Fact Check

Was This a Real 'Wheel of Fortune' Puzzle?

An image shows an unfinished 'Wheel of Fortune' puzzle with an apparently salacious solution.

Published March 1, 2015

Claim:
An image shows an unfinished 'Wheel of Fortune' puzzle with an apparently salacious solution.

In February 2015, a purported screenshot of an unfinished Wheel of Fortune puzzle went viral on social media, driven by the notion that the correct answer was a sexual invitation rarely heard on even the raunchiest of television programs:

The image, which shows Vanna White standing next to the Wheel of Fortune game board displaying the letters "_UCK _E IN THE A__ TONIGHT," was frequently shared along with a message urging the viewer to solve the puzzle before the "real" answer, "Luck Be in the Air Tonight," was revealed.

But the suggested solution couldn't have been the case: If "Luck Be in the Air Tonight" were truly the correct answer, the "i" in "Air" would already have been filled in (just as the "i" in the words "in" and "tonight" was). Also, if this phrase were indeed the solution, then the category for the puzzle would have been "Phrases" and not "Things" as displayed in the viral photo.

Since "Luck Be in the Air" tonight cannot be the answer to this puzzle, the most logical answer is ... Photoshop.

The Wheel of Fortune game board is a ready target for manipulation, as evidenced by the Clam Digger puzzle video.