Wheel of Fortune contestant goes viral with hilarious NSFW on-air blunder

Wheel of Fortune contestant Tavaris Williams has gone viral after he incorrectly shouted out a very inappropriate guess to a puzzle.

It was only a few minutes into the Thursday (24 May) episode when Williams, who was up against against two other competitors, made the unfortunate slip-up.

As letters to the puzzle began to quickly appear on the board, the contestants were tasked with deciphering the phrase using only a few characters.

Williams proved to be overhasty when he rang in and promptly guessed: “Right in the butt.”

“What?” asked one of his fellow contestants in disbelief, followed by longtime host Pat Sajak, who responded: “No.”

Tavaris stood there with an “oops” expression on his face while the audience roared with laughter. Sajak swiftly moved on to call on contestant Blake, who correctly answered: “This is the best.”

“Yeah, that’s it!” Sajak praised.

Later in the episode, when it came time for Sajak to introduce the contestants, he turned to Tavaris, saying: “Well, Tavaris, you’ve already made an impression on us.”

“I apologize, Pat. I was a little excited,” Tavaris replied.

“We’ll figure out a way to handle that tastefully,” Sajak said, prompting more laughter from the audience. He went on to joke: “I have no idea what that’ll be, but...”

The clip of the moment has since made the rounds on X, formerly Twitter, with several viewers labeling the interaction as “a Wheel of Fortune Hall of Fame” moment.

“All time #WheelOfFortune moment right here,” one person wrote. A second declared: “This could have been on South Park.”

“Missed the mark,” another person said, adding a laughing emoji alongside a broken heart. The official X account for American dictionary Merriam-Webster tweeted: “Yes, we saw the Wheel of Fortune clip you can stop sending it to us.”

Others noted that his NSFW guess would not have fit the letter boxes anyhow. “Not even the correct number of letters,” one noted.

“Must be this kinda Rite,” someone suggested, alongside a gif of the drugstore chain Rite Aid.

Wheel of Fortune has aired in the US since 1975. Originally hosted by Chuck Woolery, the show is now presented by Sajak took over hosting duties in 1981 and has presided over the popular game show ever since.

Last June, Sajak, 77, announced that he would be retiring from his long-time position after 40 years. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” he said at the time.

His final episode airs on 7 June. He will, however, serve as a consultant for three years beyond his retirement, according to Deadline.

Former American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest will be taking over from Sajak, with his first season premiering this fall.

Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays on ABC at 7:30pm.