Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pat Sajak Hilariously Mocks The Most Unlucky Contestant In 'Wheel Of Fortune' History—And Fans Are Loving It

(L) Pat Sajak; (R) Contestant, Justin
@WheelofFortune/Twitter

A school principal from Kansas City, Missouri, experienced a string of bad luck on the hit game show after the wheel kept landing on 'Bankrupt' or other losing slots six different times.

Make us preferred on Google

Oh, what a whirl.

A contestant on a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune became dubbed the most unlucky to ever participate in the popular word puzzle TV game show.


Introducing Justin Orscheln.

He is an assistant school principal at Eagle Heights Elementary School outside of Kansas City, Missouri, who revealed he and his "patient" husband Ben had recently adopted two boys.

He also admitted to having a collection of $2,000 worth of candles he affectionately calls his "girls."

While his infectious charisma won over the studio audience, he failed miserably at the wheel when he repeatedly spun what turned out to be a wheel of misfortune.

Whenever Orscheln spun during Tuesday's game, the needle landed on either "bankrupt" or "lose a turn" every single time.

On his first attempt, he landed on the bankrupt slice of the wheel pie–which is fairly common.

But he brushed it off, saying:

"It's fine."

In the next word puzzle, he was more ambitious.

"Come on wheel," said Orscheln while clapping in his dapper burgundy tux.

But the spinning disk on a mean streak was not going to cooperate in the contestant's favor.

Luck was not on Jutin's side as the flicking needle slowed to a stop in the bankrupt zone a second and third time.

Orscheln's enthusiasm waned with every turn, and even host Pat Sajak lost hope and humorously remarked:

"Justin! Justin! Justin! Go to the principal's office."

You can watch Orscheln's game play literally taking a turn for the worse in the clip below.


When the fifth puzzle spin landed him in familiar territory, he dramatically collapsed behind the giant turntable.

An empathetic Sajak assured him that the next round involved:

“No spinning in the triple toss-ups."

But during the Final Spin, things didn't turn out any better.



He got another chance to twirl since a money wedge was needed to determine the value of each letter.

“Just make it $5000, Pat, we’ve got this. This is dark-sided," remarked Orscheln, maintaining a sense of humor.

When the needle clicked to a dead stop on "Lose a Turn," he joked to Sajak:

“You're doing this on purpose at this point.”

But because a dollar value was still required, he spun the wheel again and it finally stopped at $650.

And just like that, the recurring nightmare was over–but it would be one he wouldn't soon forget.

People felt bad for Orscheln.






The game show's Twitter account even weighed in, saying:

“Don’t worry, we spoke to the wheel after the show and asked it to apologize to Justin for its behavior today




By the end of the game, Orscheln managed to walk away with $2,000 and the hearts of viewers.






Recalling his whirlwind of a time on his Wheel of Fortune debut, Orscheln told the New York Post:

“The first bankruptcy or two didn’t bother me — it’s all part of the game."
"However, the subsequent bankruptcies and Lose a Turns were a blow to the ego for sure.”

When he knew the odds were not in his favor, he said he chose to make light of the situation and set a positive example in a stressful moment.

“I had to make the conscious choice to model good sportsmanship for my students and my own boys and have fun even when things weren’t happening favorably—which led to ‘the faint."
“At that point, [with] the final spin having both a bankruptcy and Lose a Turn, I figured to have as much fun as possible and not let them see me sweat.”

He was even worried at one point that Sajak was not amused by his antics.

The host quipped "We love your acting" before asking him to spin the wheel again.

Orscheln continued:

“After the bankruptcy, I wasn’t sure if Pat was annoyed [with my] pulling focus to me, but my intention was to just make light of an irritating situation."
"It was during the following Lose a Turn after that when he said, ‘Get ready to fall again, Justin,’ that I knew he was in on it too.”

He hopes to one day return to play the game or even fill in for Sajak when he eventually retires from hosting duties.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Robert Pattinson (left) responds to Chris Hansen’s (right) criticism of Primetime.
Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images; Mireya Acierto/FilmMagic

Robert Pattinson Reacts To 'To Catch A Predator' Star Chris Hansen's Criticism Of His Portrayal In New Film

It’s probably not every day Robert Pattinson gets publicly critiqued by Chris Hansen, but here we are. The actor addressed the former To Catch a Predator host’s concerns about Primetime at the Venice International Film Festival, offering a gracious response to the man whose television career helped inspire the film.

At the panel, Pattinson addressed Hansen’s concerns directly:

Keep ReadingShow less
Amanda Hirsch (left) apologized after facing backlash over a Polymarket post tied to the Lindsay Clancy (right) trial.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME; Greg Derr / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Podcaster Apologizes After 'Insensitive' Post About Betting On Lindsay Clancy Trial Sparks Backlash

Amanda Hirsch is walking back a promotional post that encouraged followers to wager on the verdict in the Lindsay Clancy trial. The Not Skinny But Not Fat creator and host found herself in hot water after her partnership with Polymarket drew backlash online.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse from Duxbury, Massachusetts, was charged with killing her three young children in January 2023. Her case has since fueled debate over maternal mental health, the healthcare system, and the legal definition of insanity.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trey Parker and Matt Stone; Donald Trump
Taylor Hill/WireImage; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

'South Park' Hilariously Trolls Trump After Winning Emmy Award For Outstanding Animated Program

South Park had social media users cheering after trolling President Donald Trump for helping creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday.

Trump has previously complained about not being accepted by the Hollywood elite and not winning major film and television awards. South Park leaned into this by sharing a graphic depicting a pantsless Trump holding an Emmy while the show's characters flank him, sharing in the victory.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ben Ray Luján; Donald Trump
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

New Mexico Senator Rips Trump With Fiery Insult After Trump Threatens To Rename State 'New America'

Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján called out President Donald Trump following Trump's threat to rename the state of New Mexico to "New America."

Luján's remark came after Trump already made headlines for claiming, amid a trade war with Canada, that the United States was considering "changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don't expect to [be] doing much business with Ontario any longer."

Keep ReadingShow less
Riley Gaines
Fox News

Riley Gaines Dragged After Complaining About WNBA Game In Minneapolis Filled With 'Disgruntled Lesbians'

On August 2, anti-trans activist and MAGA grifter Riley Gaines attended a WNBA game in Minneapolis between the Minnesota Lynx and the Indiana Fever. Gaines was there with the co-founder of an athletic brand that's entire marketing strategy is centered on transphobia.

Gaines is the spokesperson for the brand which has mounted several anti-trans publicity stunts at women's sporting events and a women-focused sports bar in Portland, Oregon. Their apparel was also recently sported by a school trustee and Moms for Liberty member during a Nevada school board meeting.

Keep ReadingShow less