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Author Topic: How to keep Wheel fresh? From Buzzerblog; by Benjamin Williams, pacdude, and me.  (Read 31621 times)

TLEberle

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I was remembering a daytime episode where members of the armed forces were pulled from the audience to play and whoever solved the puzzle would stay on to play against two new challengers, and the top winner of the day would play the bonus game. I liked it because it was the same game but with a neat tweak to it. I wonder how big the reaction would be if they did that one time every time they took the show on the road. Don't say that it will be Audience Participation Friday, but say that one episode will feature contestants from the crowd. No having to endure a Wheelmobile stop or audition, just show up and have your name be picked and you can spin the wheel. That would generate some buzz as opposed to Pet Lovers or Wheel Across America and the like. Take chances; some things will work and others won't, but at least they would be having a punt. (When's the last time they did a College Week where students would show up bedecked in the logo of their chosen institution?)
Travis L. Eberle

Neumms

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The contestants today are pretty faces with little personality...which probably explains why they're so calm about winning the bonus round.

Exactly. It's not a hard game. They could put on interesting people. Maybe they wouldn't play like robots. It's become a game--seemingly intentionally--with no suspense whatsoever.

Buying vowels may be prudent strategy, but it's not exactly interesting. I say they should raise the price. They'd certainly get PR out of it. Maybe they give the extra dough to a charity and keep a running tally.

The prizes aren't interesting. There are too many gift cards on the wheel, taking away the excitement of finding multiple letters in the puzzle. If there's something special on the wheel, then it should be special.

The reveal of the bonus-round dollar amount is anti-climactic. If you knew they were playing for $100,000 or a million, you'd get drama. Otherwise the chances are so slim it doesn't matter, and you don't find out until the end anyway. Over the years, they've increased the stakes without increasing excitement. When Pat opens the folder, there's no emotional difference between $25,000, $32,000 or $50,000. I'd say leave most of the slots at $25,000, then improve the odds of the $100,000 or make the merchandise prizes more impressive. Or put the money on the wheel--make the $10,000 space a legitimate space, where it multiplies with the letters. 

aaron sica

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The reveal of the bonus-round dollar amount is anti-climactic.

So much this. I'm not much of a regular watcher anymore to either WoF or J!, but I happened to catch one last week where the winner landed on the Million Dollar Wedge and took it all the way to the bonus round with him. Simply because I heard no media buzz about it, I knew he wouldn't win the million, much less draw the $100K card.

Kevin Prather

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But was this a problem 39 years ago? The price of vowels has been $250, and back then that was more than the minimum on the wheel. Depending on the spin and the puzzle, it might take more than a spin to be able to call only one vowel. People still fell in love with the show regardless of how long it took to solve the puzzle, which honestly wasn't long and wouldn't become longer if people the price were raised since the minimum values on the wheel have been raised. While raising the price of vowels might not help the show, it would hardly hurt it either.
Oh it wasn't bad back then, but I submit that it's better now.

aaron sica

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The reveal of the bonus-round dollar amount is anti-climactic.

So much this. I'm not much of a regular watcher anymore, but I happened to catch one last week where the winner landed on the Million Dollar Wedge and took it all the way to the bonus round with him. Simply because I heard no media buzz about it, I knew he wouldn't win the million, much less draw the $100K card.


BrandonFG

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*He apparently caused a stir by hanging out at the studio a few years later.

Raymond was banned permanently from the set, no?
I believe so, yes.

I like the idea of revealing the envelope first, considering there once was a time when a contestant chose their prize. I think the thrill went out the window when they introduced the bonus wheel because it's now all cash and cars. So you solve the puzzle, you know you're going home with either 25K* or a fancy vehicle. Granted, the trips and home entertainment centers from the mid-90s weren't exactly the most exciting thing in the world either (trips maybe), but a lot of the allure is lost in the current wheel.

The only argument I have is that it would suck if someone knows a million bucks is on the line and misses the puzzle.

*Is that still the bonus round minimum?
"I just wanna give a shoutout to my homies in their late-30s who are watching this on Paramount+ right now, cause they couldn't stay up late enough to watch it live!"

Now celebrating his 21st season on GSF!

TLEberle

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*Is that still the bonus round minimum?
No, it increased to $30,000 and then $32,000.
Travis L. Eberle

Neumms

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The savvy player is in there buying vowels as soon as possible in order to figure out the puzzle nice and early so as to capitalize.

But that's part of the problem. There's a little more danger in trying to spin and place consonants, which adds tension to the game. Instead, they figure it out quickly and methodically and immediately stop spinning.

WarioBarker

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Wheel of Fortune has seemingly shied away from their celebrity and celeb/contestant games for some reason.
Yeah, I don't get it either -- the last celeb/contestant week was in late 2007, and the last all-celeb game was in late 2000 as an "Unmask the Stars" contest.

I think the problem is that the show's rigidly mandated format of three Toss-Ups and at least four main-game puzzles means you can't really have fun with the celebs without running into all kinds of editing.

*Is that still the bonus round minimum?
No, it increased to $30,000 and then $32,000.
And will keep going up $1,000 for each new season.
The Game Show Forum: beating the **** out of the competition since 2003.

I'm just a mind wanderer, walking in eternity...

TLEberle

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And will keep going up $1,000 for each new season.
Not sure if serious?
Travis L. Eberle

WarioBarker

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Not sure if serious?
I wish I was creative enough to be making that up. The change was tweeted by a Wheel staff member on August 6.
The Game Show Forum: beating the **** out of the competition since 2003.

I'm just a mind wanderer, walking in eternity...

Thunder

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The 2981-2982 season will be memorable with the $999,000 minimum bonus round prize.

PYLdude

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Not sure if serious?
I wish I was creative enough to be making that up. The change was tweeted by a Wheel staff member on August 6.

Am I the only one who thinks that's a completely counterproductive idea?
I suppose you can still learn stuff on TLC, though it would be more in the Goofus & Gallant sense, that is (don't do what these parents did)"- Travis Eberle, 2012

“We’re game show fans. ‘Weird’ comes with the territory.” - Matt Ottinger, 2022

SamJ93

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The 2981-2982 season will be memorable with the $999,000 minimum bonus round prize.

Which, after the rampant hyperinflation resulting from the recession of 2970 and humans gradually evolving into sedentary blobs whose brains are half-computer, will only be enough to download a nutritional foodstuffs app from Costco.

But vowels will still be $250.
It was Bob Barker. He was eating a bologna and cheese-ball sandwich.

irwinsjournal.com

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The 2981-2982 season will be memorable with the $999,000 minimum bonus round prize.

Which would certainly make the Million Dollar Wedge less interesting.
George in Ellison Park, NY

irwinsjournal.com