Daytime WOF Question

[kurtinrod62]

I don't know if this has been addressed before, but, during the daytime run of WOF, contestants were asked to turn their backs before a commercial break. Was there any particular reason for this?

[SplitSecond]

It was perceived that, if all three contestants were able to look at the puzzle during the commercial break, this would provide the contestant whose turn was next an unfair chance to study the board and plot his or her next move.

[Jimmy Owen]

Draping a curtain over the board  would not have looked as silly as three people turning around.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 03:45 PM\'] Draping a curtain over the board  would not have looked as silly as three people turning around. [/quote]
 But they felt they needed to show them turning around on-air (or at least Chuck saying so), or else people at home would get the mistaken idea that the players could study the board.  Having the players turn around was a goofy but simple solution, much like using blindfolds on What's My Line? rather than the original idea of an elaborate sliding wall.

[Jimmy Owen]

Couldn't they see the board in the mirrors?

[aaron sica]

This may have been answered before, but I'll ask anyway.

Why was this so frequently done on the daytime version, but never nighttime?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 12:56 PM\'] Couldn't they see the board in the mirrors? [/quote]
 Have you ever seen a usable reflection in a disco ball? You're not gonna get anything useful out of those mosaics.
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\' Aug 5 2004, 01:00 PM\']Why was this so frequently done on the daytime version, but never nighttime? [/quote]
I think it was because the format of the nighttime show was structured to facilitate playing full rounds, whereas the daytime show (which perhaps had one fewer ad break?) would have to straddle puzzles.

[adamjk]

It was seen one time on the nighttime run very early on BTW.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 01:12 PM\'] It was seen one time on the nighttime run very early on BTW. [/quote]
 My apologies. I must have been out having a life that night.

[adamjk]

The only reason I know that, is because Brad Francini mentioned it in his Wheel timeline, for the year 1983 from the first week of the nighttime wheel.

[JasonA1]

The requirement for the frequent breaks was something in NBC, who needed one-minute ad breaks over the course of a half hour program. Posters have also reported sitcom reruns getting chopped up for the same purpose.

A contestant from later seasons posted here, and on a turn around he and his fellow contestants actually sat down, turned, so they couldn't view the puzzle's reflection in the sunbursts. Now, silly me just says the break in the studio was prolly about 5 seconds long and no turning around was ever done. Just me though.

-Jason

[uncamark]

It should be pointed out that in the event of a tape stop on "J!", the players are asked to turn around until they're ready to go again in the event something comes up on the board that they're not supposed to see during the delay.

Which would make me think that they may do that on "Wheel" for the exact same reason.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 03:29 PM\'] My apologies. I must have been out having a life that night. [/quote]
 You're a game show fan. Having a life is impossible, esp. if you're trying to be like Zach. ;-)

[splinkynip]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 04:09 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 5 2004, 12:56 PM\'] Couldn't they see the board in the mirrors? [/quote]
 [/quote]
 We did indeed sit down on the steps leading to the platform so that we couldn't see a reflection of the puzzleboard.

[J.R.]

Interestingly enough, during the glorious Benirschke era: Rolf never said "Turn your backs", instead he would do something like: "Hang on (Contesant), we have to take a little break. We'll be right back"

-Joe R.