In 1993, stunned 'Wheel of Fortune' contestants tried, and failed, to solve the show's hardest puzzle ever |
Few TV moments are as satisfying as a Wheel of Fortune blunder. They usually go viral because of a wildly goofy answer, like the 2024 classic "Treat Yourself A Round of Sausage." But every once in a while, it's hard to figure out who made the mistake: the contestant or the show's producers, who green-lit a puzzle that may have been…well, too puzzling.
Which brings us back to 1993, with one of the most bizarre moments in Wheel of Fortune history. The category was "Slang," and three contestants were presented with one nine-letter word. It took them more than three minutes to solve as the studio filled with awkward laughter, and it's fair to debate whether they really got it.
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It's a slow reveal: a pair of "T"s, an "S," a "B," an "N"—all with no guesses. Finally, upon the reveal of a "K," someone takes the first stab: "Buttinsky" (pronounced like "butt in sky"). Nope. Then comes a "Y." Another "Butt in sky." Even when we get the full word, "BUTTINSKY," no one can pronounce it to the producers' liking. Finally, one contestant runs through a handful of variations, and host Pat Sajak, seemingly eager to move on, jumps in: "There, you said it! You said it the second time!" It's a close call. You be the judge.
It appears none of the contestants had ever heard the word "buttinsky," which, according to Merriam-Webster, is a noun meaning "a person given to butting in" or "a troublesome meddler." "We cannot say who was the first wit to add the common last element of some Slavic surnames to the term butt in," the dictionary company wrote, "but we can tell you that the word has been in common use since the beginning of the 20th century."
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So what does the general public think about this puzzle? Here are some notable YouTube comments:
"Pat: 'Yeah, what do we have there?' Contestant: 'Buttinsky, jack—'"
"Producer was like, I don't even know how to pronounce that."
"Weirdest puzzle in WoF history"
"Nope...that is clearly "Butt in sky'"
"This was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for the Slang category--it offered one of the most difficult puzzles on the show, much like how Megaword had ones that had mostly uncommon letters and were very hard to pronounce."
"I actually saw this when it aired. I've never forgotten it. I'd hate to have my butt in sky :P"
"The producers were needling WAY too much on the pronunciation here. Wow, that was excruciating to watch lol"
"After something like that, they should have invited all three of those guys back or did a do-over puzzle and thrown it out."
"Buttonsky, Battensky, Buttansky, Bittensky, Bettinsky, Bottinsky, until we get to Buttinsky. Very funny."
"No wonder that category was retired."
On the latter note: According to the Wheel of Fortune Fandom site, "Slang" was introduced on September 7, 1992, and retired on June 19, 1995.
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"What's for dinner?" has been asked by kids for millennia, probably, and the most common answers depend on both where and at what time in history it was asked. In ancient times, people were limited to what they could hunt or gather. Medieval recipes look different than what people ate in the 19th century. And what our grandparents ate when they were children was different from what our kids eat today.
Obviously, people couldn't DoorDash Chipotle in the '70s, but when someone on Reddit asked people born before 1970 what they ate for dinner most weeks, there were some standard meals a lot of Americans clearly ate regularly growing up. Lots of meatloaf and beef stroganoff. Pork chops and chop suey. Convenient assistance from Shake n' Bake, Hamburger Helper and TV dinners. Canned fruits and veggies. So much Jell-O.
Here are some of the most popular responses:
"Overcooked pork chop, minute rice, canned green beans, canned fruit cocktail
Spaghetti with ground beef and sauce made from a packet (Durkee?)
Pot roast (whatever cut of meat was on sale) cooked with Lipton onion soup mix. Frozen peas. Canned peaches.
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and canned green beans. Canned pears
Shake n bake chicken and scalloped potatoes from a box. Canned fruit of some kind.
On awesome days Chef Boyardee pizza mix from a box.
I liked LaChoy chop suey.
Always with a jug of milk on the table."
Meatloaf was a staple dinner.Photo credit: Canva
"So I think many of our moms went to the same home ec classes. Our house also had on rotation:
Goulash: It wasn’t what I have come to understand is Hungarian Goulash, but ground beef/spices/tomatoes.
Chicken Diane: Way overcooked chicken with rosemary, thyme and other seasonings.
Meatloaf: Yes, ketchup on top.
And the ever-present rice. Dad bought an aluminum rice cooker from his time in Japan and we had rice (he added soy sauce on top) 3x per week. The other side was baked potatoes.
The big treat!!!??? Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza from a tube on Friday once per month. Mom had a round aluminum baking pan and make dough, spread the included sauce on the dough, add the Parmesan Cheese (in the included packet). That was the biggest treat - and in all honesty I would go back to that day cause I miss my mom. Best pizza ever."
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"Hamburger patty or braised round steak, green salad, canned vegetable (peas, beans, corn, beets). Occasionally a baked potato. Sometimes my mom would toss chicken in a flour/seasoning mix and bake it and we'd have oven fried chicken--maybe once every couple of weeks. We got beef from a cousin so it was cheap, and chicken was expensive.
Mom also made spaghetti with ground beef, and beef stew with the tougher cuts of the cow. Oh--and liver--God how I hated liver night.
We always had cheap grocery store 'ice milk' in the freezer for dessert."
Spaghetti is still a classic.Photo credit: Canva
"Sunday - Spaghetti/macaroni and homemade spaghetti sauce and a salad.
Monday - Roast chicken, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Tuesday - Pork chops, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Wednesday - Spaghetti/macaroni and homemade spaghetti sauce and a salad.
Thursday - Rump or sirloin steak, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Friday - breaded and fried fish (ugh--haddock, halibut, or cod if the latter was on sale), a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Saturday - Rump or sirloin steak, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Dessert would be supermarket ice cream (carton, usually Neopolitan), Jello chocolate pudding, Table Talk pie (usually apple)."
Why........