The Wheel was back on our screens on Saturday night with a celebrity-filled line-up
Joe Crutchley Screen Time reporter
21:27, 15 Nov 2025
The Wheel’s Michael McIntyre stunned by star’s ‘appalling’ blunder as fans left cringing
Viewers of The Wheel were left squirming during reality star Joey Essex’s stint on the BBC gameshow.
The popular long-running programme made its return on Saturday evening (November 15), with Michael McIntyre once again presenting.
Celebrity specialists Stacey Dooley, Maisie Adam, Oti Mabuse, Asim Chaudhry, Ricky Wilson, Omid Djalili and Joey Essex were available to assist contestants in their quest to secure substantial prize money.
First up was contestant John, who hoped to win funds towards purchasing a home with his husband. His opening question concerned indie music, with reality television personality Joey assigned to provide assistance – but things took an awkward turn.
Joey appeared on BBC’s The Wheel
Within moments of the game commencing, a confused Joey, seemingly uncertain about the format, exclaimed: “What does this mean! ?” whilst his fellow celebrities chuckled. An astonished Michael remarked: “It doesn’t bode well that Joey says ‘what does this mean?'”, reports the Mirror.
Joey and John were subsequently presented with the question: “Which of these words do not feature in the lyrics to the Killers’ indie anthem Mr Brightside.” The options included Alibis, Destiny, Control and Escape.
He mispronounced alibis
Yet it was Joey’s pronunciation of Alibis that sparked considerable discussion, as he enquired: “What does Alibis mean?” A shocked Michael observed whilst the studio audience erupted in laughter.
Meanwhile, viewers at home expressed frustration over Joey’s gaffe, with one person posting on X: “Alibis, he’s taking the p***.” Another commented: “The education of some people in this country is appalling.”
Even host Michael was stunned at Joey’s blunder
A third viewer commented: “Joey Essex trying to pronounce the word “Alibis” is the funniest thing I’ve heard this year.” Another added: “Why do they still have Joey Essex on TV? Just irritating. What’s funny about being famous for pretending to be stupid?”.
Despite the pronunciation error, Joey and John selected the correct answer, which was escape. However, John was eliminated in the following round after he and Oti Mabuse failed to provide the right answer.
Later in the programme, John faced a question about dentistry – Joey’s chosen subject. The question asked: ‘According to 2024 YouGov survey, what percentage of Britain adults brush their teeth twice a day?” The options were 22%, 45%, 68% and 89%.
With assistance from Oti, John selected 68%, which proved correct. But when Michael checked with Joey to see if he had answered correctly, Joey revealed he had chosen 45%.
The Wheel airs every Saturday at 8pm on BBC One.
