‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Fails to Win $56,000 After Ryan Seacrest ‘Mistake’

Wheel of Fortune/YouTube

Wheel of Fortune fans blasted the game show after a contestant missed out on a $56,000 win on a tough puzzle, in which many said “No one says that.” This came after they blamed host Ryan Seacrest for a contestant’s loss on the Crossword Puzzle.

Sheree Corder, from Tampa, Florida, played against Todd Meyer, from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Latricia Randolph, from Franklin, Tennessee, on Monday, March 31. Wheel of Fortune is currently airing summer reruns and replayed this episode on Monday, June 16. Season 43 will air new episodes this September.

Corder, who loves traveling and adventure, solved the first tossup — “Expect the Unexpected” — and the second — “Model Airplane Kit” — adding $3,000 to her bank in the beginning. She also went on to solve the next puzzle, gaining a Wild Card, and earning a total of $6,600.

The next puzzle was only the first one of the night that ruffled fans’ feathers. It was a rare crossword, where all of the words in the puzzle related to the category were crossed over with one letter like a crossword would. The category was “Party.” The contestants had to guess four words in the puzzle. Randolph, a Golden Girls fanatic, started off the puzzle by guessing numerous letters until “G” wasn’t in the puzzle. The turn then moved to Meyer, an amateur competitive eating champion. He guessed all of the letters and even solved the puzzle, saying “Party Time,” “Party Animal,” “Party Decorations,” and “Party Bus.” Seacrest told him that it was incorrect.

Meyer put his head down and rested his arms on his podiums, looking disappointed. Corder then solved “Time, Animal, Decorations, and Bus,” and won the round. Seacrest explained after the fact that for the crossword, the contestants need to say exactly what is on the board. “It’s a shame she stole it from you,” Ryan Seacrest told Meyer.

Reddit users were angry that the host made a “mistake” by not explaining the rules beforehand because it cost Meyer the game. “Ryan not reminding the contestants about crossword solves. Makes me mad every time! Sometimes, he reminds contestants how to solve these puzzles properly, and sometimes, he doesn’t. Doesn’t seem fair. Oh, and this contestant today looked PISSED!” the original poster said.

Meyer shook it off and went on to solve most of the next puzzle. However, he called an “I,” which wasn’t in the puzzle. Randolph solved the puzzle — “A Tremendous Escape” — and won a trip to Ireland. She took the lead with $12,190.

Meyer redeemed himself in the end when he won $10,000 by solving all three Triple Toss-Ups. However, Corder solved the final puzzle — “Dancing in the Dark” earning her a spot in the Bonus Round, giving her a total of $16,600. Randolph went home $12,190. Meyer was in last place with $10,000.

With the Wild Card in hand, Corder made it to the Bonus Round. After picking “Phrase,” Wheel of Fortune gave her “R, S, T, L, N, and E.” Corder chose “C, D, M, I, and P,” to round out her puzzle.

Her puzzle then looked like, “_ _ _ _ P  IT _P.” The contestant guessed many words for the first one, knowing the last two were “(blank) it up.” The puzzle was “Whoop It Up.” She lost out on an additional $40,000.

When the puzzle was posted to YouTube, fans commented on how tough it was. “I’ve never heard of this phrase before, let alone hear it being used in conversation,” a fan said.

“What kind of a bonus round puzzle was that?! Does anyone actually use that nowadays?” asked another. 

“That was a tough one,” added a third.

“What the heck is Whoop It Up?” asked a YouTube user.

“That bonus puzzle doesn’t make sense, Whoop it up is really not a phrase at all,” said one Wheel watcher. 

“That was a horrible phrase. Who says that,” wondered one last fan.

Wheel of Fortune, Season 43, Fall 2025, check local listings