PRESS Your Luck contestants missed an “easy” question and chose a “really dumb” answer, game show fans fumed after Thursday’s episode.
Host Elizabeth Banks seemed equally stunned by the treacherous TV moment.
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Press Your Luck – which first premiered in 1983 – was revived in 2019 and is now hosted by Hunger Games star Elizabeth.
Last week’s episode, however, did not leave all viewers feeling so lucky.
The contestants were asked a question early on that should have been a slam dunk.
She read out loud: “He’s a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers who got his nickname from a sports writer while he was still in high school.”
“He won’t make a rabbit disappear” Elizabeth continued, a ‘magical’ hint which resulted in chuckles from the audience but didn’t seem to help.
“But which former NBA player’s real first name is Earvin?” she concluded.
The three contestants – Billy, Janet and Arnetta – did not buzzed in.
The live audience audibly gasped – and Elizabeth certainly noticed.
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‘THE AUDIENCE IS NOT HAPPY…’
“This LA audience is not happy about this one,” she said as she fanned her face with the clue card.
The game show films there along with other beloved living room staples like Jeoaprdy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Finally, the question went to a multiple choice round since no one knew it.
One of the three contestants – Arnetta – eventually correctly guessed Magic Johnson from three options.
The other two, however, guessed Shaquille O’Neal.
‘HOW DID THEY NOT KNOW?’
The crowd sounded furious as were fans online, absolutely shocked the players couldn’t piece together that Magic was not Magic Johnson’s first name.
One wrote: “These people are so dumb, I don’t even like sports that much but who doesn’t know this?”
Another simply replied to the clip: “OMG YA’LLLLLLL”
Even the game show had to buzz in and tweeted alongside the segment: “The silence is LOUD.”
PRESS YOUR LUCK EXPLAINED
On Press Your Luck, contestants answer general knowledge trivia questions to earn spins on the board.
With a $1 million jackpot available, a question is read out loud.
For each, the first to buzz in has a chance to reply.
Their answer becomes the first of three for their two competitors to choose from.
A correct buzz-in is worth three spins while getting a multiple choice correct is worth one.
After four questions, the game moves over to the Big Board.
Cash and prizes ensue – as does the dreaded Whammy, which takes all earnings away which is to be avoided at all costs.
LUCK BE A LADY!
The show airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. on ABC and was a hit in the 1980s, ending its run after three seasons in 1986.
The show infamously resulted in a scandal in 1984 when an unemployed ice cream truck driver named Michael Larson won big by memorizing the board’s patterns.
Fans are generally thrilled the show is back and is now hosted by Elizabeth – who is a huge fan and used to watch the show growing up per ET.
According to the outlet, she cried tears of joy when she scored the revival gig because it meant so much to her.
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