Photo: YouTube
Well damn, then, sir!
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Oct 17, 2019
Wheel of Fortune is your grandma's favorite television show. Every Memaw in existence enjoys Pat Sajak, Vanna White and contestants galore keeping their mind active and vital with the puzzles. The show went viral yesterday because of a contestant that went a little off the rails, to put it mildly. So who is Blair Davis — and what did he say to make him a viral sensation?
But let's back up. As of this writing, there have been more than 6,000 episodes of Wheel of Fortune. Created by Merv Griffin in 1975, Wheel of Fortune originally started out as a daytime series before it moved to the night-time slot in 1983, where it has remained ever since. Originally hosted by Chuck Woolery and featuring Susan Strafford as the letter-turner, Pat Sajak and Vanna White replaced Woolery and Strafford back in 1981 and 1982, respectively, and they've hosted the show ever since.
Like we said, it's practically the most harmless show in the history of television.
So let's look at why Blair Davis made such a splash:
1. He bluntly told Pat Sajak that he was 'in a loveless marriage.'
Usually, when contestants are asked about their family, they're regaled with Christmas Card versions of the Perfect American Family (wife, kids, dog, and the white picket fence). Take a shot every time you've heard some variation of "well, Pat, I'm a stay-at-home mom who spends her days making organic, gluten-free, keto-friendly brownies for my kids. I have a perfect husband, Jonathan, three perfect children named John, Jacob, and Jingleheimer Schmidt, and we have a perfect dog named Bingo."
Or some variation of that.
But according to NBC San Diego, Blair Davis went off-script and made sure that Pat Sajak — and the rest of America — know that he was "trapped in a loveless marriage."
2. Blair Davis brought the wife, the step-kids, and the grandson in for the razzing.
“I’ve been trapped in a loveless marriage for the last 12 years to an old battle ax named Kim. She cursed my life with three stepchildren, named Star, RJ and Ryan, and I have one rotten grandson,” the small business owner said, deadpan, to Pat Sajak, according to The New York Post.
While a few of the audience members clutched their pearls and gasped in horror (like was said, this is your Memaw's favorite show, the poor lady doesn't quite get dry humor or sarcasm these days), more than a few audience members realized that Blair Davis was kidding, and starting laughing along.
3. Pat Sajak played it off ... and then let the audience know that 'he was being facetious.'
Pat Sajak's been a game show host for more years than some of us have been alive, so it's no surprise that he knew exactly what to do when he was presented with this type of joke: he played along, then played it off.
"Well, no wonder you're here then!" he said, "You're trying to get away from everybody!"
Then, to drive the point home, he made sure the audience knew that Blair Davis was just kidding. "I know you're being facetious," Sajak said.
4. That's when Blair Davis decided to show his softer side.
Today reveals that after Pat Sajak called out Blair Davis for being 'facetious,' Blair Davis dropped the deadpan and showed the audience a much softer side of himself.
"I love them like nobody's business," he said smiling, with his eyes seeming to gleam with pride.
5. Davis then said he kept his beard for the benefit of his grandson.
Pat Sajak then went on to talk about the next obvious thing about Blair Davis: his long, Duck Dynasty-style beard. That's when he continued to show his softer side, and explained that he kept it for the benefit of his grandson. He said that each time he tries to shave it off, his grandson gives him a hard time, so he keeps it so his grandson can tug on it and be happy. Awww.
6. Unfortunately, Blair Davis didn't win the game.
Even though Blair Davis went home with a little bit of money, he didn't win the whole game. However, not only did he become a viral sensation when Wheel of Fortune shared the video of his razzing on their social platforms, he quickly earned the props of social media, with people lauding him for "saying what someone always wanted to say." They also said that he was "robbed" of the chance to win the whole game and demanded that the game show bring him back. Here's hoping!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.