Wheel of Fortune contestant sparks fierce debate after winning despite giving ‘wrong’ answer

“Wheel of Fortune” viewers were surprised by the outcome of a recent episode after a contestant’s answer was deemed correct even though she added extra words.

The incident occurred during the express round in the “Living Beings” category, and participant Kiana Moreland had to solve the riddle that read: “AARDVARKS / AND / AN _ E _ _ _ E S.”

Moreland, a recent college graduate from Grand Terrace, California, made a slight error in her answer.

“Are they aardvarks and antelopes?” she asked host Ryan Seacrest. After a short pause, he realized that her answer was correct.

However, the moment raised eyebrows among several viewers at home on Jan. 10, as they couldn’t help but notice that Moreland added “Is it” to the beginning of her sentence, which should have invalidated her response.

On Reddit’s Wheel of Fortune forum, one fan stated, “Is this…?” should have disqualified this competitor’s solution.

They wrote: “So on Friday, January 10, 2025, a contestant won a puzzle but asked, “Are these aardvarks and antelopes?”

“I was completely sure the judges would think her answer was wrong, but after a longer than usual pause, Ryan announced that she had answered correctly!”

They continued: “What?! I thought this whole “adding extra words” thing was universal to all puzzles.

“This was an injustice the likes of which the world had never seen before!! Do such things happen often?

One fan admitted that he expected Seacrest to think the answer was wrong when he replied, “I was waiting for Ryan to say, ‘Sorry, that’s not true,’ especially since he hesitated for a few seconds before answering that it was the correct solution.” .

“I think there is more banter between the host and the contestant and they feel more comfortable, but it’s still a risky thing to do!”

One fan wondered about the subtle reason why the contestant managed to avoid extra words: “I think it’s because they haven’t started doing the actual puzzle yet. Just like adding “i” to a crossword puzzle is incorrect because it is in the middle of the answer.

“Saying ‘Is this it’ before solving it is probably allowed because you’re not ‘adding to the puzzle’, you’re just preceding your guess. As far as I know, as long as your answer is correct, everything is fine. Anyway, that’s my thought process.

Another claimed that the rules are no longer enforced in the same way since Seacrest took over as host.

“I feel like the Wheel and Jeopardy judges have been a little more understanding since the new hosts took over,” the fan said. —I’m just imagining it’s a random moment. People like to watch others win money. This may give them the benefit of the doubt.

Elsewhere, a fan noted that former host Pat Sajak had long allowed the word “Is this it” to be added to replies.

They wrote: “Uhh, in the 2012 episode, Pat commented that “Is It” could be added. However, adding words such as ‘A’ or ‘THE’ when they are not on the board is not allowed.’

Back In June 2023, Sajak shocked fans by announcing that this would be the case resignation from the performance after more than four decades.

Last month, it was confirmed that Sajak would return to his hosting duties on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.

The Emmy winner hinted to fans about his appearance on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “Apparently I’m back on TV tonight. I think I’d better shave and take a shower.

The Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Christmas episode, which aired in December, was Sajak’s only special appearance in 2024.

The episode was pre-recorded along with several others scheduled to air in 2025, but the Christmas theme seemed out of place.

A premiere date for the remaining episodes of Celebrity has not been announced.

These will be the veteran show’s last appearances on the show.

Elsewhere, while some die-hard fans were slow to warm to new host Ryan Seacrest, his addition to the game show was good for ratings.

According to Nielsen data published in Newsweek, “Wheel of Fortune” averaged 7.99 million viewers in Seacrest’s first month of existence, and at that time the series was “the most watched entertainment series on television, cable and syndication.”