'Wheel of Fortune' contestant announces touching tribute to Ryan Seacrest but loses out on $40,000
Contestant Ellie Williams, who is pregnant with her second child playfully revealed she would name her son
Dec. 18 2025, Updated 12:48 a.m. ET
"Wheel of Fortune" contestants may not always win big in the bonus round, but they do leave fans with memorable moments. Contestant Ellie Williams from Washington, D.C., revealed that her husband's name is Johnny and has a one-year-old son, also named Johnny. She found out that she was pregnant with her first child on the day she received the "Wheel of Fortune" audition callback, and is now pregnant again with her second child. During the game, Ellie playfully mentioned that they have a name for their boy, but there "might be a slight name change after today" and suggested "Ryan", as a tribute to host Ryan Seacrest.
Williams shone through the early rounds and collected $2,000 after rightly solving the Second Toss-Up puzzle "Dinner Party". During the Round 1 Show Me The Money, Williams solved "Bet Your Bottom Dollar" and won $7,200. She then went on to win the Mystery Round Before and After solving "Going to the Dr. Seuss" and rounded up her total to $8,200. She smashed the Triple Toss-Up worth $10,000 - Check the Calendar round by solving all three puzzles: "Manic Monday", "It's Friday, I'm in Love", and"Working for the Weekend", which brought her total winnings to $18,200. Williams then entered the Bonus Round.
Williams' husband, Johnny, supported his wife on naming their second child "Ryan" while he was being introduced on the show. Williams then chose the "Place" category for the Bonus Round. She was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, E. She selected H, B, F as consonants and O as a vowel.
The final puzzle is revealed as, "H _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ O _ _ ." Williams then played the game, aiming for the 100K prize. Despite her efforts, she was unable to solve the puzzle, ending the game with $18,200—another night with a contestant missing out on the Bonus Round cash prize of $40,000. The final answer was revealed as "A Crowded House". Fans thought it was unfair to set up a tough puzzle again. "Well, it's common to have a crowded house for New Year's Eve parties. Not tough for me, but she should have chosen the c. O was a good vowel," @Animegamespublishing pointed out.
"I can't believe Place was chosen. Tough puzzle. We need a win for tomorrow!!!" @myles-spikewebby8519 chimed in. "I just figure it out and got it with A Crowded House. So granted both "H" & "O" were two good letters to pick & the "A" would've been no help at all, now I don't know if the "C" would've done it or not, but I think "Ds" would've done it to add to it for Elle to solve it," @jacobwilson6192 commented. "Another Tough Puzzle For Ellie She Need A Letter C,D & W $40,000 Lose," @elijahjohnsaladaga008 lamented.
You can watch the surprising moment here.
More on Market Realist: