'Wheel of Fortune' player dedicates her $45,000 win to her mother-in-law in sweet TV moment
Ryan Seacrest was surprised that the contestant was able to get it right so quick.
Nov. 5 2025, Published 11:05 p.m. ET
One thing even better than seeing contestants win big on "Wheel of Fortune" is to see them dedicate that big win to a loved one. That is exactly what happened in a recent episode of the show in which a contestant dedicated her win to her mother-in-law. It was a heartwarming moment that was shared by the family and perhaps even one that made fans smile with them.
The contestant named Delinda had played a fantastic game to get to the final round. She had won $20,650 in cash and prizes leading up to the Bonus Round, and hoped to win a lot more. Delinda was there with her husband and her daughter. Ryan Seacrest took this opportunity to inform the daughter that her mother had a lot of money at that point in time.
Delinda then gave the wheel a good spin, and it landed on the W. The contestant had chosen the ‘Around The House’ category. As per the rules of the show, she was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E.
Delinda then had the chance to pick four more consonants and one more vowel. She chose the letters M, V, K, and A. These were not the best choices, but as fate would have it, she did not need better letters to get the answer right. The puzzle now read, “_ARM ___LT.” “Talk it out loud, that can be really helpful,” the host advised. However, the contestant already seemed to know what the answer was.
As soon as her 10-second timer started ticking, Delinda said, “For my mother-in-law. Warm quilt.” That was the correct answer, and the host seemed a little surprised by it. “Yeah. Did you know?” he asked. Seacrest then opened up the envelope to reveal that the contestant had won an additional $45,000. That meant that her total prize money for the day was $65,650.
Delinda’s husband and daughter came to celebrate with her on the stage, and Seacrest once again suggested that her daughter take some of her mother’s money. “What do you think? She got more money. Get some,” he said. Fans of the show loved the win and expressed their joy through YouTube comments.
“I got it as soon as her letters popped up. Congrats to her on the solve and the prizes 👏,” one fan commented. “Way to go, Delinda! Your mother-in-law will be so proud!” exclaimed another. “The line before Melinda's answer, 'For my mother-in-law,' was so warm and touched my heart. This was the deciding factor, and Melinda won 45k. It was amazing,” a viewer added.
Watch the stunning win in the video here.
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