A Wheel of Fortune contestant has gone viral for her “cheesesteak” mistake.

On the Monday, December 30 program, Gaelyn Nease from Tallahassee, Florida, appeared poised for victory as she faced off against fellow competitors Carmetta Wells from Los Angeles, California, and Mike Tomani from Rochester, New York.

According to Today, Nease correctly predicted many letters in a problem in the ‘Food and Drink’ area, resulting in the board reading: ‘NE _ / _ OR _ / _ HEESE _ A _ E.’ However, when she attempted to solve the problem, she mistakenly identified two completely different legendary cheesy appetizers.

“New York Cheesesteak,” Nease said, before Wells jumped in with the proper answer: “Cheesecake.”

Wells won a trip to New York City, which included a VIP ticket to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, presented by Ryan Seacrest.

She also came away from Wheel of Fortune $68,250 wealthier, while Tomani earned $17,700 and Nease received $2,000.

Fans of the program expressed their disappointment at Nease’s response on social media.

One fan posted a clip from the episode along with the comment, “A new all-time horrible answer,” on X (previously known as Twitter).

“I was watching.” One person commented, “It was the worst I’ve ever seen ‘live’ on TV,” while another added, “Game shows are difficult, but yes, that should’ve been gotten.”

The wrong response also sparked a discussion on the Wheel of Fortune subreddit.

One Redditor said it was “painful” to see, while another said they “cringed so hard.”

“She will never be able to show her face in New York or Philadelphia again,” another source remarked.

In November 2024, another Wheel of Fortune player went viral after incorrectly answering the riddle, “Give yourself a round of applause.”

A video on X (previously known as Twitter) shows the contestant incorrectly shouting, “Treat yourself to a round of sausage,” during the Monday, November 11 broadcast.

His other participant got the problem right, but host Ryan Seacrest playfully admitted, “Will, I kind of like yours better.”

Will subsequently told the show’s social correspondent, Maggie Sajak, 29, on Instagram that he had a “little mis-solve” after becoming starstruck.

“I tell you, when the lights are on and, you know, the stars and Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White… I just went blank,” stated the host.