Despite missing the big prize, Sweet stayed upbeat and gracious. “It’s okay!” he said, showing he wouldn’t let the tough puzzle get to him. He still walked away with over $16,000 in cash and a trip to Mexico, a decent consolation.
Once a YouTube vid of the game went up, the head-scratching moment went viral. In the comments, many said how hard the puzzle was. A viewer noted, “It’s tricky. I don’t think I’d have solved it without the right letters.” Many agreed with another fan that “By” is often a tough word to guess in the bonus round. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “To be fair, ‘By’ is hard to think of for 2-letter words on Wheel,” and the social media chatter continued. “#WheelOfFortune.”
This flub came after a similar viral moment the week before, when Will Jordan, a Connecticut cop, made waves with his wild guess, “Treat yourself a round of sausages,” instead of the right answer, “Give yourself a round of applause.” As these funny blunders keep grabbing the internet’s attention, one thing’s for sure: Wheel of Fortune always serves up the unexpected.