God knows, we need a palate cleanser this week of all weeks.

Remember when I said last night that the state of our union is bleak? I didn’t know the half of it until I watched this.

The good news is that this two-minute stretch from last night’s show represents only the second-biggest fiasco to play out in American media over the past few days.

The bad news is that it’s a close second. It’s that bad.

Even so, this seems like a promising ratings angle for “Wheel of Fortune” going forward. Various clips of this debacle have gone mega-viral on social media; there are bona fide news stories being published today about it. Rarely have as many Americans found themselves talking about WOF as this afternoon.

What if, instead of screening contestants for aptitude a la “Jeopardy,” “Wheel” began screening contestants for ineptitude? I’d watch the show every day if I had reason to expect entertainment of this caliber.

In lieu of an exit question, read Pat Sajak’s plea for mercy on behalf of the contestants.

i have never wanted to scream this loudly in my life pic.twitter.com/XNqe3R1UAj

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 2, 2022