'Wheel of Fortune' fans spot a change in bonus round prize as player loses out on $55,000

The contestant had his dad on the show who added more pressure on his son.

PUBLISHED SEP 24, 2025

The contestant failing to guess the correct answer (Cover image source: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

"Wheel of Fortune" fans were quick to spot a pattern of impossible puzzles after a string of losses in the bonus round. But after one such loss, many viewers pointed out a small change that they saw in the show. The fans noticed a change in the bonus round prize amount after a contestant missed out on taking home more than $80,000.

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The contestant was a man named Miguel Martinez, and according to a report in TV Insider, he had earned $28,517 before reaching the bonus round. The contestant had his father to support him in the Bonus Round. However, his old man ended up putting more pressure on his son than he already might have been feeling.

Martinez spun the wheel, and it landed on the ampersand. He had selected the ‘Around The House’ category for the bonus round. As per the rules of the show, he was given the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. He now had the chance to pick three more consonants and one more vowel.

Screenshot showing the contestant's father. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

Martinez took some time to think about it and chose the letters C, D, M, and A. Unfortunately, these were not the best picks, and they did not do much to open up a lot of the puzzle. It now read, “_ _ ND_ _ _ _ _.” Martinez now had 10 seconds on the clock to correctly answer it. However, with just two letters revealed, this was never going to be an easy task.

“Candle? No, it’s not a C. Binder? No,” he said. However, he was never close to getting the correct answer. “Tough to figure this one out with only two letters,” Seacrest said as the contestant failed to guess correctly in time. The answer was then revealed to be ‘Window Box.’ The host then opened up the envelope to reveal that the contestant could have won an additional $55,000.

Screenshot showing the contestant and Ryan Seacrest. (Image credit: YouTube | Wheel of Fortune)

This was not something that fans of the show had seen in the past. A $55,000 envelope was new, and viewers had their say about the matter in the comments section of the clip on YouTube. “I have never seen a $55,000 envelope before!” one fan commented. “Nice addition of the $55,000 prize envelope. Hopefully they'll add more later in the next year or two,” quipped another. “I’d be so sad losing on the debut of a $55,000 grand prize,” a third wrote.