Some people do not know that a fine piece of lox on a bagel is truly a slice of heaven. As an American Jewish person, I must profess, it breaks my heart to think that not everyone has experienced the joy of this delicacy — which is, in case you are one of those people, made out of salmon brined with dill and salt, and is usually thinly sliced and eaten on top of bagels and latkes — or by itself, because it’s perfect, after all.
Unfortunately, one such person was on “Wheel of Fortune” this past Wednesday, and made a holey bagel blunder.
Angie Gautney of DeLand, Florida tried to solve a puzzle that, for most bagel-lovers, would have been a shoo-in. The nearly completed puzzle on the board, in the “Food & Drink” category, was, “WARM TOASTED BA_ELS WITH LO_ AND CREAM CHEESE.”
You see it, right? It’s plain as, well, a plain bagel. But unfortunately, Gautney’s guess was “warm toasted bagels with low and cream cheese.”
What? WHAT?! Now, we know that there’s a lot of disagreement among our people about whether we should or shouldn’t toast bagels, but I think we can all agree that “low and cream cheese” just doesn’t make sense. Perhaps Gautney mispoke under the pressure, or perhaps she’s been depraved of the perfect bagel combo her whole life.
Luckily, the next contestant, Nina Lance, solved the puzzle as, “warm toasted bagels with lox and cream cheese.”
Longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host and American icon Pat Sajak confirmed that she was correct, joking that that is indeed “a much better recipe.”
Bagel-loving viewers of the show were, understandably, shaken by Gautney’s error:
With “LOW and cream cheese”…..This is a disgrace. Someone get us her @ so we can hook her up with some LOX and cream cheese #WheelOfFortune https://t.co/ru8Z4Gm4jb
— Bagel Boss🥯 (@bagelboss) March 2, 2023
Someone saw this puzzle and said “Warm Toasted Bagels with Low and Cream Cheese.” 🫠 #WheelOfFortune pic.twitter.com/sdq0jwJwJC
— kiara (@kiaradidwhat) March 2, 2023
Omg on wheel of fortune someone just guessed warm toasted bagels with LOW and cream cheese instead of lox that is so embarrassing I would never show my face again
— molly (@stateofmolly) March 2, 2023
The absolute verbal abuse my mom and I screamed at this lady on wheel of fortune who didn't know what lox was
— 🌿Em🌿 (@drowsypal) March 2, 2023
Others found themselves asking, “What is lox?” proving that Gautney is not alone in her lox innocence.
I ain't gonna fault the lady for guessing "Low." I have never heard of lox either. #WheelOfFortune
— Meh (@idontcare8273) March 2, 2023
Google about to get a whole lot of traffic searching what in the hell type of food "lox" is. 🙄 #WheelOfFortune
— Adam Edward (@greenairvillain) March 2, 2023
Learned what lox is today! #midwesterner #WheelOfFortune
— Kari (@karidigg) March 2, 2023
This isn’t the first time lox swam its way to “Wheel of Fortune,” by the way. The term “bagel & lox” was featured in a 2016 episode (no drama in that one) and in a Pat Sajak dad-joke he made in 2020 — one that most likely went over many viewers’ head.
I love how @patsajak constantly makes dad jokes that nobody gets throughout the show.
"At the buffet I recommend the lox", when someone wins a trip to Panama. 😆#WheelOfFortune
— Michael (@mypalmike) January 3, 2020
For those wondering if maybe there is no lox to be found in DeLand, Florida (FLORIDA!), a simple Google search shows that DeLand Bagels does indeed serve a bagel with lox. I hope Gautney takes this opportunity to avail herself to the Jewish staple.
And hopefully any viewers of the show who were as confused as Gautney will also be compelled to try it. If you can’t find any lox in stores by you, may we recommend this easy lox recipe from our friends at The Nosher?
After all, what is life without lox?
