My wife, Cindy, and I got back from New Orleans about two hours ago. While in the big easy, we attended a taping of WoF. The session we went to was scheduled for three shows -- but we only stayed for the first two then headed north in deference to Hurricane Katrina.
I'd read in an article where Harry Friedman, executive producer, tried to include more puzzles and pick up the pace of the show. By my count, no change to that regard. Eight puzzles in each show we went to (three toss-ups, three "normal" rounds, the last puzzle of each main game was a "speed-up" after the $3000 toss-up and then the bonus round).
Changes of significant note...
\ The same article I alluded to noted members of the Wheel Watchers club could win cars in addition to trips off of prize puzzles (there was one in each show Cindy and I saw). The car can only be won by the viewer if the night's winner also won an car.
\ For the mystery round, instead of a prize worth about $10,000, a $10,000 *cash* space is hidden under one of the mystery $1000 spaces ("bankrupt", of course, remains other the under).
...as for production notes (keep in mind, this was my first *ever* game show taping I attended)...
\ Each half-hour episode took about an hour to produce. Certainly would've been longer had Vanna still been "turning" the letters instead of "touching" them.
\ To the left of the puzzle out of sight to home viewers are two plasma TV screens -- one on top of the other. Most of the upper screen is a grid of 26 letters making up the "unused letter board"; IIRC, the category title was just above the alphabet; below the alphabet is the jackpot amount (for the jackpot round only) and a note of only "vowels left" or "consonants left" (again, when applicable). The bottom screen shows the players' totals for a particular round, the overall score and any prizes they've won during the game.
\ Above both screens was a small "shot clock" -- set to 5 seconds for a player to make any move (spin, buy vowel, solve puzzle), reduced to 3 seconds during the "speed-up" (for solving puzzle only) and then reset again to 10 seconds for the bonus round.
Back to Katrina for a moment, Pat noted during the first stopdown of the first show we were at, he noted the temperature when he arrived into town was about 95 with a heat index of 105 -- "and that was the good news," he said. He also acknowleged Katrina, hoped that WoF would provide a pleasant diversion (it did) and wished everyone a safe journey home.
That's all I can say about the shows. To say more would be spoiling.
The shows we attended will air November 14th and 15th. We had pretty good seats -- and the "boom camera" caught us cheering a time or two. To put faces to our names, go to
www.dougmorris.net/cindy.
Finally, if you're of the praying sort, send one up for everyone who will be affected by the hurricane.
