Wheel of Fortune
Host: Chuck Woolery, Pat Sajak, Rolf Benirshke, Bob Goen
Hostess: Susan Stafford, Vanna White
PREMISE: You're kidding, right? Okay, I'm done laughing now. Three contestants play hangman for big money.
RULES:
Contestants take turns either spinning, buying vowels, or attempting to solve the puzzle. If they elect to spin, and get money; they call a consonant. If that letter is in the puzzle, the payoff is spin times frequency of letter in puzzle. (So $350 is spun, and four T's are in the puzzle: $1,400 is put in that player's bank). Originally, players could only buy a vowel after hitting the appropriate space on the wheel, but people who spun the wedge either didn't have the money, or didn't want to buy a vowel, so they yanked the "BUY a VOWEL" space and was replaced by the contestants just paying $250 to call a vowel regardless of how many times it appeared. Players continue to have control of the game until they:
Call a letter that is not in the puzzle. If it's a vowel, the $250 is non--refundable.
Call a letter that has already been called in that game.
Spin BANKRUPT or LOSE a TURN on the wheel. BANKRUPT also takes away any money accumulated in that round, and any money kept "On Account" during the appropriate time of the show's run.
Solve the puzzle incorrectly.
Take too long to call a letter, solve, or decide what to do.
Control goes from player to player until someone solves the puzzle. That player keeps everything in the bank. The other players win nothing for that round. If there is a bonus prize or question attached to the puzzle, the solver wins that, or can try the bonus question as well.
LET'S GO SHOPPING!
From the beginning of the show to 1989 for the network version and 1987 on the syndicated nighttime run, the person who solved the puzzle would take the money they won and spend it on various prizes from one of three showrooms on the stage. ("For $1,275, I'll take the dining room set.") The contestant would continue to choose prizes from the turntable until he had less money than the least valuable prize, or he decided to go On Account.
On Account: The money placed On Account would be shown behind the player on the appropriate scoreboard. That money would be collected if that player could solve another puzzle in that show before spinning bankrupt. If the player could not solve a puzzle, or spun Bankrupt, that money was gone, and did not count toward the final tally to determine the day's winner. This option could be used no matter how much money the contestant had and if he or she had bought anything before; this was the only way to get some of the bigger prizes like cars and trips. One contestant put all his money on Account every round, won all three rounds, and bought the car at the end of the show.
Gift Certificate: If the contestant ran out of prizes and didn't want to risk the money On Account, he could take the money (usually less than $200) and put it on a Gift Certificate from whatever company was a sponsor at the time.
SPEED-UP ROUND:
When time is short, the host spins the wheel one last time, and all consonants are worth whatever is spun (In 2000, $1,000 was added to the spin.) Each consonant found was worth the value of the spin, vowels were worth no cash, but the solving time was helpful. Players who find a letter in the puzzle got five seconds to solve and win their bank. If not, the next player in line goes until someone wins; that time limit is now three seconds. Whoever solves the puzzle wins the money like normal: during the shopping years, the contestant would win that amount on a Gift Certificate (Just what I wanted, a $16,000 Sears and Roebuck card!) or during Kids Weeks, a savings bond worth that much at maturity.
WINNING
From 1975 through 1981, whoever won the highest total of prizes and Gift Certificates (Account money was taken away at this point) would be crowned winner and got to return, up to five shows. If there was a tie at the end of a daytime show, there was no winner, no bonus round was played, and all three players would come back on the next show, building on the money accumulated. After the shopping ended, one final puzzle was put up, and played just like the speed round. No money was at stake, but the winner became the day's champ. When Toss-Up Puzzles were added, ties were broken by playing a final Toss-Up.
BONUS ROUND
After selecting the bonus prize to play for, the contestant was shown the puzzle, and could call five consonants and a vowel (say it with me; R, S, T, L, N, and E). If the contestant could solve the puzzle in 15 seconds, he or she won the prize. Later on, those six letters were given for free, and the champ calls for three consonants and a vowel. The champ then gets 10 seconds to solve.
Shopping: The winner selects any starred prize from the showcases, and plays for it in the bonus round. These prizes are available during the shopping, but if you didn't win the $9,000 station wagon, here was your chance to get it.
All-Cash: Players were given the option of five different prizes, and chose one to play for. At the beginning of the syndicated show, the bonus prizes were often expensive cars, boats, and jewelry. Occasionally, a massive annuity was in the mix, along with a motorhome. Some of the less desirable prizes were a $65,000 Oriental rug, $22,000 diamond choker, Vacation homes in Maine, $40,000 'Shipboard Party,' and an Antarctic Expedition. (Am I the only person who would want that?) Later on, $25,000 in cash became one of the five choices. Soon after that, the cash was chosen nearly everytime, if not the money, it would be one of the cars. On "Wipeout Week," each bonus prize could only be won once, and it would be out of the running for the rest of the week if it was won previously.
The Blind Draw: Wipeout Week lent itself to the Blind Draw. Five prizes, one of which was the cash, were mixed, and the player would choose one, to be revealed after the round ended. At this point, with three-day champions, the prizes in the bonus round usually topped out at $50,000 at the most, and usually were less than $30,000. After a prize was claimed, it was removed from the running, leaving fewer and fewer prizes to be won. In 1998, the rules were amended so the $25,000 was put back in, even if it was won. In 2000, the draw consisted of two $25,000 prizes, and three cars.
Mini-Wheel: Starting in November 2001, the player spins a 24-section wheel and takes the appropriate envelope. Solving the puzzle wins the contents. Eleven have $25,000, twelve have three different cars, and one has the jackpot, $100,000. Douglas Ross became the first to win the $100,000 jackpot in December 2001.
The bonus wheel now has cash amounts from $25,000 (12 of $25,000) to $50,000 in $5,000 steps, along with three each of two cars and the $100,000.
SPECIAL SPACES:
Star Bonus: Back in the days before the bonus round, for a while a Star would be on the wheel. A player who landed on it would pick it up. If that player solved the puzzle, he would play a bonus round whether or not he wound up winning the game overall. That player would pick any prize with a star next to the price tag, and play the bonus round we all know of to win it. If no one picked up the Star Bonus by the end of round three, no bonus round was played, and they just went on to round four.
Prize: The prize could be put into the contestants' bank, and the value underneath was the value of the spin. The contestant must solve the puzzle that round to win the prize. Now, the contestant must call a correct letter to pick up the prize. If the player hits a bankrupt or someone else solves the puzzle, the prize is discarded.
Free Spin: Gave the player a free spin just for hitting it. This could be used whenever a player messed up in the game. About '87, this changed to having the free spin be a disk that had to be collected like a prize.
Surprise: Just like a prize, but the contents are unknown until it is collected.
$10,000: A prize space that is one wedge wide, and guarded by two skinny "BANKRUPT"s as well. Doesn't count toward money for vowels.
Double Play: Could double the amount of a spin. Offered at round two, if a prize or penalty was hit on the doubled spin, too bad. Originally offered in round three with the Jackpot, then moved to round one in 2002.
Jackpot (80s): Started at $1,000 and increased by that much each day until it was won. Picked up just like a prize.
Jackpot (1995-present): Every money spin (except a $10,000 space) adds money to the jackpot, which starts at $5,000. When the show had it's Friday Finals format, the jackpot started at $10,000. To win the jackpot, the player has to hit the jackpot space, then call a letter in the puzzle, then solve it right then. Whew. The jackpot was originally in play in round three, now it is in round two.
Mystery Round: Two black $500 spaces are on the wheel in the third round. If one of the players hit the mystery space, and got a letter on the board, he or she could take the money as normal, or flip over the wedge. One wedge had a Bankrupt on it, and the other had a car. (The car for the first week was a $13,780 Ford Focus ZX4). Starting in 2004, the Mystery Spaces are worth $1,000.
Prize Puzzle: One puzzle per day is a Prize Puzzle now. The player that solves the puzzle wins a bonus prize associated with the puzzle just solved.
Toss-up Puzzle: Currently, the players compete to guess a puzzle that has letters revealed one at a time. A right guess wins $1,000, a wrong guess locks that player out. A second toss-up is played for $2,000 and control of round one. A third toss-up is played after the third puzzle, for $3,000 and control. If no one guesses right, the next player in line gets control of the wheel.