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Game shows underwent some major changes this year, particularly with the departure of Pat Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” after 40 years.
Ryan Seacrest has taken over permanently, joining Ken Jennings as the new leaders of some of TV’s longest-running shows, where contestants have given viewers some wild moments this year, from the risqué to the confusing.
Check out the wildest game show moments of 2024 below, including one “Wheel of Fortune” player’s viral explanation for his unexpected response.
‘DANGER!’ CONTESTANT CALLS CONTEST AFTER BUILT-IN ‘SEXIST’ Clue
bold response
Tavaris Williams gave an instantly viral response on “Wheel of Fortune,” saying “Right in the ass.” (ALPHABET)
“Wheel of Fortune” contestant Tavaris Williams became an instant viral sensation thanks to his May 23 appearance and his NSFW response.
During a toss puzzle, the puzzle board had the letters of the phrase “_ _ _ _ /I _ /T _ E /B _ _ T!”
Williams quickly intervened and said confidently, “Right in the butt.”
His response was met with a brief silence, then laughter from the audience, followed by a “What?” from fellow contestant Tyra, and a definitive “no” from Sajak as a look of utter surprise crossed Williams’ face.
The correct answer was “THIS/IS/THE/BEST!”
LOOK: THE ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CONTESTANT EXPLAINS HIS BOLD RESPONSE
‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CONTESTANT GOES VIRAL FOR X-RATED ANSWER: ‘WILL BE PLAYED FOR ETERNITY’
“I tried to beat my contestants by calling first and letting my brain catch up,” Williams told Fox News Digital of her now-infamous TV moment.
“And when my brain was ready to talk, I saw the R, I saw the B, I saw the T. I chose ‘Right in the butt’… And one time (host Pat Sajak) said ‘no,’ oh, that was the worst feeling,” he continued laughing.
After recording, Williams had to keep the moment a secret from his family, who gathered to watch it live.
“My wife says, ‘I’m married to a meme now,'” he said with a laugh, noting that his family was generally very supportive.
Williams walked away with $9,500, but almost as soon as the moment aired, fans took to social media to laugh at the cheeky response.
WATCH: THE ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CONTESTANT HAD TO KEEP THE VIRAL MOMENT A SECRET FROM THE FAMILY
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Low score that makes history
“Danger!” Contestant Erin Buker had the second lowest score in the show’s history. (ABC/Danger)
A “Danger!” The contestant earned an unfortunate place in the show’s history when she earned the second-lowest score ever recorded on the show.
Erin Buker, who earned a final score of -$7,200, told Fox News Digital that while she had a “great time” recording the episode, she would describe it as an “out-of-body experience.”
“You’re looking, you see the clues, but you don’t remember what category it is,” he explained. “You remind yourself not to make funny faces because you’re on live TV… The way they film it is like it’s the live show. They really try to keep it very tight.”
And although it didn’t go as well as he hoped, Buker said he would “love to do it again.”
WATCH: ‘JEOPARDY!’ CONTESTANT ERIN BUKER DESCRIBES WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GET A HISTORICALLY LOW SCORE
‘JEOPARDY’ CONTESTANT WHO EARNED THE SECOND LOWEST SCORE IN THE GAME SHOW’S HISTORY SPEAKS UP: ‘A DAY TO FORGET’
famous faces
“Danger!” It had not one but two contestants that made viewers do a double take this year.
The first was David Erb, who bore a striking resemblance to actor Clint Eastwood.
“David looks like a lot of different people. Clint Eastwood is one of them,” he said on “Jeopardy!” fan wrote on Reddit.
Another shared on X, formerly Twitter: “Is it just me or does David on #Jeopardy remind anyone else of a young Clint Eastwood?”
“Danger!” Contestant David Erb looked like Clint Eastwood, according to fans. (Danger/ABC)
THE ‘JEOPARDY’ CHAMPION WAS FORCED TO RE-RECORD THE WINNING MOMENT DUE TO HIS ‘HUGE REACTION’: ‘I LOVE SHOWING’
The other contestant who caught viewers’ attention was Father Steve Jakubowski, a Catholic priest from Michigan who quickly gained many fans online.
“There’s a hot priest on Jeopardy who can send help,” one person on X wrote.
Father Steve Jakubowski told Fox News Digital that Ken Jennings and the rest of “Jeopardy!” The crew was “very kind” to him. (ABC/Danger!)
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Jakubowski said being on “Jeopardy!” It was “a great experience.”
“Ken and all the producers and crew were very kind to me about the novelty of having a Catholic priest on the show,” he explained. “I hope it gave a positive impression of my community and the Church. The show airs at 3:30 where I live in Austin, so we had a watch party at our parish school with our students and their parents: it was very fun to share that with our parish.”
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Second day of work
Ryan Seacrest replaced host Pat Sajak following his retirement last year. (Ryan Seacrest Instagram)
Seacrest replaced Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” this year, and people were quick to blame him for the big loss of a contestant.
During her second night as host, contestant Airica spun a $1 million wedge during her turn. The wedge could have been exchanged for the $100,000 wedge in the bonus round, meaning that if you had won the game you could have potentially won the grand prize.
Airica solved the first puzzle and landed on a $1,000 mystery wedge and was given the option to reveal it or leave it.
“It could be a bankruptcy or it could be $10,000,” Seacrest explained, and after he decided to take a chance, Airica revealed the bankruptcy wedge and Seacrest had to take back the million-dollar wedge.
“Wheel of Fortune” fans were upset with Seacrest because a player lost a chance to win a million-dollar prize. (Getty Images/Wheel of Fortune/ABC)
CLINT EASTWOOD’S DAUGHTER TURNED FAMILY TRADITION INTO ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ RACE
Fans online felt that Seacrest had not explained the rules properly, comparing him negatively to Sajak.
“Pat would have explained that if he took a chance, he would have lost the million dollar wedge,” one fan wrote on X.
Others defended Seacrest, pointing out that contestants are given a rundown of the rules and gameplay ahead of time, or were likely briefed on the rules in a portion cut for time.
‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ FANS CRITICIZE ‘NAUSEATIVE’ CHANGES IN THE APPEARANCE OF THE CONTEST
sexist track
During an episode of “Jeopardy!”, the “Complete the Rhyming Sentence” category quickly turned the game into an awkward situation. (Getty Images/Danger!/ABC)
Jennings took the brunt of criticism for a “sexist” track during an episode of the show in October.
During the episode, the “Complete the Rhyming Sentence” category contained a clue that read, “Men rarely make advances to…”.
Returning champion Will Wallace correctly answered, “Girls who wear glasses.”
Jennings acknowledged that the message may have made contestant Heather Ryan uncomfortable since she wore glasses on the show.
The questionable “Jeopardy!” The phrase was from the famous poet Dorothy Parker. (Danger!/ABC/YouTube)
‘DANGER!’ FANS SLAM ‘POSITIVELY REPRESENTATIVE’ RULING: ‘BRUTAL CALL’
“A little problematic, sorry, Heather,” Jennings commented, and Wallace added “a lot” in defense of his competitor.
The questionable phrase was from acclaimed poet Dorothy Parker.
Fans of the game show were quick to react to the tense situation on social media.
One viewer wrote on
‘DANGER!’ LEAVES FANS CONFUSED BY DISNEY CHANNEL ‘STEAMY’ BUT MISLEADING TRUE
Celebrity confusion
Some “Danger!” The clues leave the contestants completely stumped, as was the case with a couple of pop culture clues this year.
In February, during the Jeopardy final round of “Jeopardy!’s Champions Wildcard,” contestants were eliminated over a lyric in the title of a Johnny Cash song.
The clue for the question was: “‘It was like an encouragement to myself to act straight,’ Johnny Cash said of this 1956 hit, and the correct answer was “I Walk the Line.”
Unfortunately for all the contestants, one letter cost them all the points and time in the Champions Wildcard. All three contestants answered “Walk the Line”, omitting the letter “I”.
Contestants were eliminated for the letter “I” in the answer to their final “Jeopardy!” ask. (Getty Images)
‘DANGER!’ TURNED 60: NEW GAME SHOW HOSTS, OUTRAGED FANS AND “WAKE UP” QUESTIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A month later, on an episode of “Jeopardy: Tournament of Champions,” competitors Ben Chan, Yogesh Raut and Troy Meyer lost a $400 clue to a Taylor Swift song in the “Songs of Youth” category.
The message read by Jennings read: “Inspired by her best friend, Tay Tay sang when ‘someone tells you they love you’ at this age of the title, ‘you’re going to believe them.'”
The correct answer was “Fifteen,” the title of Swift’s country-pop song from her second studio album, 2008’s “Fearless.” The musician has previously said that “Fifteen” was inspired by her high school best friend, Abigail Anderson, who experienced a painful breakup with a boyfriend when she and Swift were 15 years old.
“They’re going to kill us for that,” Meyer said, laughing.
A clue about a Taylor Swift song stumped “Jeopardy!” contestants. (Getty Images)
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“Painful” error
A “Wheel of Fortune” contestant lost a big prize thanks to a wrong handwriting. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for CBS Media Ventures/Sony Pictures Television)
“Wheel of Fortune” fans were frustrated by a player’s costly mistake during an episode in May.
Contestant Kimberly Wright landed on the Express wedge as the board read “DU _ _ – _ _ LLED PLATYPUS.”
“I’m going to say an F,” Wright said to groans from the studio audience.
Wright apparently believed the correct answer was “duck-stuffed platypus” when it was actually “duck-billed platypus.”
Contestant Marie Kioski of Owosso, Michigan, solved the puzzle and won a trip to the Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico, valued at $7,250.
“Oh, that was painful. F? She thought the platypus was full? Of what exactly?” wrote one viewer on X, formerly Twitter.
