Complex sentence: On October 12,1993 a contestant bid various amounts and caused some confusion when time ran out; most of the audience heard him say "$999" (the price of the second prize), while the staff could not decide.
Split into simpler sentences: On October 12,1993 a contestant bid various amounts and caused some confusion when time ran out. Most of the audience heard him say "$999" (the price of the second prize), while the staff could not decide.