Spin the Wheel of Fortune

Summary of "Wheel of Fortune" TV Show

• "Wheel of Fortune" is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin that has aired continuously since January 1975.

• The show features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel.

• The current version of the series, which airs in nightly syndication, premiered on September 19, 1983, and stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White as hosts.

• The original version of Wheel was a network daytime series that ran on NBC from January 6, 1975, to June 30, 1989, and subsequently aired on CBS from July 17, 1989, to January 11, 1991.

• The show has also had four announcers in its history: Charlie O'Donnell, Jack Clark, M. G. Kelly, and Jim Thornton.

• The syndicated series' 40th season premiered on September 12, 2022, and Sajak became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing Bob Barker.

• "Wheel of Fortune" ranks as the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States, with 7,000 episodes taped and aired as of May 10, 2019.

• The game is based on hangman, and contestants compete to guess all of the unknown words in a word puzzle.

• The titular Wheel of Fortune is a roulette-style wheel with 24 wedges, most of which are labeled with dollar amounts ranging from $500 to $900.

• The show has two spin-off versions: "Wheel 2000," a version featuring child contestants, and "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," which began airing on ABC on January 7, 2021.

• The final round of every game is always played at least in part as a "speed-up."

• The winning contestant in the final round advances to the bonus round, where they spin a smaller wheel with 24 envelopes to determine the prize.History and Evolution of Wheel of Fortune

• The shopping element was eliminated from the syndicated version on October 5, 1987, to speed up gameplay and alleviate taxes for contestants.

• Before toss-up puzzles in 2000, the contestant at the red arrow always started the first round.

• The Free Spin wedge was replaced in 1989 with a single Free Spin token placed over a selected cash wedge. Free Spin was retired in 2009.

• Between September 16, 1996 and 2013, the show featured a progressive Jackpot wedge, which began at $5,000 and had the value of every spin within the round added to it.

• The network version allowed champions to appear for up to five days originally, which was later reduced to three.

• Before December 1981, the show did not feature a permanent bonus round. However, two experimental bonus rounds were attempted before then.

• Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel of Fortune, and Pat Sajak replaced him on December 28, 1981.

• Susan Stafford was the original hostess, and Vanna White replaced her in December 1982.

• Sajak and White have starred on the syndicated version continuously as host and hostess, respectively, since it began, except for very limited occasions.

• Charlie O'Donnell was the program's first and longest-tenured announcer.

• Jack Clark replaced O'Donnell, but after his death, M. G. Kelly became his replacement until O'Donnell returned to the announcer position.

• Maggie Sajak (Sajak's daughter) joined the show as a special correspondent, making appearances similar to the "Clue Crew" on companion program Jeopardy!, in September 2021.Overview of "Wheel of Fortune"

• Wheel of Fortune has had four main hosts: Chuck Woolery, Pat Sajak, Rolf Benirschke, and Bob Goen.

• The show employs approximately 100 in-house production personnel, with 60 to 100 local staff joining them for episodes taped on location.

• Wheel of Fortune is owned by Sony Pictures Television, and the rights to distribute the show worldwide are owned by CBS Media Ventures.

• The show has had various set changes since its premiere in 1983, including a redesigned wheel mechanism and a computerized puzzle board composed of 52 touch-activated monitors.

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the show suspended production and when it resumed, new episodes taped without studio audiences with only essential staff and crew allowed onstage.

• The show's original theme was composed by Alan Thicke and was titled "Big Wheels"; it was replaced by Merv Griffin's own composition, "Changing Keys," in 1983.

• Anyone at least 18 years old has the potential to become a contestant through Wheel of Fortune's audition process, which includes a custom-designed Winnebago recreational vehicle called the "Wheelmobile" to travel across the United States, holding open auditions at various public venues.

• The original Wheel of Fortune aired on NBC, in varying time slots between 10:30 am and noon, until June 30, 1989, and the daily syndicated nighttime version of Wheel premiered on September 19, 1983.

• On August 1, 2019, Harry Friedman retired as executive producer of both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, and was replaced by Mike Richards at the start of the 2020–21 season; Richards was subsequently fired on August 31, 2021.

• On March 23, 2022, Bellamie Blackstone was announced to be a permanent executive producer for Wheel of Fortune.

• The show's various directors have included Jeff Goldstein, Dick Carson, Mark Corwin, Bob Cisneros, and Robert Ennis.

• The show has had four announcers: Jack Clark, Charlie O'Donnell, M. G. Kelly, and Jim Thornton.

• The show typically employs a total of 100 in-house production personnel, with 60 to 100 local staff joining them for those episodes that are taped on location.The Popularity and Legacy of Wheel of Fortune

• Wheel of Fortune began as a daytime game show in 1975, created by Merv Griffin.

• The show was initially carried by only nine stations, but by 1984 it was available to 99% of television households.

• Wheel of Fortune became the highest-rated syndicated television series in history, with over 40 million people watching five nights per week.

• The show has become America's longest-running syndicated game show, and has awarded over $200 million in cash and prizes to contestants.

• Wheel of Fortune has been adapted in over 40 countries worldwide, with occasional special episodes celebrating these international variants.

• In 1997-1998, a children's version of the show titled Wheel 2000 aired on CBS and Game Show Network.

• In November 2020, a prime time spin-off show titled Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was ordered by ABC, and has since been renewed for three seasons.

• Wheel of Fortune has been highly regarded in the world of game shows, ranking among the greatest game shows of all time according to TV Guide and GSN.

• A Wheel of Fortune hall of fame is part of the Sony Pictures Studios tour, featuring memorabilia related to the show's syndicated history.

• Numerous board games and video games based on Wheel of Fortune have been released by different toy companies.

• Wheel of Fortune has been licensed for use in slot machines, with over 200 slot games based on the show created since 1996.

• In March 2023, BetMGM launched a Wheel of Fortune online casino in New Jersey, in partnership with IGT.

• In May 2022, a touring staged production show titled Wheel of Fortune Live! was announced, produced by Right Angle Entertainment in partnership with Sony and United Talent Agency.