related.
“For marketing opportunities, I can definitely say that I am not currently the face of butt cream in America,” Tavaris told the outlet via a video chat.
“I mean, you know, if they wanna call, and you know, [make me] the face of colonoscopies, the face of BBL’s, you know… hey, I’m open for business,” Tavaris continued.
“I’m looking forward to getting into cracking into the commercial game, but yep, this face is ready,” Tavaris teased.
Tavaris also hopes some good comes off his Wheel of Fortune controversy
Tavaris, who works with a child welfare agency in Florida, also told TMZ that “the good Lord allows things to happen for a reason,” and views his appearance on Wheel of Fortune as a blessing in disguise.
He’s hopeful that the attention he’s garnered will help foster children and adoptees find safe places to live, saying he’s “very hopeful” this is the “outcome of this entire ordeal.”
The Port St. Lucie, Florida resident also revealed Pat Sajak’s off-camera reaction to his shocking puzzle solution.
Tavaris says Pat Sajak ‘was the best’ backstage
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, May 29, Tavaris opened up about his backstage exchange with the legendary Wheel of Fortune host.
“Pat was the best — he made me feel so great about that at the break,” Tavaris said of the 77-year-old weeknight game show host. “He said, ‘You know, we’ll find a tactful way of editing it. I don’t know how, but we’ll do it.’”
Tavaris also shared how he wound up on Wheel of Fortune, telling Jimmy Kimmel that his sons dared him to apply for the show.
And as far as being worried about his puzzle guess being aired on national television, Tavaris said, “I told my wife immediately after, ‘I will keep everything a secret except this. This, you have to know about.'”
“‘They said they might edit it. I don’t know what it’s gonna look like.’ And then it was outta sight outta mind until the world reminded me of what I said,” he added.
When Jimmy jokingly asked Tavaris whether he uses the phrase “Right in the butt” frequently, he admitted, “I have never used those words in sequential order a day in my life, Jimmy.”