Author Topic: Wheel of Fortune's Shopping Era (Read 5990 times)

Jeremy Nelson · « **on:** July 05, 2007, 06:53:48 PM »

I watched a few episodes on the Page O Clips site, and I was wondering: How often was the "big prize" bought in the shopping round? Of the 4 or 5 I've seen, only one had somebody win enough to buy the car.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #1 on:** July 05, 2007, 09:00:12 PM »

Chuck would make a concerted effort to hit the biggest value on the wheel on the final spin of the day, so it was possible to rack up some big money in the last round.

They probably thought more people would use the "On Account" feature to be able to buy the big prizes, but it didn't pan out that way.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #2 on:** July 08, 2007, 12:02:35 PM »

Quote

They probably thought more people would use the "On Account" feature to be able to buy the big prizes, but it didn't pan out that way.

The very first time I watched the show - which was probably spring break in 1975 - players were forced to put any unused money On Account after every round. Some of the early winners had odd dollar totals. Shortly after that (can't remember exactly when) they offered the choice of the gift certificate. That rule seemed to come into effect pretty quickly. As we know, just about everyone took the certificate.

I would have liked to have seen On Account used more frequently. I saved an episode of the show from GSN one time just because a player actually uses that option!

I remember one time in the '70s, a male player in the third position won something like $700 in the first round and elected to put it all On Account. Chuck was surprised and almost tried to talk him out of it in case he hit a bankrupt. He ended up winning the next round too, and was able to buy a much nicer prize.

toddyo · « **Reply #3 on:** July 08, 2007, 12:51:54 PM »

Any word whether Chuck and Susan will be "guesting" on this year's shows? Just for a week, I would love to see a "retro" week, complete with the shopping.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2007, 02:30:51 PM »

[quote name=\'toddyo\' post=\'156872\' date=\'Jul 8 2007, 12:51 PM\']
Any word whether Chuck and Susan will be "guesting" on this year's shows? Just for a week, I would love to see a "retro" week, complete with the shopping.
[/quote]
Doubt it, only because they've made references to the past, but usually don't talk at all about Chuck and Susan, i.e. with milestone shows. From what I've seen in past specials (the 3000/4000th episodes), most of the clips-- except for a late-70s/early-80s intro--came from the syndie version.

There were a couple of retro weeks c. 1999 or 2000, where you could "shop", but it required landing on a special space then winning the round. ISTR a VW Beetle offered.

Oh, and hopefully they won't downplay this milestone season like they did with S. 20...

BrandonFG · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2007, 02:32:51 PM »

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'156867\' date=\'Jul 8 2007, 12:02 PM\']
I would have liked to have seen On Account used more frequently. I saved an episode of the show from GSN one time just because a player actually uses that option!
[/quote]
I remember seeing it on Jamie's site, and being pleasantly surprised that it was being put to use. I was kinda let down when I noticed the ON ACCOUNT light was nothing more than a basic Helvetica font. :-)

JohnHolder · « **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2007, 06:57:56 AM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'156876\' date=\'Jul 8 2007, 02:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'toddyo\' post=\'156872\' date=\'Jul 8 2007, 12:51 PM\']
Any word whether Chuck and Susan will be "guesting" on this year's shows? Just for a week, I would love to see a "retro" week, complete with the shopping.
[/quote]
Doubt it, only because they've made references to the past, but usually don't talk at all about Chuck and Susan, i.e. with milestone shows. [/quote]

They rarely mention the daytime show at all. Occasionally, Pat will say something like, "This is our xxth season in nighttime," but he won't elaborate. I don't think that many people out there remember any more that the show was ever on in daytime, or that anyone other than Pat and Vanna hosted it. So I don't think many viewers would get much of a kick out of seeing Chuck and Susan drop in to say hi. ("Why is the guy from Lingo on Wheel of Fortune, and who's that with him?")

After all, this is the show whose nighttime version celebrated "Wheel of Fortune's 10th Anniversary!" eighteen years after the daytime show premiered, and only a year after it left the air in daytime. Not "the nighttime show's anniversary," but "We're not going to acknowledge that Wheel really existed before 1983."

John

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2007, 09:43:39 AM »

Since Pat is within striking distance of Bob Barker's record for continuous hosting of the same game show, will 82 or 83 be used as the benchmark? Has Pat already surpassed Barker in terms of # of shows?

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2007, 09:47:39 AM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'156945\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 09:43 AM\']
Since Pat is within striking distance of Bob Barker's record for continuous hosting of the same game show, will 82 or 83 be used as the benchmark? Has Pat already surpassed Barker in terms of # of shows?
[/quote]
I think Alex is closer...hasn't current J! done 5000+ episodes already? I think Wheel's only done 4800+.

Don Howard · « **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2007, 09:51:52 AM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'156945\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 09:43 AM\']
Since Pat is within striking distance of Bob Barker's record for continuous hosting of the same game show, will 82 or 83 be used as the benchmark?[/quote]
I'd like to think that December 28th 1981 will be the reference date as that's when his first show played.
As I recall, Pat's 25th anniversary with WOF was mentioned on the December 28th 2006 telecast and I trust Vanna's 25 years will be recognized on-air in December 1982.

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #10 on:** July 09, 2007, 11:47:42 AM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'156947\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 08:51 AM\']
...and I trust Vanna's 25 years will be recognized on-air in December 1982.
[/quote]
By any chance, are you stuck in 1957 and trying to tell us something?

Don Howard · « **Reply #11 on:** July 09, 2007, 11:51:13 AM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'156960\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 11:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'156947\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 08:51 AM\']
...and I trust Vanna's 25 years will be recognized on-air in December 1982.
[/quote]
By any chance, are you stuck in 1957 and trying to tell us something?
[/quote]
Talk about your major brain fades. That is totally my lack of pre-reading badness. I meant to reference Dec '82 as her starting month with this coming December being her silver anniversary celebration.

Joe Mello · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2007, 12:55:24 PM »

[quote name=\'JohnHolder\' post=\'156940\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 06:57 AM\']They rarely mention the daytime show at all. Occasionally, Pat will say something like, "This is our xxth season in nighttime," but he won't elaborate.[/quote]
There's also the rare occasion when someone mentions that their relative played the game in 197x or something similar, and then Pat acknlowedges that there was Wheel in 197x or something similar, but he wasn't hosting.

I can remember this happening at least once.

Don Howard · « **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2007, 01:27:15 PM »

I personally will award a Todd Russell Jackpot of a two-dollar bill if one of you invokes Todd's name during a WOF appearance.

JohnHolder · « **Reply #14 on:** July 10, 2007, 11:42:33 AM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'156946\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 09:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'156945\' date=\'Jul 9 2007, 09:43 AM\']
Since Pat is within striking distance of Bob Barker's record for continuous hosting of the same game show, will 82 or 83 be used as the benchmark? Has Pat already surpassed Barker in terms of # of shows?
[/quote]
I think Alex is closer...hasn't current J! done 5000+ episodes already? I think Wheel's only done 4800+.
[/quote]

But Pat did two shows a day from September 1983, the nighttime show's premiere, to January 1989, when he left the daytime show.

Let me see if I can figure this out:

Trebek on J! since 1984: 195 shows/yr * 23 yrs = 4485, + 13 for Super Jeopardy! in summer 1990 = 4498.

Barker on TPiR since 1972: IIRC, the number the show gave out at the time of Bob's retirement was 6178, but it wasn't clear to me whether that includes the three years of weekly syndicated nighttime shows he hosted, and some of the statistically-minded fans claim that the show's records are off.

Sajak: daytime Wheel Dec. 1981- Jan. 1989: 260 shows/yr * 7 yrs (IIRC, no daytime reruns in those days) = 1820;

nighttime since 1983: 195 shows/yr * 24 yrs = 4680, for a total of 6500.

Of course, Vanna's been on even more episodes than Pat has, because although she started a year later, she stayed on the daytime show for two and a half years after he left it.

Feel free to correct any of the above.

John