The contestants today are pretty faces with little personality...which probably explains why they're so calm about winning the bonus round.
Exactly. It's not a hard game. They could put on interesting people. Maybe they wouldn't play like robots. It's become a game--seemingly intentionally--with no suspense whatsoever.
Buying vowels may be prudent strategy, but it's not exactly interesting. I say they should raise the price. They'd certainly get PR out of it. Maybe they give the extra dough to a charity and keep a running tally.
The prizes aren't interesting. There are too many gift cards on the wheel, taking away the excitement of finding multiple letters in the puzzle. If there's something special on the wheel, then it should be special.
The reveal of the bonus-round dollar amount is anti-climactic. If you knew they were playing for $100,000 or a million, you'd get drama. Otherwise the chances are so slim it doesn't matter, and you don't find out until the end anyway. Over the years, they've increased the stakes without increasing excitement. When Pat opens the folder, there's no emotional difference between $25,000, $32,000 or $50,000. I'd say leave most of the slots at $25,000, then improve the odds of the $100,000 or make the merchandise prizes more impressive. Or put the money on the wheel--make the $10,000 space a legitimate space, where it multiplies with the letters.