‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant explains his risqué answer
Tavaris Williams went viral on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ following a shocking answer. He explained the thought process that led to his surprising guess on the game show.
As Pat Sajak’s final season as host of "Wheel of Fortune" comes to an end, contestants and fans have continued to deliver memorable moments.
The most memorable in recent weeks and certainly one of the top moments of all time was the very unexpected and not-safe-for-work answer from contestant Tavaris Williams.
During his May 23 appearance on the game show, co-host Vanna White was at the puzzle board as the letters for the phrase were revealed: "_ _ _ _ I _ T _ E B _ _ T!"
Williams quickly buzzed in and confidently said, "Right in the butt."
Tavaris Williams went viral after giving a raunchy answer. (ABC)
His answer was met with brief silence, then audience laughter, 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!"
Williams told Fox News Digital last week, "None of those commonsense [thoughts like], ‘Well, there wasn't enough letters for the word "right"' [or] ‘This is a family show.’ None of that is going through your head when you have 50 monitors above you. The lights are extra bright. There are 100 stagehands. There’s producers. There’s sound guys."
After he gave his answer, Williams said they took a break from filming, and that’s when Sajak, whom he called "spectacular," did his best to support him.
"So, right then and there, he tried to make me feel better and move on, but they immediately cut to break. And in the break, Pat was very gracious, and he was very supportive and said, ‘Oh, you made a name for yourself. We're going to see how we can edit that tastefully. I don't know how, but we'll figure it out.’ He was very accommodating, and he made me feel great throughout the process after that. He's truly amazing," he said.
WATCH: ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CONTESTANT PRAISES PAT SAJAK FOR BEING ‘VERY GRACIOUS’
Williams’ risqué answer isn’t the only wild moment from the last six months of Sajak’s tenure as host. Here’s a look back at some of the wildest moments of 2024.
Cue card fumble
Pat Sajak ran into a cue card fumble while interviewing a contestant in January. (Wheel of Fortune/ABC)
In January, Sajak had a little mishap while interviewing contestants on the show.
He was speaking with psychiatric nurse practitioner Jason about his relationship status, asking "Married man?" while looking at his notecards.
Jason appeared stunned and confused and replied, "No, I’m single, actually."
"You know, I’m sorry," Sajak said, attempting to laugh off the awkward mistake. He apologized while going through his cards and joked "So you’re a circus acrobat, I see?" before landing on the right info.
He correctly shared Jason’s bio, "Paris, Texas, as a single dad to two adopted boys," adding, ""Nice to have you, Jason, forgive me, but it’s been a New Year’s weekend. You have to understand."
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Sajak snap
Some fans were critical of Sajak telling a contestant to "shut up," but others thought he was simply joking and matching her excited energy. (Getty Images)
Early this year, Sajak tried to calm an overly excited contestant, but the moment ended up more awkward than intended.
During the Jan. 16 episode, Sajak began to explain how much contestant Angela had won by when she began shrieking "Shut up!" with excitement.
Sajak was surprised by the contestant’s candid reaction, and he continued to ask, "You didn't mean that personally?" She replied, "No … never."
"According to my math, by $233, you are the winner with $11,900," Sajak added, prompting another ecstatic response from Angela.
After Sajak announced the commercial break, he then took a pause and yelled "Shut up!"
Some fans took issue with Sajak’s response, saying he was "highly disrespectful and inappropriate."
Others felt he was clearly joking, but it did end up being "cringe."
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Puzzle frustration
Fans took issue with a category named "Rhyme Time," suggesting the answer did not actually rhyme. (CBS Media)
Fans of "Wheel of Fortune" are often vocal about the puzzles featured on the game show, as was the case with a "Rhyme Time" category earlier this year.
The contestant was able to correctly fill in the blanks to get the right answer, "Absolutely Positively," but viewers complained the two words don’t actually rhyme.
"Absolutely Positively is NOT a rhyme," one person wrote on X.
Another viewer commented, "Pardon my French, but how the f--- does that rhyme? This country is going to hell."
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Lost fortune
A contestant lost out on the $1 million wedge not once but twice this year. (Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
In March, contestant Tara Brown managed to land on the $1 million wedge two different times but lost the big prize both times.
When a contestant lands on it and then correctly guesses a letter, they pick it up, and if they solve the final puzzle, then the $1 million prize will be available to win after the bonus round.
Brown unfortunately made some costly mistakes.
The first time Brown got the wedge, it was when the contestants had nearly solved a puzzle in the "Let There Be Light!" category. There were only two letters left before the puzzle was complete, and it said "BULB, BEA__N, SUN, STARS."
Sajak reminded her that she needed to "call a letter that's in the puzzle, and she hesitantly guessed "H?"
The audience audibly reacted in dismay, and one person could be heard crying out, "Oh no!"
She lost out on her chance to get the coveted prize, and another contestant then correctly solved the puzzle by saying "Bulb, Beacon, Sun, Stars."
Brown was able to nab the $1 million wedge a second time but didn’t get enough of the remaining puzzles correct to move on to the final round.
Expensive mistake
A contestant guessed a wrong letter, leading to her losing out on $7,250. (Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
Another contestant drove fans crazy when she picked the wrong letter, costing her a key $7,250 in the game.
When the puzzle board said "DU__ - __LLED PLATYPUS," contestant Kimberly Wright chose to spin the wheel and landed on the Express wedge.
"I'm going to call an F," Wright said to groans from the studio audience.
Wright apparently believed that the correct answer was "duck-filled platypus" when it was actually "duck-billed platypus."
Another contestant, Marie Kioski, solved the puzzle, winning the money and a trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico.
"Oh my, that was painful. F?? She thought the platypus was filled? with what exactly?" a viewer wrote on X.
"Where did this lady think an F was going to go in this puzzle?" another social media user wondered.
'WHEEL OF FORTUNE' CONTESTANT UNAWARE HE GAVE WRONG ANSWER, CELEBRATES WIN UNTIL PAT SAJAK STEPS IN
Jared Leto (temporarily) replaces Sajak
Jared Leto did the intro for the "Wheel of Fortune" episode along with Vanna White as part of an April Fool's Day prank on the audience. (Wheel of Fortune/Sony Pictures Television)
For the April Fool’s show this year, "Wheel of Fortune" brought out Oscar winner Jared Leto to prank audiences.
"Here are the stars of our show, Jared Leto and Vanna White," the announcer said as Leto and White entered in the same fashion as Sajak and White.
Leto then stepped right into Sajak’s usual position and began hosting duties.
Sajak took back over shortly after, and Leto asked fans on social media "How’d I do?"
The show also didn’t address the surprise any further, but fans were definitely shocked by the switch, with one person calling it "so random, I thought I was having a fever dream or something."
Leto had previously appeared on the show in November 2023 to announce a new album and world tour for his band, 30 Seconds to Mars.
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Vocal audiences
Sajak teased audiences after they booed a final puzzle answer. (Christopher Willard via Getty Images)
In May, contestant Paul tried to answer the final puzzle "What Are You Doing?" with minimal letters.
Stuck with "_____L_N_" and no additional help, he wasn’t able to get to the correct answer in time, which was "QUIBBLING."
As the letters were revealed, the audience began to audibly boo, prompting a confused Sajak to turn and ask "Who asked you?"
Sadly, Paul missed out on a new car and a chance at $1 million, but he did walk away with $33,550.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Emily Trainham, Christina Dugan Ramirez and Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
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