Wheel of Fortune is under fire from fans once again — this time for what many are calling an unfair rule and a baffling bonus puzzle. Viewers are calling out both the game and host Ryan Seacrest after contestant Todd Meyer lost out on $56,000 during a controversial round that left audiences stunned.
The drama unfolded during an episode that originally aired on March 31 and was rebroadcast on June 16 as part of the game show’s summer rerun series. Contestants Sheree Corder of Tampa, Florida, Todd Meyer from Las Vegas, and Latricia Randolph of Franklin, Tennessee, went head-to-head for the big prize.
Corder, who described herself as an adventure lover and travel enthusiast, got off to a strong start. She nailed the first two toss-up puzzles — “Expect the Unexpected” and “Model Airplane Kit” — banking $3,000 early. She eventually snagged a Wild Card, boosting her total winnings to $6,600..
But things turned tense during the first crossword puzzle of the night — a format where all four answers share a common theme and must be stated exactly as displayed. The category? “Party.”
Randolph started the round but faltered on a wrong guess. Meyer jumped in, correctly identifying all four answers: “Party Time,” “Party Animal,” “Party Decorations,” and “Party Bus.” But despite getting every word right, Seacrest told him the answer was wrong — because he included the word “party” each time, instead of just saying the words on the board: “Time, Animal, Decorations, Bus.”
Meyer, visibly frustrated, lowered his head in disbelief as Corder stepped in and gave the correct response, snatching the round away.
“That’s the rule — you have to say exactly what’s on the board,” Seacrest explained, before adding, “It’s a shame she stole it from you.”
Viewers weren’t buying it. Fans lit up Reddit, blasting the show for failing to explain the rule clearly ahead of time. “Ryan failing to give contestants a reminder about how to solve crossword puzzles”. Makes me mad every time!” one user posted. “Sometimes he says it, sometimes he doesn’t. It’s totally unfair.”
Meyer bounced back by dominating the Triple Toss-Up puzzles, earning $10,000. Randolph also scored big with a puzzle solve that earned her a trip to Ireland and $12,190 total. But Corder pulled ahead again by solving “Dancing in the Dark” to secure her spot in the Bonus Round, walking in with $16,600 and a Wild Card.
Then came the final puzzle — and it was one that left fans completely baffled.
The category was “Phrase.” Given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E, and choosing C, D, M, I, and P, the board revealed: _ _ _ _ P IT _P. Corder tried several guesses but couldn’t crack it. The answer? “Whoop It Up.”
Fans were quick to vent online. “Who even says that?” one viewer commented on YouTube. Another chimed in, “That doesn’t even sound like a real phrase.”
“That was one of the worst bonus round phrases I’ve seen,” another fan posted. “I’ve literally never heard that in my life.”
In the end, Corder missed out on the $40,000 bonus, finishing with $16,600. Randolph took home $12,190, and Meyer walked away with $10,000 — and a fan base still fuming over what could have been.
