They’re not all winners on Wheel of Fortune. One contestant recently made a hilarious blunder. Social media couldn’t help but mock the gaff.
Contestant Gishma Tabari ended up missing an easy puzzle. The contestant had to solve a triple toss-up with five empty spots. The puzzle embodied the category of “Show Biz” and had the following letters: “TH_ _RITI_S _GR_E.”
Not missing a beat, Tabari answered, “The British Ogre.” No one knows exactly what Tabari had in mind with the answer. Simon Cowell? Piers Morgan? James Bond? Even host Pat Sajak was a bit perplexed by it.
He asked Tabari, “Say it again.” Even the Wheel of Fortune host found the contestant’s answer funny before replying, “Uh, no.” Sajak announced the correct answer that they were looking for — “The Critics Agree.”
A swing and a miss — but social media refused to not give Tabari a proper roasting. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), several users poked fun at the Wheel of Fortune contestant. “What? You’ve never heard of the British Ogre,” one user tweeted.
Meanwhile, another person wrote, “This woman just guessed this puzzle as The British Ogre. So many British Ogres in show biz.”
Yet another person pondered the embarrassment that Tabari must have felt in the moment. It was enough for them to feel shame on behalf of the Wheel of Fortune contestant. They commented, “This girl guessed ‘The British Ogre’ on Wheel of Fortune and the second-hand embarrassment was overwhelming. She wouldn’t even look at the camera for a sec. I feel bad but man that s–t was funny.”
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Known for Blunders
While Tabari’s mistake was roast-worthy, it’s not all bad news for the contestant. Tabari did end up with a cruise plus $15,853 — not bad for a moment of internet notoriety. It’s not even the worst Wheel of Fortune blunder ever either.
There have been plenty of mistakes over the years that are groan-worthy. Take one 2017 contestant for instance who was one letter away from winning the puzzle. The puzzle had been “A STREETCAR NA-ED DESIRE.” Instead of guessing an M, the contestant chose a K, which most could tell was wrong at a glance. The correct answer had been A Streetcar Named Desire.
Compared to these one-letter mistakes, Tabari’s blunder seems mild. However, it may be a long time before Tabari lives The British Ogre down.