Immortal Raymond

After umpity-zillion episodes, Wheel of Fortune has seen its share of memorable contestants. But none developed a legend quite like Raymond Taylor.

Appearing on the show in 1993, Raymond was actually a very good player. But his reality only occasionally matched up with the humdrum reality seen by other folks. As a result, his antics on the show inspired a YouTube highlights clip called Crack Head on Wheel of Fortune. That may be a bit harsh. Still, Raymond often seemed breathless, woozy, disoriented, and out to a very distant lunch. At one point he hugged Vanna tighter than any contestant before or since.

Pat Sajak realized that he had a burgeoning legend on his hands. He announced that some performers need only one name, like Cher, Garbo, Madonna, Vanna and...RAYMOND. Sadly, the story did not end well.

A few years later in 1997 Sony filed a lawsuit that complained about Raymond's menacing behavior. He had returned as an audience member to the scene of his triumphs, but was totally disconnected from any plausible reality. Sony said that he became "aggressively hostile and had to be physically ejected from the stage." Sony also claimed that Raymond trespassed on the Jeopardy set.

Some folks can't handle fame, even in small doses. At least Raymond's greatest line will never die: "Vanna, put those L's on there!"