Long Established Game Show Practices…That Started Earlier than you Thought

[TheInquisitiveOne]

Good evening.

A few months ago, I started a thread mentioning game show practices that - while abandoned a long time ago - went longer than you originally thought. Tonight, I wanted to discuss the inverse.

As game shows evolved, practices have evolved too - to the point where they’re etched into our memories and have become part of the routine. However, I get so used to the routine, that I don’t think about when the practice started. For me, I think it started not too long ago; then I realize that it was long ago.

In this case, a lot of this can be attributed to a lot of things: production evolution, the internet, missing a ton of shows due to school, etc. I’ll give examples of what I mean.

The practice of signing off The Price is Right with, “Help control the pet population by having your pets spayed or neutered” (a practice Drew Carey agreed to carry over), was actually started by Barker much earlier than I thought. Seeing an episode close on Pluto TV, I heard Bob do the sign off…in an episode in 1983. I was of the thought he did this not too long after he let his hair permanently go gray and long after Johnny Olson departed this earth.

Two Wheel of Fortune examples: the not-so-modern one (for me) involves the $3500 space on the wheel. I keep thinking it hasn’t been on the wheel for so long when I realize that it’s been on the wheel for nearly 35 years. If I’m not mistaken, it was introduced not long after the producers decided to make “play for cash” permanent on the nighttime show.

The more modern one: It’s hard to realize that it’ll be 20 years in November since the Bonus Wheel was introduced to the show, evolving to the point where it can hold $1 million under the right conditions (which, in and of itself, has been the top prize for more than 12 years).

Feel free to state any examples, either for current shows or any show with a decent run. Thank you in advance for your responses.

The Inquisitive One

[Ian Wallis]

For me, it's the spotting of the RSTLNE in Wheel of Fortune, then having the contestant choose three more consonants and a vowel.  I thought that practice started sometime in the early-mid '90s and was surprised by a recent clip I saw that this was in place as early as 1988.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

For me, it's the spotting of the RSTLNE in Wheel of Fortune, then having the contestant choose three more consonants and a vowel.  I thought that practice started sometime in the early-mid '90s and was surprised by a recent clip I saw that this was in place as early as 1988.

Funny you should say this.

Between this, what I mentioned in the OP, and the introduction of the W-H-E-E-L cards in the fall of 1989 (which evolved into the bonus wheel we know today), the most established tenets of today’s Wheel were all put into place in just a little over a year. It amazes me when I think about it.

The Inquisitive One

[nowhammies10]

Think I mentioned this in the original thread, but the Double Showcase Win range being increased to "$250 or less away" from "less than $100 away" happened in '98; I would have sworn that came after the turn of the millennium.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Jeopardy has been in the "double dollar" era longer than the single dollar era, yet we never refer to the older eps as "half pay" or anything along those lines. 2001 doesn't feel like it was 20 years ago, but here we are.

Because there was so much fanfare around Grand Game being a $10,000 pricing game, I thought the Showcase Showdown $10,000 prize came after. Didn't realize it was in place a full season before Grand Game premiered.

[BrandonFG]

Only earlier by a few months, but for some reason I had it in my mind for years that Wheel got rid of the "sunburst" contestant backdrops and original Changing Keys theme in January 1990. I believe that all changed when the show switched to CBS in summer of '89, that fall at the latest.

[Bryce L.]

Only earlier by a few months, but for some reason I had it in my mind for years that Wheel got rid of the "sunburst" contestant backdrops and original Changing Keys theme in January 1990. I believe that all changed when the show switched to CBS in summer of '89, that fall at the latest.

First episode with the chevron backdrops and the 1989 mix of Changing Keys was the first Goen episode, correct.

[Mr. Armadillo]

The Price is Right thought the Showcase Showdown was implemented in 1981, when it really first appeared all the way back in 1975.

/What?
//It counts.

[SuperMatch93]

In the final spin on Wheel, I thought cutting the thinking time from 5 to 3 seconds coincided with adding $1,000 to the final spin amount, but it actually happened back in '98.