Is “Wheel of Fortune” Losing Its Identity? Since Ryan Seacrest took over as host, controversy has been mounting—culminating in his controversial decision to accept an incorrect answer, leading many viewers to believe that the show was becoming increasingly unorthodox and unfair. Once an iconic game show with strict rules, “Wheel of Fortune” under Seacrest has been accused of gradually “deteriorating,” losing the consistency that once made the brand. Is this just a rough transition, or a sign that the show is slipping off its original trajectory?

There are instances of people being denied prizes because of mispronunciation on “Wheel of Fortune,” and that explains why people don’t appreciate when someone wins despite answering incorrectly. Kiana Moreland got lucky to the point that game host Ryan Seacrest’s judging blunder caused her to win big on “Wheel of Fortune,” but fans were quick to call that out.

The contestant from California was placed in a tough spot when she had to correctly guess a puzzle under the ‘Living Things’ category during the Express Round. The board revealed: ‘A A R D V A R K S / A N D / A N _ E _ _ _ E S,’ a simple two wild animals connection, as per TVInsider. After a brief silence, Moreland guessed, “Is it aardvarks and antelopes?” Seacrest, who at that point was watching the California native, gave a nod of approval before revealing that her answer was accurate. However, because Moreland asked, “Is it?” as if to dispel her hesitation before responding, viewers felt deceived by the outcome.

The discussion spilled onto a Reddit forum and fans expressed their frustration, “So on Friday, Jan 10, 2025, a contestant won a puzzle, but she said, ‘Is it ‘Aardvarks and Antelopes’?’. I was absolutely positive the judges were gonna rule her answer incorrect, but after Ryan’s longer than usual pause, he announced she got it right! Wth?! I thought the whole “adding any extra words” thing was universal to all puzzles. This was an injustice the likes of which the world has never seen before!! /s Does this sort of thing happen often?” @caleyco asked. “I think it’s because they hadn’t started saying the actual puzzle yet. Like, adding “and” to a crossword is invalid because that’s in the middle of the response. Saying “Is it” before solving is probably allowed since you’re not “adding to the puzzle”, you’re just prefacing your guess. As far as I know, as long as your response itself is correct, it’s fine. That’s my train of thought anyway,”

“Here is the big rule from Wheel of Fortune Live, which took its rules from the official rulebook: In all cases, the judges will try and give the “benefit of the doubt” to the contestant solving the puzzle, taking into consideration speech impediments, regional dialects, nervous contestants and studio conditions. Each case will be evaluated individually, and the decision of the judges will be final,”. Meanwhile, few fans felt that Seacrest was being lenient to establish his image on the show, “I’ve had the feeling that the Wheel and Jeopardy judges have both been a tiny bit more lenient ever since their new hosts have taken over. Just coincidental timing, I imagine. People like to see other people win money, they may be giving people the benefit of the doubt,”

The little victory did take Moreland to the Bonus Round; however, she lost out on a $100,000 there. She chose the “What are you doing?” category after spinning the wheel. And the puzzle board displayed letters — R, S, T, L, N, E — along with Moreland’s selections — D, C, H, and A. The word puzzle then took shape like this: H A _ _ N _ A _ E _ L A _ _ H S.

The contestant tried to guess with “having” and “laughs” but failed to come up with the right answer before the buzzer announced a timeout. The right answer turned out to be, “Having a few laughs.” Moreland took home a $19,290 prize package along with a Wheel of Fortune limited edition shot glass collection.

This isn’t Ryan Seacrest’s first gaffe on TV, he has also made the news for blunders on “American Idol.” He recalled how he once stood on “American Idol” sets and said, “Welcome back to ‘Wheel of Fortune.”