The Most Bizarre Blunder in Wheel of Fortune History
Winning on Wheel of Fortune is a dream come true for many contestants. If you walk away with a decent prize—or better yet, as the grand winner—you’d want everyone to tune in and watch your moment of glory. But what happens when your big moment becomes a viral mishap? For some, it might be tempting to disappear into the background. So in a moment like that, do you hide in embarrassment… or just laugh along with the rest of the world?
That brings us to what might be the most unforgettable mistake the show has ever seen.
Enter Matt—a contestant who gave the audience a truly head-scratching moment. Despite eventually walking away with a respectable $23,350, Matt made an error so baffling, it’s become iconic.
The round was straightforward: solve a three-word puzzle in the “People” category. As usual, players could guess one letter at a time or attempt to solve the entire phrase. With several letters already revealed, the board read:
N_ T – _ N _ R _ T _ _ N TH_
Matt had the floor. After a brief pause, he confidently blurted out: “The Greatest Buttercut.”
Yes, you read that right.
Not only did the phrase make no logical sense, but it also didn’t contain a single ‘N’, which was already clearly on the board. The correct answer? “The Next Generation.” A perfectly logical, completely visible answer.
While we may never know what “Buttercut” means, one thing’s for sure—this hilariously wrong guess has secured a place in Wheel of Fortune history. And while Matt might cringe a little every time someone brings it up, the rest of us? We’ll be laughing for years to come.
More Wheel of Fortune Blunders That Left Viewers Speechless
Matt’s epic “Buttercut” blunder may have made headlines, but he’s far from the only Wheel of Fortune contestant to deliver a jaw-dropping mistake. The beloved game show has seen its fair share of facepalm-worthy moments over the decades—and each one is more entertaining than the last.
1. Kevin’s Bold (and Bizarre) Guess – 2017
Sometimes, you’re just one letter away from glory—or infamy. In the puzzle “A STREETCAR NA_ED DESIRE,” contestant Kevin only needed to fill in the missing “M.” But when the spotlight hit, he confidently guessed: “A Streetcar Naked Desire.”
The studio erupted in laughter, and while Kevin didn’t win the round, he certainly left a memorable impression.
2. Lolita McAuley’s Self-Inflicted Slip – 2009
During a speed round, where letters fill in automatically and players buzz in to solve, Lolita from Sacramento had her moment. The puzzle under the “Thing” category read:
S_LF-PO_T_ _T.
She buzzed in with gusto and guessed: “Self-Potato.”
The audience was stunned—and then amused. The correct answer, of course, was “Self-Portrait.” A classic slip that turned into instant comedy gold.
3. Julian’s Million-Dollar Misfire – 2014
Julian, a University of Indiana student, was poised to make history. He had luck, timing, and a potential $1 million on the line. But when faced with the puzzle “Mythological hero Achilles,” he mispronounced “Achilles” as “AY-chill-es,” which didn’t meet the pronunciation rules of the game—costing him the round.
Things spiraled from there. When trying to solve “WORLD’S FASTEST A_,” he guessed “C” instead of the more obvious answer: “MAN.” Later, when faced with a puzzle in the “Things” category that read “On-the-spot ___,” he confidently offered: “On-the-spot dicespin.”
Needless to say, that wasn’t the answer.
Was Matt’s Blunder the Worst of All?
So now that you’ve seen some of the most outrageous Wheel of Fortune mistakes—from Kevin’s “Naked Desire” to Julian’s million-dollar mispronunciation—how does Matt’s infamous “Greatest Buttercut” compare?
Was it the most shocking? The funniest? Or just a harmless brain freeze in the heat of the moment?
We want to hear from you!
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
👀 Was Matt’s guess truly the worst in Wheel of Fortune history—or does another contestant take the crown? 🎡