A Wheel of Fortune contestant had host Pat Sajak nearly speechless with a recent NSFW answer.
During the Thursday, May 23, episode, a player named Tavaris was too quick to respond to the “Phrase” category puzzle, causing quite a stir within the audience. “_ _ _ _ I_ T_E B_ _T!” the puzzle read.
“Right in the butt?” the contestant, who was later revealed to be from Port St. Lucie, Florida, guessed. Sajak, 77, took a beat before answering, “No.”
A second contestant, Blake, was quick to chime in with the correct answer: “This is the best!” They subsequently won $1,000.
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“Yeah, that’s it I think! Much better answer,” Sajak joked before turning to Tavaris. “How you doing, Tavaris? You’ve already made an impression on us.”
Tavaris responded, “I apologize, but I was a little excited.”
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Sajak quipped that the team will “figure out a way to handle that tastefully.” It seems airing the entire moment on television was the fix.
Of course, the clip quickly went viral on social media, with fans weighing in on X to welcome Tavaris “to the Wheel of Fortune Hall of Fame.”
The moment comes as Sajak gears up for his final Wheel of Fortune episodes. The game show host announced his plans to retire in June 2023 after 40 years as the show’s host. (Sajak made his debut in 1981, following the first-ever Wheel of Fortune host, Chuck Woolery.)
“Well, the time has come,” he said in a statement last year. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all.”
It’s since been reported that Sajak filmed his final episode on April 5, and it’s set to air on Friday, June 7.
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Ryan Seacrest was tapped to take over as the program’s host with Vanna White continuing her job running the famed letterboard.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest, 49, shared via X in June 2023. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
The American Idol host went on to say that he looked forward “to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Sajak approved of his replacement at the time, confirming that he’d be “handing over the car keys” in September 2024.
