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Author Topic: The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...  (Read 16306 times)

Frank15

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« on: July 05, 2004, 06:48:36 PM »
I'm sure everyone here has noticed that in Wheel of Fortune, all the contestants spin the wheel clockwise.  I am assuming there is a rule for this.

I'm curious as to why they're picky about this, however.  The "natural" way to spin the wheel would depend on the person's hand preference:  clockwise for a right-handed person, and counter-clockwise for a left-handed person.  Of course, no matter which hand the contestant uses to spin the wheel, it's always clockwise.

Does anyone know why, exactly, they do not allow contestants to spin the wheel counter-clockwise, even if it would feel more natural to spin the wheel as such?

cmjb13

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2004, 07:37:16 PM »
Does it spin the other way?
Enjoy lots and lots of backstage TPIR photos and other fun stuff here. And yes, I did park in Syd Vinnedge's parking spot at CBS

chris319

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2004, 08:06:34 PM »
The Wheel turns a generator which powers both Pat and Vanna. Turned the wrong way, the generator would suck the juice out of them and they would fall on the floor.

Heck, I don't know! Life is full of imponderables.

Brig Bother

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2004, 08:13:34 PM »
Well someone once pushed the Wheel the wrong way in the UK version and apparently they had to stop filming for several hours whilst they fixed it.

mystery7

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2004, 08:57:19 PM »
[quote name=\'Brig Bother\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:13 PM\'] Well someone once pushed the Wheel the wrong way in the UK version and apparently they had to stop filming for several hours whilst they fixed it. [/quote]
 They couldn't restart the game for 37 hours, I hear.

I'm thinking simple aesthetics dictates which way the wheel spins. To me, it looks more natural if the wheel spins clockwise. Since most players are presumably right handed, it's probably more natural for them to spin clockwise too. Spin the wheel, that is, not themselves - although they might've spun themselves clockwise back when Chuck Woolery asked them to turn their backs....

It'd be interesting to know if there really are mechanical implications involved with spinning the wheel backwards. Never seemed to hurt the TPiR Showcase Showdown wheel when someone moved it up a few spots for momentum, so why would there be a problem with Wheel's wheel?

CarbonCpy

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2004, 09:39:49 PM »
Chris, I thought we went through this:  The little wheel powers the talent, the big wheel powers everying else.  

For everyone else:  I sent blueprints to Chris last week, detailing the electro-mechanical constructs of the set.  You see, under the wheel, you'd find a long shaft composed of carbon nanotubes, one of the strongest man-made fibers in exsistance.  The shaft to the wheel itself actually extends deep underground, where scientist monitor the ultra-powerful Vandegraft Dynamic Generator that is powered by it.

That generator, in turn, powers the nation.  Seriously: three complete revolutions is enough to power a city of 100,000 people for a week.  Turning the wheel backwards would be a lot like how unwinding an alarm clock robs said clock of all potential energy.

Nobody turns the wheel the wrong way, because nobody wants to be known as the person responsible for the complete and utter destruction of the world economy, and human civiliazation.  I wouldn't, and I think I'd be pretty certain that you wouldn't either, unless you consider yourself a kneejerk black-block anarchist.  

But seeing as how Pat and Harry Freidman's team of elite pirate ninja robot commando operatives (aka the "contestant coordinators") keep that from ever happening, the only danger the world faces is one of those aforementioned ops going 'rogue.'

And that's what the monkey butlers are for.

Even then, someone getting caught in a 'throwwrong' faces sudden and immediate ostricization.  Nobody at Sony Pictures likes a non-conformist.  And being eternally hated by Sajak & Company is deterrant enough.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2004, 09:42:16 PM by CarbonCpy »

Don Howard

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2004, 09:55:56 PM »
[quote name=\'CarbonCpy\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:39 PM\'] That generator, in turn, powers the nation.  Seriously: three complete revolutions is enough to power a city of 100,000 people for a week. [/quote]
 Am I also to presume that the contestants shout the letters as they call them as though they are cheerleaders because the decibel level aids in the powering of this generator?

CarbonCpy

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2004, 09:57:29 PM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:55 PM\'] [quote name=\'CarbonCpy\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:39 PM\'] That generator, in turn, powers the nation.  Seriously: three complete revolutions is enough to power a city of 100,000 people for a week. [/quote]
Am I also to presume that the contestants shout the letters as they call them as though they are cheerleaders because the decibel level aids in the powering of this generator? [/quote]
 Oh, of course not.  That'd be preposterous.

Gus

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2004, 11:25:20 PM »
On a serious note, I really do remember a weird thing that happened once in the late 90s: I was thinking to myself, "Self, what'ya think'd happen if someone spun the wheel the wrong way?" Guess what happened a few minutes later? You guessed it!

Not much happened though; the lady started to spin it the other way, and it didn't seem like it had any difficulty in travelling the other direction, I mean, like, the arrows didn't get ripped off or anything, but Pat stopped the spin and said something to the effect of "you crazy lady, you spin it *this* way!" And the show went on with no further discussion of the incident.

So my guess is that the "rule" is mostly for aesthetic reasons.

JasonA1

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2004, 11:49:03 PM »
Quote
The "natural" way to spin the wheel would depend on the person's hand preference: clockwise for a right-handed person, and counter-clockwise for a left-handed person.

And just FYI, the left-handed people on WoF just pull the wheel with that hand. Looks a bit different, but they get along. I see it more like making a car with the gear shift on the other side...you may be able to do it, but why? Or something. I dunno.

-Jason
Game Show Forum Muckety-Muck

Frank15

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2004, 12:04:07 AM »
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 10:49 PM\'] And just FYI, the left-handed people on WoF just pull the wheel with that hand. Looks a bit different, but they get along. I see it more like making a car with the gear shift on the other side...you may be able to do it, but why? Or something. I dunno. [/quote]
 It's not so much that they can't spin it clockwise, but that it would just come more naturally for us to spin it counter-clockwise.  And unless the lefties were specifically instructed to spin the wheel clockwise, it would be very unusual for them to just "naturally" spin the wheel in that fashion.

Kevin Prather

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2004, 12:08:27 AM »
[quote name=\'Gus\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:25 PM\'] On a serious note, I really do remember a weird thing that happened once in the late 90s: I was thinking to myself, "Self, what'ya think'd happen if someone spun the wheel the wrong way?" Guess what happened a few minutes later? You guessed it!

Not much happened though; the lady started to spin it the other way, and it didn't seem like it had any difficulty in travelling the other direction, I mean, like, the arrows didn't get ripped off or anything, but Pat stopped the spin and said something to the effect of "you crazy lady, you spin it *this* way!" And the show went on with no further discussion of the incident.

So my guess is that the "rule" is mostly for aesthetic reasons. [/quote]
 Also not too long ago, Pat spun the wheel backwards to retrieve a Free Spin that the contestant failed to pick up.

So yes, the wheel can go both ways.

tvrandywest

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2004, 01:59:38 AM »
[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 08:08 PM\'] So yes, the wheel can go both ways. [/quote]
 After all, it IS Hollywood! Yes, both the WOF and the TPiR wheel go both ways.

The WOF wheel has a motor that can be activated to keep the wheel spinning for beauty shots. That turns it in the "correct" direction when "on", but has no effect on the wheel when not engaged. I don't know if they still use it at the end of the show, but they did for years.

I still disagree with Bob's ruling on TPiR when he disallowed the one and only time I saw the big wheel spun backwards hard enough to make a full revolution. In fact, I was arguing with him about that on my last day announcing TPiR. What a crazy coincidence!   ;-)


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Frank15

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2004, 02:38:12 AM »
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jul 6 2004, 12:59 AM\'] I still disagree with Bob's ruling on TPiR when he disallowed the one and only time I saw the big wheel spun backwards hard enough to make a full revolution. In fact, I was arguing with him about that on my last day announcing TPiR. What a crazy coincidence!   ;-) [/quote]
 Of course, I'm not really sure why anyone would spin the wheel the "wrong" way anyway, since I'm sure spinning it away from you would make spinning the wheel more difficult, no matter what-handed a person is.  And of course, think about a person who got $1.00 in her bonus spin, only to have gotten the wheel around 19 spaces.  I can imagine the ugliness.

I guess I'm just saying that while it would make practical sense for a contestant to spin the Wheel of Fortune wheel backwards, there's no reason why anyone would try to spin the Price is Right wheel backwards, unless intentionally, to be different.  Somehow, the first person I've seen try it, back in 1992, actually seemed charming.  And wound up getting $1.00 on the "proper" spin.

Then again, I do suppose, save for the rare occasions someone has spun the wheel backwards on The Price is Right, that Bob doesn't specifically say which way they have to spin the wheel....

dazztardly

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The Clockwise Wheel of WoF...
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2004, 04:17:42 AM »
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jul 6 2004, 12:59 AM\'] The WOF wheel has a motor that can be activated to keep the wheel spinning for beauty shots. That turns it in the "correct" direction when "on", but has no effect on the wheel when not engaged. I don't know if they still use it at the end of the show, but they did for years. [/quote]
 I haven't seen the wheel on "autopilot", since the mid to late 90's. With some motors, the gears can only permit flow in one direction. If you turn the gear shaft in the opposite direction, the gears would catch and stop movement dead in it's tracks. It's not really good for the parts either.

My only assumption they didn't allow the wheel to be spun backwards is that if one overexhurbant player spun it too hard in the other direction, the motor would catch and jerk the wheel to a stop. Which like I said, isn't good on the motor, and could abruptly jerk the platform as well as ruin lightbulbs & other electronics.

That could explain why the wheel was never spun on it's own again, they could have taken the motor out. That and possibly easy access for the stagehand to put the goody wedges on the wheel.

That's my two senses. If I'm wrong, nothing that a call to CBS-Electronics couldn't fix.
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