ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

'Wheel of Fortune' player wins big but viewers couldn't get over what was written on her name tag

Her performance in the first part of the show was exceptional but she missed out on the big prize.
PUBLISHED APR 7, 2025
Screenshots showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshots showing Ryan Seacrest and the contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

People who make it to “Wheel of Fortune” bring their puzzle-solving skills and fair share of luck to win games. But there are a few who go out of their way to get noticed during their appearance on the small screen that could even go viral. The audience has seen a player walk in looking like Albert Einstein, and the host, Ryan Seacrest, was once astonished by a contestant's skills with the yo-yo. In a recent episode of the show, a librarian stood out rather unintentionally because of her nickname, Piddle. It may have sounded cute to her parents, but the word means, 'to urinate.' Even with the awkward name, she did really well on the show but stumbled in the Bonus Round.

The contestant was on fire leading up to the final round, and a clip on Instagram showed how good she was with puzzles, even the big ones. She cracked several of them correctly and won more than $20,000. Her performance won her a wild card and a $1 million wedge, which she could have won at the end of the show, but it was just not meant to be.

Screenshots showing the contestant and Ryan Seacrest on
Screenshots showing the contestant and Ryan Seacrest on "Wheel of Fortune." (Image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

“Piddle, you’re a lot of fun,” host Ryan Seacrest had said to her, to which she replied, “I am.” Before the Bonus Round began, the host revealed everything that the contestant had won so far, and it was truly staggering. “She doesn’t want to be greedy, but she’s got the million dollar wedge, she’s got the trip to Boston, she’s got the wild card, and she’s got $20,950,” he said.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Wheel of Fortune (@wheeloffortune)


 

Now it was time for her to play the Bonus Round. Piddle selected the Places category and was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After these letters were revealed, the puzzle read, “__N_ET R___.” She then picked the letters M, H, B, O, and F. The puzzle was then further revealed to be “B_N__ET ROOM.”

Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve the Bonus Round puzzle. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)
Screenshot showing the contestant trying to solve the Bonus Round puzzle. (Image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

The contestant had 10 seconds on the clock, but Piddle was unable to get an answer out in time. In the end, it became evident that she was not going to solve it, and that indeed was the case. She would have won $75,000 had she gotten it right, but there were no hard feelings on her part.

On the other hand, fans flooded the comments section with disappointment. “I was screaming the answer to my TV repeatedly! Regardless, Piddle had a great game!” one user commented on YouTube. “This was a really easy one. I screamed and screamed... it is sad that it ended in unsolved,” added another user. But on Reddit, her name was the main topic of discussion.



 

A post in r/WheelOfFortune about her was titled “What were her parents thinking?” While Piddle was the contestant’s nickname, people still found it funny. “I bet it's an unfortunate nickname her beloved husband, Bud, gave her on their first date. He made her laugh, and she piddled a little. He named her that on that very day. And she married him anyway,” one user commented.

“I just need you to know that me and my mother were in TEARS the entire episode over her name. And I had to come here while watching to see if anyone else was wondering the same thing, and your post was the first thing to pop up, and I died of laughter AGAIN. Lmfao felt good to have a nice laugh,” added one more fan.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
A Michigan couple’s viral membership photo struck a chord online as shoppers shared decades-old stories featuring their kids and even pets.
Mar 16, 2026
A shift to electronic payments is slowing refunds for some filers, even as the IRS grapples with staffing cuts and a heavy tax season workload.
Mar 16, 2026
The warehouse retailer is urging customers not to consume these ready-to-eat meals sold earlier this month
Mar 16, 2026
The product was distributed in several but no illness has yet been reported.
Mar 14, 2026
While most people disagreed with what the mall did, there were some who understood the reason.
Mar 14, 2026
People are seemingly having a hard time saving apart from their retirement funds.
Mar 14, 2026
“These people are working and contributing and helping to reduce the debt and deficit,” an economic expert said.
Mar 14, 2026
As per a provision in US laws, the IRS had no right to levy penalties in the pandemic years.
Mar 14, 2026
The US had sanctioned Russia heavily over its military exercise in Ukraine.
Mar 14, 2026
While gas prices have jumped, diesel prices have skyrocketed across the country, averaging at $4.78
Mar 13, 2026
Last year, Buffett stepped down as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
Mar 13, 2026
Many who feel financially behind are embracing “financial nihilism,” placing bets on high-risk options instead of traditional investing.
Mar 13, 2026
It was one of the rarest instances in the show in which a contestant had won two cars in one episode
Mar 13, 2026
Housing search data flags a shift in buyer sentiment as Californians look beyond Las Vegas for cheaper housing.
Mar 13, 2026
The company is doing whatever it can to stay ahead of its competitors in the field of AI.
Mar 13, 2026
Industry leaders warn that the Iran conflict could push fertilizer costs higher and eventually drive food inflation.
Mar 13, 2026
This could lead to domestic migration of the wealthy from the state before the law takes effect
Mar 13, 2026
Karoline Leavitt says it won’t affect married women, but critics argue name-change documentation could create new barriers.
Mar 13, 2026
As regulators tighten rules and refineries shut down, the Golden State, also known as the ‘fuel island’, grapples with extremely high gas prices.
Mar 12, 2026
The answer isn't clear yet, but early signs point to his policy backfiring in a bad way.
Mar 12, 2026