Things you would done differently Wheel of Fortune

[jcs290]

Playing a full Round 4 before Final Spin is getting rarer and rarer these days.  What should be the most exciting round with the biggest money is now an afterthought.  Pull the $5000 space back to Round 3, keep $2500 and $3500 in rounds 1 and 2, respectively.  Put the mystery wedges in every round so that there's always at least a $10000 or $1000 space in play.  Round 4's now your overflow game/Final Spin game without taking away its best elements.

[ChrisLambert!]

Is there any case of a show offering a $1 million prize and then no longer offering it?

American Ninja Warrior is reportedly about to do just that (reformatting from "guaranteed $100K, possible $1M" to "guaranteed $250K period") next season.

[TLEberle]

Is there any case of a show offering a $1 million prize and then no longer offering it?

American Ninja Warrior is reportedly about to do just that (reformatting from "guaranteed $100K, possible $1M" to "guaranteed $250K period") next season.

What's this then? Whoever is nearest to climbing the rope or has the best time/makes it furthest on sage three wins the metaphorical briefcase full o' cash, irrespective of whether someone qualifies for the final ascent?

Weak, weak and lame. I understand why the show has evolved from a raft of people challenging the course and its win-and-in, but I think this would neuter the whole point.

[TLEberle]

Playing a full Round 4 before Final Spin is getting rarer and rarer these days.  What should be the most exciting round with the biggest money is now an afterthought.  Pull the $5000 space back to Round 3, keep $2500 and $3500 in rounds 1 and 2, respectively.  Put the mystery wedges in every round so that there's always at least a $10000 or $1000 space in play.  Round 4's now your overflow game/Final Spin game without taking away its best elements.

Why not just have them as a standard $1,000?

[ChrisLambert!]

What's this then? Whoever is nearest to climbing the rope or has the best time/makes it furthest on sage three wins the metaphorical briefcase full o' cash, irrespective of whether someone qualifies for the final ascent?

What I've heard is that Mt. Midoriyama is being completely removed and it's just going to be a matter of who wins a final head-to-head stage run.

(Agreed on your opinion.)

[Joe Mello]

What I've heard is that Mt. Midoriyama is being completely removed and it's just going to be a matter of who wins a final head-to-head stage run.

Yikes. I had felt the show was flagging post-pandemic, but this feels like a downward trajectory that's inescapable. That being said, you can't argue with getting 2 decades out of a concept that started on 4th-tier cable.

[SuperSweeper]

I have a few thoughts, some of which are along the same line of what you all have said:

-Shake up the Wheel values considerably. I'd be fine with sub-$500 values and I'd be fine with >$1000 values. Do this for every round. Mix it up. Make it interesting.

-Replace the Prize Puzzle with a "$5000 bonus" opportunity. One of the first three rounds has a bonus attached - either one of the standard bonus categories (Clue, Fill in the Blank, etc.), the Puzzler (I know that wasn't hugely popular, but it isn't the worst idea and adds variety), or a bonus question appended to a regular puzzle. This is substantially less of a hit to the budget than the Prize Puzzle, both because of the maximum value ($35,000 minimum now for a five-day week vs. $25,000 maximum with this) and the fact that it won't be won every day. Plus, it breaks the game a bit less, it's not in the same round every day, and probably encourages more variety and creativity with the puzzles. It would also potentially be a surprise in the first two rounds if it was the Puzzler (I would go back to not having it announced until after the puzzle is solved) or the bonus question, which means that you won't have contestants solving a puzzle for $500 over and over again.

-Drop the first two Toss-Ups. Either keep the Triple Toss-Up (and make it $1000 apiece with a $2000 bonus for the sweep) or go back to one TU for $1000 (both options before R4).

-Figure out some way to offer better category options for the Bonus Round. After Season 35 (the first season where this was a feature), the options quickly went downhill and have stayed there since. Sure, contestants often make terrible choices, but that is no reason to have Thing(s)/Phrase/(Third option) 90% of the time.

-Add some more variety to the Bonus Envelope options. We've gotten confirmation that the car returned from this past week's tapings, so that's a start, but even then, there are only five given options at any one time (40K/50/75/Car/Top Dollar). That's pretty slim pickings. I don't think we need to go back to Shipboard Parties and Rolexes again, but there is definitely room to expand. I like others' suggestions of a smaller prize or two ($20-30K) paired with some cash.

[TLEberle]

I have a few thoughts, some of which are along the same line of what you all have said:

-Shake up the Wheel values considerably. I'd be fine with sub-$500 values and I'd be fine with >$1000 values. Do this for every round. Mix it up. Make it interesting.

-Replace the Prize Puzzle with a "$5000 bonus" opportunity. One of the first three rounds has a bonus attached - either one of the standard bonus categories (Clue, Fill in the Blank, etc.), the Puzzler (I know that wasn't hugely popular, but it isn't the worst idea and adds variety), or a bonus question appended to a regular puzzle. This is substantially less of a hit to the budget than the Prize Puzzle, both because of the maximum value ($35,000 minimum now vs. $25,000 maximum with this) and the fact that it won't be won every day. Plus, it breaks the game a bit less, it's not in the same round every day, and probably encourages more variety and creativity with the puzzles. It would also potentially be a surprise in the first two rounds if it was the Puzzler (I would go back to not having it announced until after the puzzle is solved) or the bonus question, which means that you won't have contestants solving a puzzle for $500 over and over again.

I thought the Puzzler was fine. I might actually convert the goody wedge into a jackpot question as opposed to have it every day. Maybe.

I like the idea of the question puzzle. I enjoyed the clue and fill in the number. Heck, make one puzzle an Only Connection for all I care.

(hm, that gives me an idea..)

[JasonA1]

-Replace the Prize Puzzle with a "$5000 bonus" opportunity. [...] This is substantially less of a hit to the budget than the Prize Puzzle, both because of the maximum value ($35,000 minimum now for a five-day week vs. $25,000 maximum with this) and the fact that it won't be won every day.

I wanted to chime in to remind us the trips are sponsored, so their cost to production is less than their announced value -- if they cost the show anything at all. And if the trip is refused, it definitely costs the show nothing.

But aside from that reminder, I like this idea quite a bit. There's plenty of other ways to do the Wheel Watchers Club tie-in, if the prize puzzle one goes away.

-Jason

[BrandonFG]

I know people want cash over cars and other prizes but I’d still bring back shopping, in the form of what they did for Retro Week about 25 years ago and as an individual round. Put a “Shopping” space on the wheel and call it a “gift card” worth $2,500 a letter.

Solve the puzzle without going Bankrupt and you get to go shopping from the “Culver City Marketplace” at center stage (or on the big screen). However, the gift card amount doesn’t go to your score and once you buy a prize it’s yours to keep. If you have anything left over it goes on a Visa gift card. Let the prize description(s) take the place of the first two Toss-Ups.

[SuperSweeper]

-Replace the Prize Puzzle with a "$5000 bonus" opportunity. [...] This is substantially less of a hit to the budget than the Prize Puzzle, both because of the maximum value ($35,000 minimum now for a five-day week vs. $25,000 maximum with this) and the fact that it won't be won every day.

I wanted to chime in to remind us the trips are sponsored, so their cost to production is less than their announced value -- if they cost the show anything at all. And if the trip is refused, it definitely costs the show nothing.

But aside from that reminder, I like this idea quite a bit. There's plenty of other ways to do the Wheel Watchers Club tie-in, if the prize puzzle one goes away.

-Jason

The WWC tie-in was dropped awhile ago - I want to say it's been nearly a decade. The only time those folks have a chance to win is if the Mystery Wedge is won (about ten times a season) and during the two Secret Santa weeks. They've really pared it back.

[Neumms]

The wheel has long needed a $10,000 space that counts for each letter. Lower the minimum bonus amount at the same time. Raise the price of vowels--it'll give Ryan 10 seconds to generate a laugh when announcing it.

Something Travis said gave me an idea, maybe a bad one: What if they held the toss-ups for a final round? Play three usual wheel rounds, the last possibly truncated, then after the commercial play three toss-ups for escalating dough. I don't like toss-ups, but this way they have a function and could generate a thrilling climax. Maybe the last is for a big prize, the value of which is revealed after its won, when the final scores are tallied.

[Kevin Prather]

The wheel has long needed a $10,000 space that counts for each letter. Lower the minimum bonus amount at the same time.

I would much rather see the TDV stay at $5000 and...
1: see that money spread out on the wheel, and
2: see bigger puzzles in round 4.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Something Travis said gave me an idea, maybe a bad one: What if they held the toss-ups for a final round? Play three usual wheel rounds, the last possibly truncated, then after the commercial play three toss-ups for escalating dough. I don't like toss-ups, but this way they have a function and could generate a thrilling climax. Maybe the last is for a big prize, the value of which is revealed after its won, when the final scores are tallied.

I've heard something like this before, but I believe it was in the vein of "Tossups meet Split Second Countdown Round".

Either way, I don't know how I feel about tossups being the final stage of the game. I'm on the fence.

[BrandonFG]

On the surface I like the idea, but it would probably require not making the Prize Puzzle count towards the score. If you use the current Triple Tossup rules, a clean sweep is worth $10K. If the leader is winning in a runaway game it kinda becomes anticlimactic if he or she answers the first puzzle correctly. Reminds me of the final three questions in the early days of $ale.

I’m with Jeremy in being on the fence, because a $(1)400 Final Spin is equally anticlimactic and really just becomes an opportunity for someone trailing to pick up pocket change.