'Wheel of Fortune' player wins a Mini Cooper but all fans had the same complaint: "Anyone else think..."
Some unique characters with peculiar quirks and antics have been featured on "Wheel Of Fortune" for the decades that it has been on air. While most were fun to watch, fans weren't happy about those who went too far. One such contestant was P.J. Wilder, who was dubbed “the most annoying contestant ever" by fans on social media.
Wilder, a house husband from Hanford, California, initially stood out as a unique character for his looks. Donning a massive mustache and a mullet, the player managed to intrigue the host. As Seacrest asked about the inspiration behind the look, Wilder shared that he got it from his favorite fictional character, Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie’s novels.
“Do you mind if I ask… apple sauce, how… can you?” Seacrest asked the player, wondering if food gets stuck in his mustache. Wilder joked that he uses two spoons to eat, one for maneuvering his mustache and the other to eat.
While his jokes sparked laughter, his gameplay did not go down well. He failed to win in the first couple of rounds before finally winning $4,200 and a $8,260 trip to Antigua in the Express Round. His celebration in Spanish was the first thing that may have ticked off the viewers. The player then went on to ace a puzzle that read "OMELET STATION” in the Triple Toss-Up round. "I call them Bomblets," he commented to keep up his antics. In the final Speed Up puzzle, Wilder again aced the puzzle “SAND IN MY SWIMSUIT,” but he paused between the last words, leading to some controversy, according to TV Insider.
The host then conferred with the judges to see if the answer could be accepted as Wilder yelled, “Count it! Count it!” in the background. This made even the fellow contestants uncomfortable. Luckily for Wilder, the answer was accepted, handing him the win. This meant he got a chance to play in the Bonus Round of the show with big prizes on the line. “You cannot change the station. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him in the Bonus Round, but it’s going to be interesting," Seacrest said before breaking into a commercial as per the publication.
For the Bonus Round, Wilder chose the category, "What are you wearing," and after filling in the standard letters, "R, S, T, L, and E," he got only one letter on the board for the three-word puzzle.
He then went on to choose the additional letters "D, P, M, and O" as his additional letters. He lucked out with the choice of letters, as the entire puzzle was nearly filled out with the letters. Keeping up with his run, Wilder aced the puzzle guessing "ZIP-UP HOODIE". "Is this really happening, pinch me please!" Wilder said to Seacrest, continuing with his over-the-top antics.
In the end, Seacrest revealed that Wilder won a Mini Cooper S Signature Convertible worth $41,200, which took his total winnings to $74,860. While it was a great run for Wilder on the show, viewers watching at home did not appreciate what they saw. Taking to the show's unofficial Reddit forum, one fan complained, "Anyone else think this guy PJ is the most annoying contestant ever?"
Several others chimed in. "I don’t remember the last time I felt uncomfortable watching a contestant," @Alternative-Koala933 wrote."I literally came here to express the same sentiment. I don't think I've ever seen a contestant that irritated me so much 😆" @dataexception added.
Many criticized the player for ignoring his wife after winning the car. "Came on here to see if anyone else would mention about this. Wow, he was unbearable to watch especially when he kept cutting Ryan off. Notice how his wife just stood there on the side? So awkward," @Kindly_Schedule3928 remarked.
