Photo credit: @Rick_Life_Coach/X – Can you solve this "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle?
Watching a game show from the comfort of home is easy. Being on one is a totally different ball game. The lights, the cameras, the pressure. It’s enough to make anyone’s brain freeze up. And is there any game show that allows contestants to royally embarrass themselves on national TV quite like Wheel of Fortune? There’s always someone going viral for taking a big swing and missing on a phrase that seemed pretty apparent to the casual viewer. And when you take a big loss on a WOF word puzzle, there are a lot of folks shaking their heads at home. More than 8 million people watch the game show every night. Yikes.
One rather notorious victim of the wheel was Gishma Tabari from Encino, California, whose fantasy-inspired whiff of a common phrase back in 2023 earned her a lot of groans and some support from those who thought her imagination was inspiring. The 3-word puzzle read: “TH _ _ RITI _ S _ GR _ E,” and Tabari offered the answer, “The British Ogre.” The guess surprised host Pat Sajak, who responded, “Uh, no.” Tabari must have missed that there was a space between the R and the E in the puzzle, so ogre would have had to be spelled with 2 Rs.
She also probably wasn’t aware that England isn’t a place known for its ogres. The correct answer was: “The Critics Agree.”
The answer inspired a lot of activity on X, where people couldn’t believe someone could come up with such a fanciful answer to a puzzle with such a straightforward solution.
This girl guessed “The British Ogre” on wheel of fortune and the second hand embarrassment was overwhelming. She wouldn’t even look at the camera for a sec🤣😭 I feel bad but man that shit was funny— Thumser (@JeffreyThumser) December 13, 2023
One person even created a lovely image of what could be the British Ogre.
On the bright side, the incorrect guess is an opportunity for the world to learn that ogres aren’t a significant part of English folklore. Sure, there are characters in English myths and legends that have ogre-like qualities, such as Grendel from “Beowulf,” the monstrous creature that terrorizes the mead hall of King Hrothgar. There’s also the Boggart, a mischievous spirit much like a hobgoblin and trolls, which appear in some English tales although they originate in Scandinavia.
If you’re looking for ogres in Europe, France is the best place to go.
The word ogre is of French descent and comes from the name of the Etruscan god of the underworld, Orcus. Orcus is a large, ugly, bearded giant who enjoys consuming human flesh. Ogres are primarily known for eating children, which they believe will give them eternal life.
A new era for Wheel of Fortune
As for Wheel of Fortune, the show has continued to evolve since. Pat Sajak stepped down after hosting for 41 years, with his final episode airing June 7, 2024. Ryan Seacrest, the longtime “American Idol” host, took over hosting duties that September, and has since completed his first full season alongside co-host Vanna White. In March 2026, the show was renewed for two more seasons, taking it through 2027, though White’s own contract, extended through the 2025-2026 season, hadn’t yet been confirmed to continue at the time of the renewal announcement.
Sajak, for his part, has made the occasional return trip, including a guest appearance on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, performing what he called his “Final Spin.”
And in case you’re wondering how Tabari is doing: on her Instagram she wears her “Wheel of Fortune Flub Girl” title with pride, declaring she is “British Ogre for life.”
This article originally appeared three yearsago. It has been updated.
