a cheesy oversight cost a participant in the “Wheel of Fortune” almost thousands in prize money.
Angie Gautney, a teacher from North DeLand, Florida, appeared on Wednesday’s episode of the beloved game show in which two awkward letters nearly stopped her from taking home $7,300.
All she had to do was fill in the correct letters during a puzzle in the “Food and Drink” category that already contained “Hot Roast Ba_els with Lo_ and Cream Cheese”.
Gautney guessed correctly that the incomplete first word was “bagels”, but then guessed that the second was “layer” instead of the correct “lox”, which is pickled salmon which is originated in Scandinavia.
But it was New York’s Jewish community that popularized lox on a cream cheese bagel. It remains a favorite breakfast staple on the East Coast.
She finally asked for an “X” on the board and proudly read aloud, “Hot toasted bagels with lox and cream cheese.”
“Yeah, that’s a much better recipe,” joked host Pat Sajak.
But while an impassioned number of lox aficionados flocked to Twitter asking how Gautney seemingly didn’t know what lox is, others also admitted to being unfamiliar with the ingredient.
“What is Lox? Never heard of it. I’ve seen much worse Wheel of Fortune mistakes,” said one user noted, while another stated that they would “Never Show My Face Again” if they had guessed “low” instead of “lox.”
“My dad and I were SHOCKED. My mom was more understanding, but I feel like Florida has so many NY transplants she should have known!” the tweeter continued.
“The absolute verbal abuse my mom and I yelled at this lady on the wheel of fortune who didn’t know what lox was,” another person shared.
“In the entire 500,000-year history of the Wheel of Fortune, these are perhaps the only absolutely stupid contestants I’ve ever seen, and I mean that in the purest possible way. Who has never heard of LOX #Wheel of Fortune,” another person early.
Gautney was a good sport, at least: she even laughed at herself on her Facebook account, promoting her appearance beforehand by noting that there would be “a few embarrassing moments”.
The fish fiasco joins the list of other recent “Wheel” snafus – mostly at Sajak’s expense. The show’s official Twitter account even poked fun at the longtime host’s viral response to a player needing another rule review this week.
In December, viewers were outraged when he complimented his daughter Maggie, 27, who many fans believe will take over for her dad when he eventually retires. Another weird moment occurred when a contestant flushed nearly thousands of dollars down the sink when she failed to solve a bonus round puzzle – confusing Sajak in the process.
