Erica's perfect letters lead to a $40,000 Wheel of Fortune bonus round win

Wheel of Fortune season 43 turned a festive night on the Holiday set into a major personal victory as Erica Sciuto delivered a standout performance on the Christmas Eve 2025 episode on December 24, 2025.

The episode, which also happened to fall on host Ryan Seacrest’s 51st birthday, saw Erica dominate the game from start to finish and cap off the night with a flawless Bonus Round solve that earned her an extra $40,000.

By the end of the show, she walked away with a massive total of $66,190 in cash plus a luxury trip to the Cook Islands, making her the clear star of the night.

Erica Sciuto from Tarpon Springs, Florida, dominated the Wheel of Fortune season 43 episode, racking up $26,190 in cash plus trips to Utah's Snowpine Lodge and the Cook Islands before nailing the bonus round with spot-on letter picks for an extra $40,000.

The holiday-themed show celebrated host Ryan Seacrest's 51st birthday, with contestants Troy Phillipy from Kokomo, Indiana, and Damon Carson from Palm Springs, California, putting up a fight but ultimately finishing with $3,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Erica's game included solving clever Christmas quotes, a tricky before-and-after, and speed-ups, culminating in her bonus puzzle "OUT OF POCKET" after choosing the perfect C, M, P, and O to unlock the $100K envelope's top prize.

What happened on the Christmas Eve episode of Wheel of Fortune season 43?

The episode kicked off on the sparkling holiday set with a $1K Toss-Up puzzle in the PHRASE category: "PEACE ON EARTH." Troy buzzed in first among the three contestants, kicking things off strong on Ryan's big day.

The episode featured: Troy, a drag racing enthusiast, Damon, a Marine Corps veteran, and Erica, who shared her love for the Christmas classic "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire."

Next came the $2K Toss-Up, ON MY PLAYLIST: "BROADWAY CLASSICS." Troy and Damon whiffed early, but Erica nailed it after a few letters flipped, putting her in the lead.

Round 1 was a QUOTATION, where Erica grabbed $1,800 in T's before passing, Troy hit a halt on H, and Damon landed $2,400 on R's, $1K on S's, three A's, and $700 on C before a dud P.

Erica then snagged $1,200 on N's and solved "NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING" from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas for $3,000 total.

Troy took the Mystery Round, BEFORE & AFTER, but stumbled with a $700 T and dud R on the $3,500. Damon added N's and W's worth $1,200 and $1,400 plus three O's before a D dud.

Erica closed it with $650 P, $500 C and H, solving "ONE-TWO PUNCH BOWL" for $1,650. Scores sat at Damon with nothing, Erica at $6,650, and Troy at $1,000.

In the Prize Puzzle Express round for a PLACE, Damon hit an instant BANKRUPT near $650. Erica missed T on $3,500, then Troy filled in two S's to solve "POLAR EXPRESS GOES ABOARD," but crashed on H after $2,500, losing it all.

Damon dudded B, and Erica solved "A POLYNESIAN PARADISE" for a $10,740 trip to Rumours Luxury Villas & Spa in the Cook Islands via Thrive Travel. Now at $17,390 cash and the trip, she was unstoppable.

The Triple Toss-Ups were all about "TRIMMING": Troy got "TRIMMING THE TREE," Erica rang in for "TRIMMING MY BEARD," and after Troy whiffed, she swept the third with "TRIMMING THE FAT."

Round 4, JUST DESSERTS, went to speed up after Erica's two S's for $1,400. With consonants at $1,700 each, duds flew, Troy on L, Erica on T, Damon on U until C, G, two R's from Troy.

Erica's M revealed "WARM SUGAR COOKIES" for $4,800, pushing her to $26,190 cash, trips, and total game score.

Erica picked PHRASE for the $100K Bonus Round, joined by boyfriend Kennis (who joked he just drinks while the ladies make pasta) and friend Jenny.

Landing on E, she chose C, M, P, and O, perfect picks that flipped the reused early Season 31 puzzle to "OUT OF POCKET," scoring the full $40,000 for $66,190 overall. 

Stay tuned for more updates.