# Stupid TV game show contestants **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [August 29, 2021, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702 "2021-08-29T00:06:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/83 "2021-09-13T16:08:45Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I have always thought wheel of fortune contestants were some of the dumbest people on God’s green earth … Nothing in life annoys me more when a WoF contestant gets one letter and then immediately starts buying vowels. Or picks an “I” and a “G” in the final puzzle when the category is “What are you doing?” ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/84 "2021-09-13T19:15:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > My favorite was the Family Feud bonus round (Richard Dawson era) where the question was “Name an animal with three letters in its name”. First contestant comes up with “Frog”, and the second answered “Alligator”. Speaking of the Dawson era, there is a clip on Youtube where the question is “name a fruit you eat with the skin on”. The woman answers banana, and Dawson goes offstage and gets a banana and makes the woman take a bite with the skin on. To be fair, he also takes a bite himself. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/85 "2021-09-13T20:13:56Z")
The infamous “Turkey. Turkey. Turkey!” from the UK version of the Feud: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/odw_uIScUZU/hqdefault.jpg "Turkey! (Funny Game Show Answer)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odw_uIScUZU) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/86 "2021-09-13T21:26:18Z")
I had never heard of this, but that is quite the story. > **[Induction #75: Bob Johnson's Big Money Turkey](http://www.gameshowgarbage.com/ind075_fortunesturkey.html)** > > Your Site Description here ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/87 "2021-09-14T02:12:53Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Nothing in life annoys me more when a WoF contestant gets one letter and then immediately starts buying vowels Why is this a problem? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/88 "2021-09-14T13:23:42Z")
I agree that it’s a perfectly valid strategy. The best way to win on Wheel is to get a letter right on your first spin, and never give up the wheel again. Just keep spinning & guessing correctly until you know the answer and have a reasonable amount of cash. And guessing vowels is an excellent way to figure out consonants. Now I’m waiting for someone to complain about “Contestants who know what the puzzle is but keep spinning!” as if the object of the game is to solve the puzzles, not to win as much money as possible. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/89 "2021-09-14T13:32:41Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Further, imagine you’re walking through the streets of New York, going about your day, and all of a sudden some random jackass shoves a microphone in your face and asks you a question. You’re going to be taken aback. This is Billy Eichner’s whole schtick on _Billy on the Street_. In the below cringey and hilarious clip a poor woman absolutely freezes when asked to, “name a woman.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LlCEmPF4-V0/maxresdefault.jpg "Name A Woman (Billy on the Street)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlCEmPF4-V0) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/90 "2021-09-14T14:10:33Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Now I’m waiting for someone to complain about “Contestants who know what the puzzle is but keep spinning!” as if the object of the game is to solve the puzzles, not to win as much money as possible. Agreed. However, I have seen one blunder that _WoF_ contestants make. If you spin the wheel and it stops on $1,000, and you call out a letter, you get $1,000 for each time that letter appears in the puzzle. If you know that answer, play accordingly. If you get a low number on your spin, guess a letter that only appears once; get a high spin and guess a letter that’s in the puzzle multiple times. I’ve even see a case where there were 2 'B’s and 1 ‘W’ (for example), the player spins, calls out “W”, then solves the puzzle. It’s like leaving money on the table. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/91 "2021-09-14T14:13:43Z")
Oh yeah, 100% agree. I’m not claiming that Wheel contestants are Rhodes scholars or anything, but yes, many of them do a terrible job strategizing their guesses vs the spin. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/92 "2021-09-14T15:21:32Z")
Except that there are “lose a turn” and “bankrupt” slots on that wheel. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/93 "2021-09-14T15:40:59Z")
I read/heard somewhere that on Wheel, they encourage the vowel buying. The cost of a vowel is fairly minimal and having it up there stops contestants from doing silly things like on/an/in mistakes where they come up with the wrong answer because they have misheard the phrase in the past or get too excited and say something stupid. With all the vowels, they can just read the answer. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/94 "2021-09-14T16:11:03Z")
Sure, there’s a risk, but you’re always playing with house money on Wheel. If you’ve got $750 and know the answer, you’re probably better off spinning. If you’ve got $7500, then yes, you’re risking a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/95 "2021-09-14T16:15:07Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Why is this a problem? > [@muldoonthief](#): > > I agree that it’s a perfectly valid strategy. The best way to win on Wheel is to get a letter right on your first spin, and never give up the wheel again. Just keep spinning & guessing correctly until you know the answer and have a reasonable amount of cash. And guessing vowels is an excellent way to figure out consonants. Because you should be able to get a few common letters correct before buying vowels. I’ve seen too many people, get their first letter, buy a bunch of vowels, and then hit a lose a turn/bankrupt. You’ve essentially bought a bunch of clues for the other contestants, lowering your chance of getting it back to you, and maximizing their winnings since they don’t have to buy vowels. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/96 "2021-09-14T16:17:59Z")
Ok, that’s another strategy. But I don’t think the “buy E A I then guess some more” is a bad strategy, certainly not the most annoying thing in someone’s life. Since once you lose the wheel you’re unlikely to get it back anyway, regardless of how many letters are up. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/97 "2021-09-14T16:18:09Z")
I saw a short vid of a woman, who on the final puzzle, where you only have a few seconds to make a guess, would call out Z and X and Q. She let the other two guys fill in the puzzle, then she nails it for the win. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/98 "2021-09-14T16:22:15Z")
That’s a weird way to play. You can’t guess the puzzle unless you get a letter right, so she was counting on another player getting a letter which revealed the puzzle to her, but not to the other player. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/99 "2021-09-14T16:22:18Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > My favorite dumb quiz show contestant ever was asked to name “Five major airlines in ten seconds” > > They answered (in this order) > … > 5. Boing (Yes, Boing) “This is your Boing Airlines pilot. We’ll be flying from Tampa to Los Angeles today, with one hundred eighty five stops along the way…” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/100 "2021-09-14T16:26:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Except that there are “lose a turn” and “bankrupt” slots on that wheel. In my “I really am not a conspiracy nut really” opinion, when I used to watch the game and it became obvious the contestant knew the answer but was trying to run up their winnings, the wheel ALWAYS landed on bankrupt. And buying vowels is, to borrow from another thread, like talking to the police. It isn’t necessary, can hurt you sometimes, but gains favor from TPTB and keeps them from fucking you up. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/101 "2021-09-14T16:33:48Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > In my “I really am not a conspiracy nut really” opinion, when I used to watch the game and it became obvious the contestant knew the answer but was trying to run up their winnings, the wheel ALWAYS landed on bankrupt. My WoF conspiracy theory is that back in the day when you had to buy from the “studio filled with glamorous prizes”, it was mathematically impossible not to buy the ceramic Dalmatian ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702/102 "2021-09-14T16:34:42Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > “This is your Boing Airlines pilot. We’ll be flying from Tampa to Los Angeles today, with one hundred eighty five stops along the way…” I assume they meant “Boeing”. And there was a Boeing Air Transport company for a while, but it primarily carried mail. It merged with several other carriers to become the precursor of United Airlines. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-tv-game-show-contestants/949702.md?page=6)