Fans Cry Foul as Wheel of Fortune Ruling Costs Contestant $40,000
On the December 5 episode of Wheel of Fortune, a split-second ruling cost San Diego dancer Amanda Brown a $40,000 bonus. Fans erupted, accusing the show of robbing her after judges said her Bonus Round solve came too late.
Wheel of Fortune lit up for all the wrong reasons on the December 5 episode. A contestant nailed a Bonus Round solve right as the buzzer hit, the judges said it was too late, and $40,000 vanished. Fans, as you might expect, were not chill about it.
The play-by-play
- The contestant: Amanda Brown, a dancer from San Diego, facing off against Kristopher Oliviera (College Park, Maryland) and Sammie Anderson (Plymouth, Massachusetts).
- Early game: Brown came out swinging, scooping up toss-ups and key rounds. She solved 'Buying an Engagement Ring' and 'Sensational Rides' during the prize-puzzle stretch and stacked $20,878 in cash and prizes, including a Walt Disney World trip.
- Bonus Round: With her family cheering from the sidelines, she picked 'Food & Drink.' After the standard R, S, T, L, N, E, she added P, M, H, and A. The board read: 'MAPLE TA_ _ _'.
- The guesses: 'Maple Takes'... 'Maple Tazzy'... and finally 'Maple Taffy' — but her solve landed at the exact same heartbeat as the buzzer.
- The call: Judges ruled the solve came too late. The $40,000 bonus was denied. Brown finished with $22,878 total.
Why fans blew up
Viewers watching live argued Brown got 'Maple Taffy' out in time and that the call should have gone her way. One YouTube commenter even suggested the show should have cut to commercial and checked the tape to see what truly hit first — her solve or the buzzer. Others went straight for the refs, saying the timing rules were applied wrong and calling for the judge to be shown the door.
"She was robbed! She said it in time"
The rules-y part
Wheel has been doing this for decades, and the Bonus Round timing is unforgiving. The buzzer is the line in the sand, and the judges decide whether a solve beats it or not. That said, these split-second calls are exactly the kind of thing that set off the audience at home, especially when a solve clearly clicks into place on the final breath.
Bottom line: Amanda Brown walks away with $22,878 and a Disney trip, but not the extra $40,000 that seemed to be right there. Expect this one to keep making the rounds unless the show addresses how they made that timing call.