Game shows saw some major changes this year, particularly with the departure of Pat Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” after 40 years.
Ryan Seacrest took over permanently, joining Ken Jennings as the new leaders of some of the longest-running shows on television, where contestants have given viewers some wild moments this year, from the risqué to the confusing.
Check out the wildest game show moments of 2024 below, including a viral “Wheel of Fortune” player’s explanation for his unexpected answer.
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“Wheel of Fortune” contestant Tavaris Williams became an instant viral sensation thanks to his May 23 appearance and his NSFW answer.
During a toss-up puzzle, the puzzle board had the letters for the phrase “_ _ _ _ /I _ /T _ E /B _ _ T!”
Williams quickly buzzed in and confidently said, “Right in the butt.”
His answer was met with a 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 “T H I S / I S / T H E / B E S T !”
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“I tried to just beat my contestants by buzzing in first and letting my brain catch up,” Williams told Fox News Digital of his now infamous TV moment.
“And when my brain was ready to speak, I saw the R, I saw the B, I saw the T. I went for ‘Right in the butt’… And once [host Pat Sajak] said ‘no,’ oh, it was the worst feeling,” he continued with a laugh.
After taping, Williams had to keep the moment secret from his family, who were gathered to watch it live.
“My wife’s like, ‘I’m married to a meme now,'” he said with a laugh, noting his family was overall very supportive.
Williams did walk away with $9,500, but almost as soon as the moment aired, fans took to social media to have a good laugh about the risqué answer.
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A “Jeopardy!” contestant earned an unfortunate place in the show’s history when she earned the show’s second-lowest score ever recorded.
Erin Buker, who walked away with a final score of -$7,200, told Fox News Digital that while she had a “pretty cool” time taping the episode, she would describe it as an “out-of-body experience.”
“You’re looking, you see the clues, but you don’t remember what category it is,” she explained. “You’re reminding yourself to not, you know, make weird faces because you’re on live television.… The way they tape it is like it’s the live show. They really try to keep it really tight.”
And even though she didn’t do as well as she’d hoped, Buker said she’d “love to do it again.”
WATCH: ‘JEOPARDY!’ CONTESTANT ERIN BUKER DESCRIBES WHAT IT WAS LIKE GETTING HISTORIC LOW SCORE
“Jeopardy!” had not one but two contestants that made viewers do a double take this year.
The first was David Erb, who bore a striking resemblance to actor Clint Eastwood.
“David looks like several different people. Clint Eastwood is one of them,” a “Jeopardy!” fan wrote on Reddit.
Another shared on X, formerly Twitter, “Is it just me or does David on #Jeopardy remind anyone else of a young Clint Eastwood??”
The other contestant that caught viewers’ eyes was Father Steve Jakubowski, a Catholic priest from Michigan who quickly earned a lot of fans online.
“There’s a hot priest on Jeopardy rn send help,” one person wrote on X.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jakubowski said that being on “Jeopardy!” was “a great experience.”
“Ken and all the producers and team were very kind to me with the novelty of having a Catholic priest on the show,” he explained. “I hope it gave a positive impression of my community and the Church. The show airs at 3:30 where I live in Austin, and so we had a watch party at our parish school with our students and their parents – tons of fun to share that with our parish.”
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Seacrest took over for Sajak as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” this year, and people quickly put the blame at his feet for a contestant’s big loss.
During his second night hosting, contestant Airica spun a $1 million wedge during her turn. The wedge could have been swapped out for the $100,000 wedge in the bonus round, meaning that if she won the game, she could have potentially won the big prize.
Airica solved the first puzzle, and landed on a $1,000 mystery wedge and was given the choice to unveil it or leave it.
“It could be a bankrupt or it could be $10,000,” Seacrest explained, and after she decided to risk it, Airica unveiled the bankrupt wedge and Seacrest had to take back the million-dollar wedge.
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Fans online felt Seacrest hadn’t explained the rules properly, comparing him negatively to Sajak.
“Pat would’ve explained that if she took the risk, she would’ve lost the million-dollar wedge,” a fan wrote on X.
Others defended Seacrest, noting that contestants get a rundown of rules and gameplay ahead of time, or were likely briefed on the rules in a portion cut for time.
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Jennings bore the brunt of criticism for a “sexist” clue during an October episode of the show.
During the episode, the category “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” contained a clue that read, “Men seldom make passes at…”
Returning champion Will Wallace correctly answered, “Girls who wear glasses.”
Jennings recognized the prompt may have made female contestant Heather Ryan uncomfortable since she wore glasses on the show.
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“A little problematic, sorry, Heather,” Jennings remarked, and Wallace added “very” in defense of his competitor.
The questionable phrase was from acclaimed poet Dorothy Parker.
Game show fans were quick to react to the tense situation on social media.
A viewer wrote on X, “Still angry about this. She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment.”
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Some “Jeopardy!” clues leave contestants completely stumped, as was the case with a couple of pop culture clues this year.
In February, during the Final Jeopardy round of “Jeopardy!’s Champions Wildcard,” contestants were taken down by a letter in a Johnny Cash song title.
The clue for the question was, “‘It was kind of a prodding to myself to play it straight,’ said Johnny Cash of this 1956 hit, with the correct answer being “I Walk the Line.”
Unfortunately for all the contestants, one letter cost them all points and time on the Champions Wildcard. All three contestants answered “Walk the Line,” leaving out the letter “I.”
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A month later, on an episode of “Jeopardy: Tournament of Champions,” competitors Ben Chan, Yogesh Raut and Troy Meyer missed a $400 clue about a Taylor Swift song in the category “Songs of Youth.”
The prompt read by Jennings said, “Inspired by her bestie, Tay Tay sang when ‘somebody tells you they love you’ at this title age ‘you’re gonna believe them.'”
The correct answer was “Fifteen,” the title of Swift’s country pop song from her second studio album, 2008’s “Fearless.” The musician has previously said “Fifteen” was inspired by her high school best friend Abigail Anderson, who experienced a painful breakup with a boyfriend when she and Swift were both 15.
“We’re gonna get killed for that,” Meyer said with a laugh.
“Wheel of Fortune” fans were frustrated by a player’s costly mistake during an episode in May.
Contestant Kimberly Wright landed on the Express wedge when the board read “D U _ _ – _ _ L L E D PLATYPUS.”
“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.”
Contestant Marie Kioski from Owosso, Michigan, solved the puzzle, winning a trip to Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Puerto Rico, worth $7,250.
“Oh my, that was painful. F?? She thought the platypus was filled? with what exactly?” a viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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