One Wheel of Fortune contestant’s puzzle blunder has viewers calling it the “worst” in the show’s history.
Will Jordan appeared on the November 11 episode during Veterans’ Week and played against Chantel Toran and Kitina Thomas.
Will, a Coast Guard veteran and current police officer from Wethersfield, Connecticut, blew a solve with an answer that has Wheel watchers scratching their heads.
Will had an opportunity to cash in with a puzzle in the “Phrase” category. He told host Ryan Seacrest he would like to solve the puzzle.
At the time, Will felt confident he knew the solution to the puzzle, which read, “_ _ _ E / _ O U R S E _ F / A / R O U N _ / O F / A _ _ _ A U S E.”
“Okay, Will, let’s hear it,” Ryan told Will as he rambled off his answer.
“Treat Yourself a Round of Sausage,” Will replied.
Will’s answer quickly earned him the buzzer as Ryan said, “I’m sorry, that’s not it.”
As it turned out, the correct solution was, “Give Yourself a Round of Applause,” which Will’s opponent, Kitina, was able to come up with.
Wheel of Fortune viewers put Will on blast on social media
Following Will’s stint on Wheel of Fortune, viewers assembled on X (formerly Twitter) to react to his answer.
@WheelRob10 shared a clip of Will’s puzzle segment on the social media platform and joked in the caption, “I’ve always been jealous of any of y’all who are able to TREAT YOURSELF A ROUND OF SAUSAGE almost every day.”
Others noted that the “secondhand embarrassment was heavy” during Will’s round.
Another Wheel watcher called Will’s response “absolutely iconic,” and why they watch the show.
“Round of sausage > round of applause,” joked another X user.
One Wheel of Fortune viewer called the episode a “rough night” for Will, who they claimed had a few “awful” guesses.
One X user wondered how Will earned a spot on the show, and another called him the “dumbest contestant ever.”
Will makes light of his on-air mistake
Despite the backlash, Will proved he was a good sport after the show.
Speaking with Wheel of Fortune’s Social Correspondent, Maggie Sajak, about his missolve, Will admitted that solving a puzzle on stage in front of an audience and legendary TV stars Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White is a different game than playing at home in front of the TV.
“I tell ya, when the lights are on, and, you know, the stars and Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White… I just went blank,” Will said. “But if your dad, [Pat Sajak] in retirement is watching the show, maybe cracks a beer and gets a laugh, it was worth it.”
“I’m sure I’m gonna have sausages in my locker and police car when I get back, so we’ll try to have some fun with it,” he added.