Not entirely sure if the two things coincide, but on the episode(s?) with the extra hostess, the neon circles around the set weren't present.
I believe her name was Laura, but don't quote me. Her function was to walk with Chuck down the steps, intro the contestants, and gesture towards the screen when Stacy introduced a new word. That covers what was basically useless about her.
The cool thing she was given to do involved the bonus round. She would walk up after Chuck's thing about one number for the trip and be holding that number's ball. She'd then drop it in the hopper and mix it up. Oh, and wish them good luck too. Other than that, she was dead weight.
-Jason
