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Game Overview. You can compete for cash and prizes, just like contestants on the actual game show. Get ready to spin the wheel, buy a vowel, and solve puzzles in a variety of categories. Apr 18, 2017  Play America's favorite Game Show online - Wheel of Fortune! Spin the wheel and choose a letter to see if the puzzle contains that letter. Earn money for each times the letter appears in the puzzle. Watch out for the Bankrupt space on the wheel! You can also buy a vowel at any time. When you think you know the puzzle, take a chance and solve it!

'Wheel! Of! Fortune!' Everybody knows the famous chant that begins every episode of the long-running game show. On the air for more than 40 years and still going strong, Wheel of Fortune has gone through a number of changes over the years, and more than a few secrets lurk behind those turning letters. Find out how a little daytime game show launched careers and inspired a nationwide mania before becoming the nighttime standby it is today.

The first Wheel of Fortune was very different

The first version of Wheel of Fortune wasn't anything like the Wheel we know now. In 1952, CBS debuted a game show that revolved around ordinary folks who did good deeds or little acts of heroism. Those people would be brought on the show, have America hear their story, then they'd get to spin a wheel and win a prize. The theme song was the pop hit 'Wheel of Fortune' by Kay Starr—and the song's popularity outlasted the program, which only ran for about a year.
This Wheel of Fortune was hosted by Todd Russell, also known for hosting the puppet-based children's program The Rootie Kazootie Show. Though Russell didn't achieve success in game shows, he was an early pioneer in the wide world of creepy puppet kids' shows of the '50s.

The original title was Shopper's Bazaar

Shouldn't game shows involve more shopping? That's what the network thought when a new Wheel of Fortune entered development in 1973. The original name was going to be Shopper's Bazaar, because a major part of the show would be contestants using their winnings to shop. To be clear, the shopping wasn't a part of winning more money, like The Price is Right. The contestants would shop for whatever they wanted to win, then play the game to take home an Indian squash blossom necklace or a Pontiac Firebird.
The name didn't make it past the pilot phase, but Wheel of Fortune stuck with the shopping motif for awhile. After playing the game, which was pretty much the same as it is now, the winner would get a chance to blow their cash on a mini shopping spree. They could buy things like redwood patio furniture or a 'Mahogany fun tub for two.' Though the shopping portion is a faint memory today, it stuck around until 1989, at which point producers evidently realized it isn't all that entertaining to watch someone make a list of goods they'd like to purchase.

The first hosts were Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford

Imagining a world of Wheel of Fortune without Pat Sajak and Vanna White is pretty disturbing, but it happened. Neither Sajak nor White were the first choices for the show—in fact, Love Connection host Chuck Woolery originally spun the wheel and interviewed contestants. Wheel started as a daytime program, but that didn't stop them from giving away primetime prizes—as Woolery later recalled, they once gave away a Mercedes and even a small airplane. When asked why he left the show in 1981, Woolery cited a salary disagreement with producer Merv Griffin, though looking back, he thought he should have stayed on a little longer.
Before White ever touched a vowel, Susan Stafford was there to wear the dresses and turn the letters. She stayed with the game for seven years, and eventually grew tired of it; as she put it to the Chicago Tribune, 'I mean, for seven years I stood there and turned letters.' She left in 1982, and when asked if she regretted departing, she replied, 'Do I kick myself? No, I like myself too much for that. Do I miss the money? You bet I do.'

Susan Stafford left the show to work with cancer patients

Stafford's unhappiness with Wheel of Fortune ran deep in the months before she left. When thinking about her life and job as number one letter turner, she told the Tribune, 'I had to ask myself if that was any way for a grown woman to live her life.' Instead of trying to land another acting gig or moving on to more modeling, she moved to Houston to work with cancer patients.
In her book Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off!, Stafford recalls the moment she told her boss she was leaving, saying he told her, 'Susan, you can't be serious. Even for you, this is a stretch.' Later, she became a born-again Christian and allegedly helped Rock Hudson find Jesus on his deathbed.

The network didn't want Pat Sajak

Original Wheel Of Fortune Game

Creator of Wheel of Fortune Merv Griffin was faced with the task of finding a new host once Woolery left the show, and according to his book Making the Good Life Last, he wanted Pat Sajak from the start. Sajak was a weatherman at a local news station, but Griffin loved his sense of humor. The network, unfortunately, didn't agree—specifically the head of daytime, who didn't think Sajak was qualified for the job. Undaunted, Griffin threatened to stop taping until Sajak was hired; the network wasn't about to let a hit show show slip away, so Sajak took over hosting duties, striking a blow for justice on behalf of weathermen everywhere.

People went crazy for Vanna White

It's hard to imagine a nation going crazy over someone who mostly stands, smiles, and turns things, but as Wheel of Fortune's popularity soared, so did Vanna White's. In 1986, the show became the most popular syndicated series of all time, reaching more than 30 million viewers. White appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1987 when 'Vannamania' was in full swing—the co-host received tons of fan letters and media attention, becoming so popular that people started naming their children after her. 'Vanna' was the 8718th most popular girl's name in the U.S. when she joined the show in 1982—and by the following year, its ranking shot up more than 5000 places. With her newfound fame, White started a clothing line and wrote a book; 90% of girls surveyed thought Vanna White was the ultimate role model of 1986.

Pat and Vanna used to get drunk before taping

Though Sajak and White seemed squeaky clean, Sajak has admitted they weren't always well-behaved; in fact, in an interview with ESPN2, Sajak said he and White used to get drunk before tapings 'when I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things,' adding, 'We had a different show then.' He went on to say that on their long dinner breaks, they'd go and have a nice Mexican meal accompanied by a margarita or two…or six. The days of drunken Wheel are over, though Sajak said he wouldn't mind seeing some of those old shows, to remember the good old days when drinking on the job was totally okay.

Sajak and Vanna carried the Olympic torch

By 1996, Sajak and White were so thoroughly ingrained as American pop culture icons that they were asked to carry the Olympic torch for that year's Summer Games in Atlanta. As the torch passed through much of the country, it was carried by 'Community and Local Heroes,' with the occasional famous face popping up here and there. Though Sajak and White were obviously notable enough to earn an Olympic invitation, they still had to pay $3,000 each for their turn with the flame.

Vanna White holds a world record

As of 2017, Vanna White has been on Wheel of Fortune for almost 35 years and has worn more than 6500 dresses during her letter-turning journey. In fact, she's never repeated a gown. In an interview with Fox (via Refinery29), she said 'Never the same one twice. Nor do I get to keep them. They have to go back to the designer…I've gone through all the big styles, [including] the big shoulder pads. You name it, I've done it.' After so many gowns, White prefers something stretchy and comfortable over anything else; as she pointed out, taping in a tight dress and five-inch heels isn't much fun. Of course, White's not really complaining, the show only shoots four days a month, and she understands a little clothing discomfort goes with the territory.
Yet White's greatest achievement has nothing to do with dresses—it's even more niche. In 2013, she set the Guinness World Record for Most Frequent Clapper, a title we're betting she hangs onto indefinitely.

Merv Griffin found out Sajak was hard to replace

Pat Sajak has stayed at the helm on the nighttime version of Wheel for decades, but he did leave the daytime version for a period of time. While Sajak was taping his short-lived nighttime talk show The Pat Sajak Show in 1990, producer Merv Griffin relieved him of his daytime hosting duties, subbing in former San Diego Chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke—who admitted he'd never watched the show and didn't really know how the game was played. After he was fired, Benirschke didn't seem too upset, shrugging, 'I didn't pursue this to begin with. I enjoyed it, and I would consider other things, but I'm not going to pursue. My lifestyle here (in San Diego) is too precious to me.'
After Benirschke's ouster, Griffin hired Bob Goen, a seasoned gameshow host and sports broadcaster, but even with Goen's experience, it still didn't work. In an interview, Goen looked back on his experience, saying, 'We were the poor stepsister to the night-time syndicated version with Pat and Vanna. They were making millions and giving away BMWs, while we were stuck with $50 spaces on the wheel and giving away GEO Metros. It was a bit of an embarrassment, and I think, the ultimate demise of my version of the show.' The daytime Wheel was off the air by 1991.

It's had a ratings battle with Jeopardy

Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have battled for syndicated ratings supremacy for years. Wheel often wins, but Jeopardy! still puts up a fight. In recent years, Jeopardy! has come out on top from time to time, but as of March of 2017, Wheel is back at number one—if only just barely. Both shows are both doing incredibly well, especially since they've been TV staples for so long; in fact, it's rare that either show places lower than fifth among all nationally syndicated programming. For something that's been on the air for more than 40 years, that's pretty impressive.

Wheel of Fortune is a British television game show based on the American show of the same name created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that contestants spin throughout the course of the game to determine their cash and/or prizes. The programme aired between 19 July 1988 and 21 December 2001 and was produced by Scottish Television in association with King World Productions^[a], and with for the ITV network - having effectively replaced Now You See It as STV's prime time game show offering for the ITV network. It mostly follows the same general format from the original version of the programme from the United States, with a few minor differences.

• 2Prizes
• 7Transmissions
  • 7.2Specials
    • 7.2.1Regional transmissions information

Gameplay[edit]

Unlike the American version, where the numbers on the wheel correspond to the amount of money won by each contestant, the British version instead referred to these amounts as 'points' – they had no cash value, their only purpose was to determine the grand finalist, or to choose a winner for a particular round. There was a reason for this: between 1960 and 1992, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and for the last two years its successor the Independent Television Commission imposed caps on the top prize game shows could give away per week, and standardising the prize on offer per episode ensured the programme did not breach the set limits.

Points earned from all players carried on to proceeding rounds, and only scores for the current round were susceptible to Bankrupts, meaning a winner could be crowned that never solved a puzzle, but acquired a large number of points. This rule would actually encourage sacrificing a player's turn if he or she did not know the puzzle rather than risking his or her points by spinning again.

For the first three series, before the recording of each episode, each contestant spun the wheel; the contestant with the highest score would start the first round. In the programme proper, the contestant was asked a 50/50 trivia question, and if the contestant answered correctly, they spun the wheel. If the contestant landed on a number, they had to pick a letter. If the letter appeared on the puzzle board, the contestant earned the value multiplied by the number of times the letter appeared. A player was allowed to purchase a vowel for a flat rate of 250 points for any number of repetitions as long as that vowel appeared in the puzzle. The contestant would then spin the wheel again, but the contestant's turn would end if the contestant either (a) landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, earning the contestant no points (but not deducting the number the contestant landed on); (b) bought a vowel that did not appear in the puzzle (still costing the 250 points); (c) landed on the 'LOSE A TURN' space; (d) landed on the 'BANKRUPT' space, losing the contestant's total score for that round (but not from previous rounds); or (e) attempting to solve the puzzle but giving an incorrect answer.

If the contestant landed on the 'FREE SPIN', the contestant would be given a 'FREE SPIN' token and would spin the wheel again. If the contestant landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, or landed on the 'LOSE A TURN' space or the 'BANKRUPT' space, the contestant could give their 'FREE SPIN' loop to the host and spin again. They could alternatively hand over play to the next contestant.

If the contestant answered the 50/50 trivia question incorrectly, they would not spin the wheel; play would move on to the next contestant.

In the speed round, the host would spin the wheel with the centre player's arrow determining the point value for each contestant. Vowels were worth nothing, and consonants were worth whatever the value spun. The left player would go first. No more 50/50 questions were asked.

From the fourth series onward, the 50/50 trivia individual questions were dropped. Instead, at the start of each round, the contestants would be asked a general knowledge question and the first contestant to buzz in and answer correctly would gain control of the wheel (this included the speed-up round).

Also from the fourth series onward, from Round 3 to the end, the points on the wheel were worth double (although the wheel did not show the values at double points).

The yellow (centre) player's arrow determined the point value for each consonant in the speed-up round (and during the final spin both Walsh and Leslie employed the catchphrase 'No more spinning, just winning!' while explaining how the speed-up round worked). Vowels were worth nothing, and consonants were worth the value spun. In case of a tie, each player tied for the lead spun the wheel and the player who spun the higher number went through.

In the Grand Finale, the winning contestant chose from one of three bonus prizes to play for: a car, a luxury holiday, or a cash prize. The series in 1994 differed, in that the prize the contestant won for solving the puzzle was a car plus the cash prize of £10,000. In one episode in 1994, the prize was two cars and £10,000.^{[citation needed]} From 1995 to 1998, the player chose one of two envelopes, one with the car and the other with £20,000. The prize chosen, the Grand Finale continued with the contestant choosing five consonants and a vowel. The contestant had 15 seconds to solve the puzzle to win the prize. Unlike other versions, the player could solve any one word individually, and then work on any other word in the puzzle. For example, if the puzzle was 'A CUP OF TEA', the player could solve 'OF', then 'A', then 'TEA', and finally 'CUP' to complete the puzzle.

In the final series, 'LOSE A TURN' was changed to 'MISS A TURN', for reasons unknown, and a '500 Gamble' wedge was added. If a player landed on the latter wedge, they had the option of going for 500 points per letter or gambling their round score. If they chose to gamble their points and called a correct letter, their score would be multiplied in for each of that letter in the puzzle with 1,000 (2,000 starting in the third round) added to the sum;^{[clarification needed]} an incorrect letter was the same as Bankrupt.

In the rare event two or all three players were tied for first place, the host had each player spin the wheel once, and the highest number spun won the game. Spinning a 'BANKRUPT,' 'LOSE A TURN/MISS A TURN,' or 'FREE SPIN' did not allow another spin and thus counted as a zero score.

Prizes[edit]

Unlike the original American version, instead of cash prizes, successful spinners from each round were rewarded with a choice of three prizes which might contain household appliances, a holiday, etc. In 1988 the prizes for the final were a trip (an oriental furnished living room on 6 September and a luxury bathroom on 13 September), a new car (or sometimes a new boat), or a cash jackpot at £3,000 (£2,000 on the last two episodes of the first series). In 1989, the cash value increased to £4,000, from 1993 the Cash value increased again to £5,000. On the celebrity specials, solving the final puzzle donated £5,000 to the celebrity's favourite charity. During the 1994 series, solving the final puzzle won both £10,000 and a new car. In some episodes in 1994 this was increased to two cars and £10,000. The prize was later increased to £20,000 or a car from 1995-1998, with the winning contestant randomly selecting his/her prize by choosing one of two sealed envelopes.

During the daytime series, winners of each round were able to chosen from an array prizes laid out in the studio, such as a CD player, dishwasher etc. The cash prize for the final puzzle was dropped to £2,000. Players also could pick the same prize more than once, and on some occasions contestants made requests for an opponent who had won nothing to pick a prize, and Leslie always upheld the request.

All contestants in all series, win or lose, went home with a Wheel of Fortune watch (and sometimes other Wheel-related merchandise).

In the final, the winning contestant had a free choice of five consonants and one vowel in order to help them identify the answer within 15 seconds to the puzzle and win the prize.

Special prizes[edit]

• During the peak time series, the second and third round began with the hostess presenting a special prize (usually jewellery) which could be won by landing on a prize star and going on to solve the puzzle. (prime time series).
• During Bradley Walsh's run, the first player in the third round to land on a special disc and also put a letter on the board won the contents of 'Brad's Box'.^[1] This bonus carried over into the prime time John Leslie series and was renamed 'Leslie's Luxury' but during Leslie's series, there were two boxes; one would be for the men, and the other one would be for the women (prime time series).
• Starting in 1996, one puzzle would contain a 'cash pot' letter (gold in 1996 and 1997, red thereafter) that would net that player £100 for solving the puzzle immediately after finding the letter (both formats).
• The winning contestant had a chance to win another £100 by guessing a special partially-revealed 'puzzler' related to the puzzle just solved. (daytime series).
• During the second round on the daily series, a mystery prize would be awarded to the contestant if he/she picked up the token and solved the round two puzzle.

Special episodes[edit]

In the ninth episode of the second series and the thirteenth episode of the fourth series, the contestants were brides and in the twelfth episode of the third series and the eleventh episode of the fourth series, the contestants (two women and one man) were retired.

One memorable episode took place in 1998, when Elizabeth Jensen took on the wheel. On her way to the final, Liz won a petrol lawnmower, but narrowly missed out on the main prize when she failed to work out the TV programme she was looking for was 'working lunch'. After filming, John Leslie was quoted as saying, 'Liz is the greatest contestant we've ever had. The fact she is such a looker was an added bonus'.

Studio designs[edit]

From 1988 to 1993, the host would emerge from the right stairs. Then as the presenter introduces the letter spinner, the letter spinner would walk down the left stairs. Between 1994 and 2000, the host and the letter spinner would emerge from the puzzle board that rotated clockwise. And in 2001, the host and the letter spinner would emerge from the prize pod.

The original design of the wheel was based on the American design, placed above ground on top of layers with lights. From 1994 to the end, the wheel was placed on the ground.

Wrong way spin outtake[edit]

One notable outtake from the show involved a man who spun the wheel in the wrong direction, forcing the show to be postponed until the next day. As the British wheel has a gearing mechanism to regulate its speed, this action promptly broke said gears, and the studio technicians spent hours trying to fix it.^[2]

Wheel configurations[edit]

The top point space was 1000 points, with one such space in round 1. One more space was added in round 2, along with a second Bankrupt, and a third 1,000-point space was added in round 3. Also, starting from series 4 in 1992, values were doubled beginning from round 3 onward, making the top point spaces worth 2,000 points.

Unlike the board used on the American version since 1997, the United Kingdom version's puzzle board was never electronic, so the regular puzzle would be placed at the top portion of the board while the puzzler would fill any unused lines below. The puzzle board's shape from 1994 to early 2000 was the same as the current American puzzle board. From 1988 to 1993, its border was styled like the one on the American puzzle board used from 1981 to 1993. The background colour for unused trilons on the UK's puzzle board was green from 1988 to 1993, after which it was changed to blue.

In 2001, Lose A Turn was renamed Miss A Turn and a 500 Gamble space was added. When 500 Gamble was landed on, the player had a choice of going for the regular 500 points or gambling their round score on a correct letter. Each appearance of a correct letter increased their score by 1,000 points plus their current score while an incorrect letter took away all the points they accumulated in the round.

Transmissions[edit]

Series[edit]

Specials[edit]

The two Hogmanay Specials were only broadcast to the Scottish and Grampian Television regions.^[3]

• 1988: With Amanda Laird, Teri Lally and Andy Cameron.^[3]
• 1989: With Andy Cameron, Paul Coia and Viv Lumsden.^[3]

Regional transmissions information[edit]

1988–1998[edit]

For the first ten series, the show was broadcast once a week in a primetime slot. With series 8, a number of regional ITV stations did broadcast episodes a few days later including the last episode on 31 December 1996.

The Original Wheel Of Fortune

1999[edit]

During the eleventh series, the programme was moved to a five-shows-a-week daytime slot and it aired at 2.40pm each afternoon from 2 March, after the sixth series of Dale's Supermarket Sweep concluded its run. It took a break from 28 May to 10 September 1999.

2000[edit]

The twelfth series began at the start of the year, and lasted until the start of December. During this series, the show's slot varied in different ITV regions.

• Carlton (London and Westcountry), Grampian and Scottish aired the episodes at 5:30pm.
• Anglia, Border, Granada, Meridian, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire aired the episodes at 2:40pm until 31 March 2000, then Friday afternoons only from 18 May to 9 June. From 12 June, it was moved back to five-times-a-week at 1.30pm and then from 17 July, it was moved to 2:40pm, so not all the episodes aired.
• HTV followed Anglia's pattern until 8 May before switching to the 5:30pm slot.
• Carlton (Central) also followed Anglia's pattern until 12 June before moving the show to 5.30pm.

Additional episodes were broadcast by all ITV regions on Sundays during May.

2001[edit]

During the thirteenth series, most ITV regions broadcast episodes at 5.30pm from 2 January to 22 June 2001, except for Meridian, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, before being switched to a Saturday afternoon slot until 4 August 2001. The final thirty episodes (series fourteen) were networked at 2.40pm, from 12 November to 21 December.

References[edit]

1. ^Bradley Walsh :: TV :: Wheel Of Fortune
2. ^http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Wheel_of_Fortune
3. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnopq}'Evening Times'. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
4. ^'04 June 1991, 36'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
5. ^'29 August 1991, 32'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
6. ^'18 May 1992, 36'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
7. ^'24 August 1992, 32'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
8. ^'07 June 1993, 70'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
9. ^'30 August 1993, 20'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
10. ^'11 July 1994, 59'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
11. ^'12 December 1994, 21'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
12. ^'30 August 1995, 40'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
13. ^'27 December 1995, 21'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
14. ^'24 July 1996, 43'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
15. ^'24 December 1995, 47'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.

Original Wheel Of Fortune Show

1. ^Alongside King World, for the show's first two seasons, the show was co-distributed in association with The Walt Disney Company Limited and Action Time Productions, with Buena Vista International Television taking over for Seasons 3-4 before King World became the sole-distributor for the show from Season 5.

External links[edit]

• Wheel of Fortune (UK) on IMDb
• Wheel of Fortune (UK) at BFI
• Wheel of Fortune (UK) at UKGameshows.com

Wheel Of Fortune Home Game