Wheel of Fortune (game show)

Wheel of Fortune is a popular American game show in which contestants spin a large carnival wheel and are required to solve word puzzles to win cash and prizes. Since its daytime television debut in 1975, Wheel of Fortune has been a perennial favorite among game show fans. For most of its historically long run, the show was hosted by veteran emcee Pat Sajak and letter-turning co-host Vanna White. The former made history himself when he surpassed The Price Is Right’s Bob Barker to become the longest-tenured game show host of all time in 2019. In September 2024, Ryan Seacrest took over as host, with White remaining in her role. Created by media mogul and game show mastermind Merv Griffin, much of Wheel of Fortune’s enduring popularity is attributable to its simple, easy-to-play-along-with gameplay format. In addition to conquering the television airwaves, Wheel of Fortune has also met with success in other mediums, notably spawning an array of board game and video game spinoffs.

Background

Wheel of Fortune features a relatively straightforward gameplay format that revolves around solving word puzzles. Three contestants attempt to solve these puzzles by spinning a large carnival prize wheel and guessing letters. Each game includes standard puzzle rounds, toss-up rounds, and a bonus round. The titular wheel features an array of wedges that represent cash rewards and special prizes. Some wedges also serve other functions within the game. For example, landing on the Bankrupt wedge results in the contestant losing all of their earned winnings in that round. Certain prizes can only be won if a given contestant lands on the associated wedge and correctly solves the puzzle.

At the outset of each standard round, the contestants are presented with a new puzzle and category that offers them a clue as to its solution. The contestants then take turns spinning the wheel. Assuming they do not land on the Bankrupt or Lose a Turn wedges—both of which immediately end the turn—contestants can either select a consonant or buy a vowel with their earned winnings. If the chosen consonant appears in the puzzle, the contestant wins the wheel prize on which they landed, multiplied by the number of times the chosen letter appears. The first contestant to correctly solve the puzzle wins the round.

The game also features several toss-up rounds. In these rounds, the letters of a puzzle are revealed one-by-one, and the first player to buzz in and correctly guess the solution is declared the winner. If a contestant guesses incorrectly, they are eliminated from the round while the remaining contestants continue competing to solve the puzzle.

The contestant with the most money at the end of the standard and toss-up rounds wins the game and moves on to the bonus round. In the bonus round, the winning contestant spins a smaller wheel containing twenty-four envelopes that each contain a secret prize the contestant will win if they solve the final puzzle. The contestant is then presented with a new puzzle that is automatically populated with the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. After selecting three more consonants and a vowel, the contestant is given ten seconds to solve the puzzle. If the contestant succeeds, the envelope is opened to reveal their bonus round prize.

Overview

Wheel of Fortune was created by Merv Griffin, a renowned television personality and game show innovator. Most notably, Griffin was also responsible for the creation of Wheel of Fortune’s sister show, Jeopardy! Griffin’s inspiration for Wheel of Fortune was Hangman, a traditional children’s game in which players compete to solve a word puzzle. He remembered playing Hangman with his sister on long family car trips and sought to use it as the basis of a new television game show. To give the show an extra hook, Griffin also added a large carnival wheel that contestants would spin to win cash and prizes.

After a period of early development, Griffin produced the first pilot for his proposed show in 1973. At the time, it was referred to as Shopper’s Bazaar. This title was a nod to the fact that the original game also included an additional segment, during which the contestant with the most money after each round could spend their winnings on an array of prizes that were highlighted at the top of the show. This aspect of the show survived in different formats until it was cut entirely in 1989. Two subsequent pilots were also filmed before the show was officially picked up as a series. By that time, it was known as Wheel of Fortune.

The initial daytime network version of Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC on January 6, 1975. The show was hosted by Chuck Woolery, a television personality who would later go on to host an array of other successful game shows, including Love Connection and Scrabble. Woolery’s co-host, who was responsible for turning the mechanical letters on the puzzle board, was model and actress Susan Stafford. Woolery left the show in 1981 and was replaced by Pat Sajak, who previously worked as a weatherperson for local news stations in Nashville and Los Angeles. Stafford subsequently left the show in 1982 and was replaced by former beauty pageant competitor Vanna White. With Sajak and White at the helm, Wheel of Fortune became a ratings hit. The show was so successful, in fact, that an additional nightly syndicated version was launched in 1983. Wheel of Fortune continued to air on NBC until it moved to CBS in 1989 before briefly heading back to NBC. The network show was permanently cancelled in 1991. The syndicated show remained on the air.

While the basic gameplay of Wheel of Fortune has remained relatively unchanged since it first debuted, the show has evolved over time. Aside from the deletion of the shopping segments, one of the biggest changes in Wheel of Fortune history came in 1997 when the original mechanical puzzle board was replaced by an updated puzzle board featuring a large bank of electronic touchscreen monitors. This development sped up taping times and allowed White to reveal letters with a simple tap. New gameplay elements like the bonus wheel were also added at various times.

In 2024, after forty-one years, Sajak retired from hosting Wheel of Fortune and was replaced by veteran television host Ryan Seacrest. Although fans may have been apprehensive about the change, White’s continued presence and the unchanged nature of the game allowed for a smooth transition.

Bibliography

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