A Wheel of Fortune contestant had a holiday season they’ll never forget after appearing on the iconic game show on Tuesday (December 17) and making a hilariously wrong guess on a festive-themed puzzle.
The contestant in question was Phil McManus from Palmer, Massachusetts, who faced off against Matt Komma from Riverton, Utah, and Carrie Trujillo from San Diego, California.
Things got off to a rough start for McManus in Round 1’s “Same Letter” category, where he attempted to solve a three-word puzzle. Despite having control of the wheel and filling in all but two of the letters, McManus struggled to come up with the correct answer.
Before he attempted to solve it, the puzzle board read: “C H O C O L A T E S / C H E S T N U T S / & / C H I _ N E _ S.”
After buying the last vowel, an “I,” McManus decided to solve, guessing “Chocolate, Chestnuts, and Chickens,” which, of course, wasn’t right.
Wheel of Fortune X
This allowed Komma to swoop in with the correct answer, “Chocolate, Chestnuts, and Chimneys” for $4,200. McManus’ wrong response cost him $9,550, putting him on the back foot for the rest of the episode.
Viewers, however, found McManus’ response hilarious and took to social media to share their reactions, with one X user joking, “That was my shopping list last weekend.”
“Christmas theme episode of Wheel of Fortune! And this was the guess by the contestant. Love Wheel of Fortune but where do these contestants come from #chickens,” wrote another.
Chocolates, Chestnuts and…. #WheelOfFortune pic.twitter.com/1gVC8h952F— AC (@ACinPhilly) December 18, 2024
“When I think of chocolates and chestnuts, the next word I think of is chickens,” said another.
“He really screwed up lol right after he screwed up by saying chocolates chestnuts and chickens. I bet that goes viral,” added another.
“Treat yourself a round of sausage! And chickens!” wrote one fan, referring to a memorable wrong answer from an episode in November where a contestant guessed, “Treat yourself a round of sausage.”
Another added, “Did that man look at that puzzle and say Chocolate, Chestnuts and Chickens??? For a Christmas puzzle?!?”
Related‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest has to Steady Himself After Insane Puzzle Solve
“Phil got me crying right now,” said one commenter.
“Chocolates, chestnuts, and… chickens like that don’t even make sense,” another added.
While he might not have won Wheel, McManus did get to tick another thing off his bucket list. During the show, the Massachusetts native told host Ryan Seacrest that he was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and basically “handed a death sentence.” Afterward, he made a bucket list of three items, rock band Blink-182 reuniting, attending WrestleMania, and going to Disneyland.
“I’d never been to Disneyland, and I actually went last night for the first time,” he said before revealing, “I’m actually in remission now.”
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