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.

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

Cover of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

People's Response To Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word Of The Year Just Proved Their Point

Merriam-Webster dictionary nailed it with their 2024 Word of the Year selection that accurately defined the divisive reaction to the 2024 presidential election results.

The dictionary's account on X (formerly Twitter) declared this year's Word of the Year was, "Polarization," and joked:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nancy Mace Rages After Nobody Will Print Her Transphobic Holiday Wrapping Paper Design

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out after sharing a photo of her anti-trans wrapping paper design to lament that "no company" would print it due to its "offensive" nature.

Mace, who has courted significant controversy for her efforts to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity, shared on social media that she attempted to create custom wrapping paper, seemingly intended for raising campaign funds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eugenio Derbez; Selena Gomez
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images

'Coda' Star Apologizes After Selena Gomez's Classy Response To His 'Emilia Pérez' Criticism

Actor Eugenio Derbez walked back his harsh review of Selena Gomez's Spanish in the new musical crime comedy film Emilia Pérez after she responded with class to the tough criticism of not being a fluent speaker.

Gomez stars as Spanish-speaking character Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to start a new life as the titular Emilia Pérez.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
NBC

Trump Dragged After Claiming He 'Started Using' The Word 'Groceries' During The Election

President-elect Donald Trump was dragged after claiming he "started using" the word "groceries" during the election—before asking, "Who uses the word?"

Trump, in an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, emphasized the soaring grocery prices affecting millions of Americans as a pivotal factor in his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
man pointing up
Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

People Break Down Their 'I F*cking Knew It!' Experiences

Sometimes you feel like you just know something is true, even if you can't prove it.

You may find out you're completely wrong. People usually don't like to talk about or acknowledge when that happens.

Keep ReadingShow less