User:Daniel Benfield/Nighttime Video Archive

Suggested by TPH, I began this page by focusing on Seasons 1-6 due to A) the preservation of my sanity and B) the lack of returning champions during that period. Since then, Guint and Gameshowguy2000 (and myself) have added episodes from afterward. While this "front page" remains focused on Seasons 1-6, videos of the current season are at the very bottom.

Player names are given where available, barring Friday Finals if at least one other episode of that week is present. Episodes and clips that fall into the same timeframe, such as "February-June 1985" or "March-June 1989", are ordered arbitrarily unless I know or have reason to suspect otherwise, in which case they're noted.

The timeline is here, daytime videos here, and international videos here. (If any video links don't work, remove or substitute as necessary. If you have things to add or correct on these pages, do so; don't tell me to do them.)

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1983-2012 Califon Productions/Merv Griffin Entertainment and associated entities.

AND ANOTHER THING: All opinions on this page and its subpages are my own (see my name above the door?), and as per the rules of the MOS I'm doing it within my userspace. Mind you, the fact you're seeing this means you're here for a reason, so please don't let my thoughts sour you in any way.

Season 1 (1983-84)
Distinguishable primarily by the first iteration of "Changing Keys" and the squared-off contestant backdrops. At least the premiere has $750 as the top value in Round 1, which becomes $1,000 by the fourth show. The original Merv Griffin Productions logo is replaced on November 28 by an animated one, whose griffin becomes static (along with a larger picture and smaller font) in February; the King World logo originally uses a blocky font, which changes (most likely at the same time) to a rounder font over the spinning Round 1 layout.

The trees behind Pat change from green to brown in late September or early October, then to light-up white ones by the end of October (no, seriously; the October 31 and November 9 daytime shows have them). By September 22, the outlines of the money graphic and subsequent logo become white, resulting in a brighter/cleaner appearance.

"Walls" replace the trees in February and remain until late 1986, although the trees still show up and the walls' decorations/foliage still help in dating. The Wheel flippers may become longer and thinner sometime between September 22 and October 31, but that could just be me going by some less-than-optimal video quality.

Summer repeats for this and the next few seasons can usually be determined by a sudden cut to another screen just after the fee plugs to show the replacement fee sponsors.

Road Shows: Ohio State Fair in Columbus (August 29-September 2).

Repeat Weeks: December 26-30, April 23-27.

GSN Repeat Dates: December 1, 1994-October 1998.

1983


 * September 19, 1983 (#S-001/Premiere: Jeff/Leslie/Linda, with the puzzle board's original chase light sequence {counterclockwise on the left, clockwise on the right}; taped from GSN's first day, prefaced by a history dossier by Peter Tomarken but begins slightly into chant and cuts off shortly after fee plugs {alternate copies: same day, no Tomarken intro, ends just before the above copy does; pristine copy from August 18, 2007})

White-outline money graphic/logo, top value in R1 becomes $1,000


 * September 22, 1983 (#S-004: Lou/Cindy/Karen, with the original chase light sequence and a three-minute voiceover by Jack Clark...but several cuts {begins after Jack's first opening line, no Round 1 prize plugs, several other brief portions cut out, and no last segment})

Brown-leaf trees


 * September-October 1983 (Bob/Pearl/Carmen, with the original chase light sequence; repeat from Summer 1984 {alternate copy, free registration required to watch})
 * September-October 1983 (Ed/Dawn/Ellen, with the original chase light sequence {taped 9/83, suggesting the latter end of this period; alternate copy})

Light-up white trees


 * October 1983-January 1984 (Rick/Joan/Cecelia, with the original chase light sequence and really small Prize wedge letters...but no last segment)

1984


 * January 1984 (Lloyd/Linda/Debbie, aka "And now, here's your litterer: Pat Sajak!" with the original chase light sequence and Vanna White spinning the Wheel at the end; repeat from August, begins just after opening chant)
 * January-February 1984 (Thelma/Sam/Lisa, with the curtain screwing up and the reversed chase light sequence {clockwise on the left, counterclockwise on the right}; repeat from June {most likely in a pre-9/19-debut market}, audio lags about 2-3 seconds behind video after Round 2 puzzle is shown {gets considerably better after Segment 2})
 * January-February 1984 (Tom/Cindi/Velma, with the reversed chase light sequence; repeat from Summer with commercials)

"Walls" replace trees, "static" Griffin logo


 * April 1984 (Virginia/Bob/Norma, with the reversed chase light sequence but no last segment; has commercials, one promoting the 1984 Olympic Games {taped 2/14/84; alternate copy... thing, by the original uploader})
 * May? 1984 (Mark/Carol/Debi, with the reversed chase light sequence {taped 4/84})

Season 2 (1984-85)
(Massive thanks to Greg Brobeck and his huge Season 2 collection for noticing the stuff regarding "Changing Keys", the starburst backdrops, and logo/category graphics {I remembered reading somewhere that the season began taping before the music/starburst changes were made}. Problem: it only got more confusing.)

Distinguishable primarily by "Merv Griffin Productions" becoming "Merv Griffin Enterprises" (with a completely-static logo) and the King World logo adopting its familiar "star" motif (now over the Round 3 layout). By January 17, the overhead Wheel shot for the King World logo is dropped; by about April, it becomes light blue and returns to its September-November 1983 position/use.

After at least the first week (September 10-14), the 1984 "Changing Keys" debuts; after at least another ten episodes, and definitely sometime in October, the second starburst backdrops debut.

By November 23, the $150 next to $1,000 in Round 2 decreases to $100; sometime between then and December 19, the green $1,000 gets a wider font (most noticeably the $ and first 0). Sometime after this change, and by December 19, Round 1 adds $700, $800, and $900; the aforementioned $100 is upped to $600; and the red $300 next to Bankrupt in Rounds 2+ becomes a yellow $500 (although a GSN-aired episode sometime afterward has said $500 next to Lose A Turn).

The wide-font $5,000 is used at least twice, both after the wide-font $1,000 debuts, and leaves by December 19. The Winter decorations return again in early or mid-December (definitely by the 19th, which is also clearly decorated for Christmas), and leave by February 8.

Episodes through about mid-January 1985 have the monospaced font (for the category strips and wardrobe plugs), no animated Wheel logo, and no Helvetica; there were at least eleven episodes during this period.

Following this, the opening logo (over the Wheel) is altered to fill in the transparent wedges. At least four episodes aired during this period, in which the animated logo wasn't quite certain of itself. Just after the Helvetica chyrons got their shadow effect, the regular animated logo debuted (minus one glitchy instance in February or March).

The Helvetica chyrons are altered by February 8, with at least 12 episodes using them, and again by March 29; the regular $1,000 returns sometime between May 2 and the June 21 season finale.

In late January or early February, after the Winter decorations are removed but before the second Helvetica chyrons debut, the eligibility display, wardrobe plugs, and full credit roll change from white to blue. Oddly, though, there's at least three episodes post-Winter that have the shadowed chyrons and two Winter ones with the second chyrons.

On matters that are a little less confusing, Summer/weekend repeats now cut to a shot of a set piece (usually a portion of the "wall" decorations) in blurred close-up for the replacement sponsor list. I'm reasonably sure this changed when the walls were ousted in October-November 1986.

Repeat Weeks: December 31-January 4, April 8-12.

GSN Repeat Dates: October 1998-July 1999 (one near-complete cycle).

1984


 * September 1984 (Kersteen/Cinders {Cynthia}/Jack, with the reversed chase light sequence and full credit roll)

Second "Changing Keys"


 * September 1984 (Bill/Brilla/Teddy, with the reversed chase light sequence)

Second starburst backdrops


 * October-November 1984 (Dave/Joan/Kathy, with the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters)
 * October-November 1984 (Father Rob/Betty/Maria, with the reversed chase light sequence {alternate copy})


 * October-November 1984 (Janice/Faye/Marvin, with the reversed chase light sequence and $300 next to Bankrupt {alternate copies: Round 3/"FRANKFURTERS AND SAUERKRAUT", complete})

$150 in R2 (next to $1,000) becomes $100


 * November 23, 1984 (#S-250: E.R. {Elizabeth Renae}/Casey/Stacey, with the reversed chase light sequence {opening through Vanna's intro and full closing segment from original broadcast, with commercials})

Wide-font $1,000 debuts


 * November-December 1984 (Sharon/DeeDee/Brent, with the wide-font $5,000, reversed chase light sequence, and smaller Prize wedge letters)
 * November-December 1984 (Jeannette/Tim/Colleen, with the regular $5,000, reversed chase light sequence, and smaller Prize wedge letters {alternate copies: Rounds 1 and 3; complete})

$700/$800/$900 in R1, $100 next to $1,000 in R2 becomes $600, $300 next to Bankrupt in R2+ becomes $500, Winter decorations added


 * December 19, 1984 (#S-268: Kathe/Esther/Dennis, with the regular $5,000, wreaths and bows on-set, and reversed chase light sequence)

1985


 * January 1985 (Mike/Renita/Laura, with the reversed chase light sequence; was listed as December 25, 1984 on the timeline {alternate copy})
 * January 1985 (Pam/Carmen/Michael, with the reversed chase light sequence; taped from GSN, with commercials {begins during opening spiel, albeit with some playback issues for the first two seconds})
 * January 1985 (Rita/Lynn/Jonas, with $800 on $750 in Round 1 and the reversed chase light sequence; begins at "-une!" in opening chant, beginning of Bonus Round segment cut out {begins during Jack's description}, cuts off during Griffin announcement {alternate copy})
 * January 17, 1985 (#S-284: Cynthia/John/Susie, with the original chase light sequence; begins about two seconds before Pat introduces Vanna, audio drops out at times beginning just before Jack's Round 3 prize plugs, but has most commercials from WLKY in Kentucky {nearly everything between Rounds 2 and 3 is cut out}; has more commercials after the show, followed by most of an ABC Thursday Night Movie intro before changing channels to The Cosby Show {briefly} and several seconds of Magnum P.I.)
 * [Clarification on the airdate: the commercials, specifically one after the show, put this no later than the 21st. The Thursday Night Movie intro narrows it down to between the 3rd and 17th, but Wheel aired repeats the week of December 31 and the sponsor list proves this isn't a repeat. The movie in question, starring Ann-Margret and Frederic Forrest, was an encore of the 1983 TV movie Who Will Love My Children?. TV Tango says ABC showed an encore of The Thorn Birds Part 4 on the 10th and this on the 17th, so this is #S-284.]

Animated logo debuts, first Helvetica chyrons (no shadows)/Bonus Round totals/credits


 * January 1985 (Peg/Renee/Doc, with the red/green/yellow animated logo; tail end of Bonus Round, with a win ruled as a loss)

Green/yellow-only animated logo
 * January 1985 (Steve/Christina/Debra, with the original chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters)

Regular animated logo, first Helvetica chyrons (with shadows)


 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Milt/Fran/Stuart, begins during Jack's opening spiel {"-hundred dollar ruby and diamond bracelet"})

Winter decorations removed, eligibility disclaimers/wardrobe plugs/full credit rolls change from white to blue
 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Mary/Dick/Chris, with the reversed chase light sequence)

Second Helvetica chyrons (white around bottoms of letters)


 * February-March 1985 (Hal/Chris/Rita, with the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters; audio/video seriously out of sync for the first four minutes {slightly off for the rest}, no last segment)

Third Helvetica chyrons (white all around each letter)


 * February-June 1985 (Jerry/JoAn/Elaine, with an unknown chase light sequence and a player who has "three children, one of each"; taped from GSN in 1999, rough video {especially at beginning})
 * February-June 1985 (Deborah/Cheryl/Robin, with the reversed chase light sequence; begins just before Jack's opening spiel)
 * February-June 1985 (Gina/Cindy/Mike, with the reversed chase light sequence)
 * February-June 1985 (Kim/Brad/Carla, with the reversed chase light sequence; GSN airing with no logos)
 * February-June 1985 (Ron/Margot/Elaine, with an unknown chase light sequence; opening {cuts off just before player intros} and tail end of Bonus Round through credits from 9/27/86 weekend repeat, with commercials)
 * May 2, 1985 (#S-354: Diane/Linda/Ronda, with the reversed chase light sequence and a goofier-than-usual Pat; small cuts here and there, nothing too big)

Regular $1,000 returns


 * May-June 1985 (Lori/Peggy/David, with the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters)

Season 3 (1985-86)
Distinguishable primarily by the green $1,000 becoming yellow, the nearby $800 becoming orange, and the Griffin logo using pacific-blue font instead of the previous silver. Charlie O'Donnell fills in from October 21-November 1.

Repeat Weeks: December 30-January 3, March 31-April 4.

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

1985


 * December 5, 1985 (#S-454: Nikki/Tony/Terry; the THRILL OF VICTORY episode, with the reversed chase light sequence and no Winter decorations {alternate copy})
 * Fall 1985-Spring 1986 (Darlene/Frank{?}/Marilyn; various clips aired during VH-1's I Love The 80s for 1986)

1986


 * March 14, 1986 (#S-520: Dick/Diane/Betty, with the reversed chase light sequence; has commercials {alternate copy})
 * May 5, 1986 (#S-551: Ken/John/Andra, with green $1,000 in Round 1{?!}, reversed chase light sequence, and AT MY CAT'S END mis-solve {alternate copy by the original uploader})

Season 4 (1986-87)
Distinguishable primarily by the new Wheel colors (notably the pink $1,000 in Round 1), third starburst backdrops (introduced sometime between mid-October and November 13), and aqua-blue King World logo (which remains through the end of Season 6).

Between November 13 and December 22, the Griffin logo changes to add "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company"; around Spring, the text "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED" is added below the copyright stamp. Sometime between mid-October and November 13, the walls introduced in February 1984 are removed.

Oddly, $900 is removed from Round 1 and the spin order there is altered, going from $900-$250-$400-LAT to $250-$400-$200-LAT. Sometime this season, the $200 between $500 and $550 in Rounds 2+ temporarily becomes $900 while the peach $900 temporarily becomes lime green.

The "Wheel of Misfortune" episode of 227 (using the third starburst backdrops, post-"walls" setup, and the tan/lime-green $900 wedges) airs October 4; an available copy of its press release has "AUG 26 1986" stamped on it.

Repeat Weeks: December 29-January 2, April 20-24.

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

1986


 * October 13-17, 1986 (Julie/David/Nita, with the original chase light sequence; has commercials, one mentioning the 18th {alternate copy without commercials})

1987


 * January 5-7, 1987 (Ann/Valerie/Helen, with the original chase light sequence; begins immediately before money graphic, ends a few seconds into the fee plugs, but includes commercials {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * February 12, 1987 (#S-694: LeGrande/?/?, with the reversed chase light sequence; partial Bonus Round only {taped 1/18/87}, LeGrande later became an Oprah staffer/producer from 1990-97; by the way, if you're curious, the airdate is given here and the tapedate here)

"Temporary" R2 changes reverted


 * March 30-April 3, 1987 (?/Nancy/Eleanor, with the reversed chase light sequence; full Round 2)
 * May 1987 (Mark/Barbara/Susan, with the reversed chase light sequence; Round 4 through end of show, fee plugs cut out, ends during Jack's closing spiel {"Wheel of-"})
 * June 1987 (Martine/Jim/Gerri, begins just before player interviews; has commercials, two mentioning Father's Day as upcoming and a third plugging a car giveaway on the 18th; Griffin logo still has "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company")

Season 5 (1987-88)
Distinguishable primarily by the Big Month/Bonanza of Cash (October 5 through at least February 12); Free Spin is available in Rounds 1-2 until sometime between January 4 and February 12, at which point it's replaced by an off-model $200. "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company" changes to "A unit of Coca-Cola TELEVISION" by October 30, then "A unit of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." on February 8.

Probably on November 2, the "only vowels remain" beeps are halved from eight to four.

Sometime in November, while "continue by popular demand" is used in the open and after both Geri/Chip/Betsy and Norm/Marci/Dean, the tan $600 in Round 1 becomes $900. Also, the $250 and $500 between Lose A Turn and Bankrupt in Round 3 swap positions, the spin order going from $500-$400-$250 to $250-$400-$500.

Sometime afterward, the opening is altered to replace "continue by popular demand" with "present". I know Norm/Diane/Linda uses this, along with the below.

"Big Bonanza" is dropped from the opening between February 12 and March 23, with the money graphic returning to the center of the screen by May 6.

Jack leaves on May 6, with Charlie returning for at least the following week. Other than the different-looking fee credits, Summer repeats are distinguishable by the fee plugs being read by Pat and/or Vanna.

Repeat Weeks: December 28-January 1, April 4-8.

GSN Repeat Dates: Early 1996-October 1998.

1987


 * October 5, 1987 (#S-796/Big Month of Cash, Day 1: John/Nancy/Peter, with the reversed chase light sequence; taped from GSN on August 18, 2007 {alternate copy})

"Big Bonanza of Cash", "Coca-Cola TELEVISION" replaces "The Coca-Cola Company"


 * November 1987 (Geri/Chip/Betsy, with the reversed chase light sequence; contestant interviews and fee plugs cut out)
 * November 10, 1987 (#S-822: Elliot/?/?, with the reversed chase light sequence; complete final segment, with Pat talking to a pair of mannequins on-set and full credit roll {albeit less "full" than usual due to an NBC technicians' strike})

"Present" replaces "continue by popular demand", $600 in R1 becomes $900, R3 spin order becomes $250-$400-$500


 * November-December 1987 (Sheila/Greg/Dick, with the reversed chase light sequence and Pat dropping his pants; repeat from February 18, 1989 with commercials and Pat reading the replacement fee plugs)
 * December 1987 (Rick/Julie/Gretchen, with the reversed chase light sequence and first known nighttime tie; taped from GSN circa 1995 {recorded 12/87})
 * December 17, 1987 (#S-849: Eileen/Peggy/Paul, with the reversed chase light sequence; has commercials, cuts off just before King World logo {alternate copy})

1988


 * January 4-February 5, 1988 (Marj/Paula/Denia, with "squished" Prize wedge lettering and a "WHA?!" moment in Round 4 when Pat says "Vanna will show you her hyphen."; has brief bits of commercials, but some portions are missing {begins as Jack says the value of the last item, no last segment; taped 1/88})

Off-model $200 debuts in Round 2


 * February 12, 1988 (#S-885: Hank/Nancy/Becky; begins at "-filled with glamorous prizes", no last segment)

"Big Bonanza of Cash" dropped


 * March-May 1988 (Gerri/Maria/Kevin, with the off-model $200 present through the opening spin, a thin-font $3,500, and Vanna getting her dress soaked; repeat from June 28, with Pat and Vanna reading the replacement fee plugs)

Jack Leaves


 * May-June 1988 (?/?/?, with a full credit roll; begins just after fee plugs {a comment says it's May due to the season ending May 27, which I doubt because that's the 37th week})

Season 6 (1988-89)
Distinguishable primarily by M. G. Kelly announcing and the more familiar $25,000 sign. $2,500 becomes darker this season, while $3,500 adopts the same font. $5,000 does the same by October 3.

The New York Contest is held from September 5-26, with the winners attending a special series of episodes. The 10-second/three-and-a-vowel Bonus Round debuts October 3, and the 1,000th nighttime show (Maureen/Morris/Howard) is that Friday.

M.G. leaves after February 17, with Charlie returning on the 20th.

New Categories: Same Name on September 6, Before & After on February 27.

Road Shows: Radio City Music Hall, New York City (November 14-25; Don Pardo announces).

Repeat Weeks: December 26-30, March 27-31.

GSN Repeat Dates: October 2001-August 2004 (three complete cycles).

1988


 * September 5, 1988 (#S-976/Season Premiere: Ann/Constance/Jan; taped from GSN, with commercials {alternate copy})
 * September 6, 1988 (#S-977: Sharon/Nathalie/Peter, with M.G.'s first nighttime appearance at the end)
 * September 8, 1988 (#S-979: Mitchell/Diana/Colin)
 * September 14, 1988 (#S-983: Terri/Debra/Mike, with the New York Contest)

"Three-and-a-Vowel" Bonus Round


 * October 4, 1988 (#S-997: Rick/Renee/Chris; second day of "new" Bonus Round)
 * October 11-December, 1988 (Emerald{?}/Chris/Janice, partial Round 3 and Bonus Round {WHICH OLD WITCH and CANADIAN BORDER}; video is accidentally slowed down slightly)
 * October 25, 1988 (#S-1012/Wipeout Week I, Day 2: Allan/Shirley/Peggy)
 * November 2, 1988 (#S-1018: Louanne/Ann/Walt)

Radio City Music Hall


 * November 14, 1988 (#S-1026: Meg/Dave/Matt, with a "$337,000" money graphic; taped from GSN on August 18, 2007 {alternate copy})
 * November 15, 1988 (#S-1027: Andy/Shari/Sonia, with a "$306,000" money graphic, the Round 2 Prize wedge initially on Lose A Turn, and an overhead shot of the opening spin{?!}; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * November 16, 1988 (#S-1028: Regina/Donna/David, with a "$342,000" money graphic and the APRICOT bonus puzzle; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * November 17, 1988 (#S-1029: Amy/Bill/Mary Lou, with a "$328,000" money graphic; begins at newspaper graphic {alternate copies: #1; #2, by the original uploader})
 * November 18, 1988 (#S-1030: Alan/Karl/Nikki, with a "$312,000" money graphic)
 * November 21, 1988 (#S-1031: Jason/Denise/Jane, with a "$271,000" money graphic, an angled view of Radio City Music Hall in Don's opening announcement, and two Rockettes performance after Round 3 (RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL ROCKETTES puzzle) and the Bonus Round; taped from GSN in April-May 2002, with commercials {including a debut promo for Friend or Foe?, which premiered in June})
 * November 22, 1988 (#S-1032: Tim/Steve/Sharon, with a "$291,000" money graphic; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * November 23, 1988 (#S-1033: Joseph/Charlie/Leslie, with a "$276,000" money graphic and the GOING BANANAS bonus puzzle; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * November 24, 1988 (#S-1034: Rubin/Father Joe/Lorraine, with a "$292,000" money graphic; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * November 25, 1988 (#S-1035: Martha/Linda/Willie, with a "$268,000" money graphic)

Back to Burbank


 * November-December 1988 (#S-10??: Shari/Tom/David, with the bonus puzzle THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE {same week as below?; alternate copy})
 * November-December? 1988 (#S-10??: Diana/Judy/Dan {same week as above?})
 * December 19-22, 1988 (#S-105?: Marilyn/Sandi/Jon, with the $25,000 sign inactive during the opening)
 * December 23, 1988 (#S-1055: Jan/Don/Eric, with Pat singing an off-key "White Christmas")

1989


 * January 2-February 10, 1989 (Bill/Gail/Carolyn, with the mispronunciation of MILAN ITALY; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * January 2-February 10, 1989 (Eileen/Irene/Ray {same week as below})
 * January 2-February 10, 1989 (Arnie/Judy/Valerie, with "I was getting ready to tell him about Vanna!"; taped from GSN in early 2004, small portion of Bonus Round cut out {possibly same week as Joy finding a Free Spin on a car seat, as the His-and-Hers signs are Hers-His})
 * February 15, 1989 (#S-1088/Wipeout Week II, Day 3: Ken/Chris/Eugene, with two prizes {the $25,000 and a white car} already won)
 * February 16, 1989 (#S-1089/Wipeout Week II, Day 4: Lynne/Carol/Eugene, with direct mention that they'll be wrapping up the week "tomorrow")

Charlie returns


 * February 20, 1989 (#S-1091: Renee/Carol/Damon, with Marla Gibbs making an appearance {taped 1/89?})
 * February 27, 1989 (#S-1096: Barbara/Lisa/Larry, debut of Before & After; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * February-March 1989 (Donn/Rachel/Jackie, with a very audible Wheel in the opening chant and a detailed explanation of "our newest category" Before & After; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * February-March 1989 (Michelle/Bettye/Andy; montage of Rounds 1-3 and Bonus Round, prefaced by Andy's brother Jeff winning a car in October-December 1986 {third starburst backdrops, post-"walls" backdrop, late-1984 Griffin logo})


 * February-June 1989 (? {female}/Paula/? {male}, clip {possibly whole} of Round 4 or 5...oh, and there's no sound)
 * March-June 1989 (Yvonne/Stephanie/Joy; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * March-June 1989 (Maxie/Penny/Steve, with a "goofy hat" contest; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * March-June 1989 (Lori/Dianne/Teri; most of contestant interviews and small portion of Bonus Round cut out)
 * March-June 1989 (Callie/Semaj/Sterling, with the audience machine drowning out Charlie in the opening)
 * March-June 1989 (Liz/Victor/Leo {same week as below?}, with the CHARLIE AND AMERICAN PRIDE mistake; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * March-June 1989 (Robin/Franklin/Tom {same week as above?}, with a full credit roll; most of contestant interviews cut out)

NOTE: May 5 is Barbara/Tom/Ed, Family Week is May 8-12, and College Week is May 15-19. The episodes below are confirmed to have aired afterward, with June 13 being Theresa/Pat/Roland (which also circulates from its original broadcast with commercials, albeit beginning at Round 2).
 * May-June 1989 (Cynthia/Scott/Jeff, with a blown Bonus Round; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * May-June 1989 (Gina/Gordie/Rob {same week as below})
 * May-June 1989 (Arlene/Tina/Bill, with a huge win {same week as above; alternate copy})

Post-Season 6
Originally created by me for the episodes that contain a bunch of clips (now marked as "CLIPFEST"), Guint and Gameshowguy2000 (primarily, but I've also chipped in) started adding episodes from various seasons. Personally, my focus remains on Seasons 1-6...but then there started getting to be way too many episodes, so we needed sub-subpages.

Seasons 7-12 (1989-95)
The move to CBS Television City and all the new stuff, the $10,000 Wedge debuts, Megaword stinks up the place for six months, the rise of Friedman, and other notable events: 7, 8-11, 12.

Seasons 13-18 (1995-2001)
The show moves to its permanent home at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, the Jackpot debuts, the backdrops become randomized, themed weeks appear every single week, the puzzle board is given an (honestly needed) overhaul, the Wheel's automation is discontinued for good, the decision that Merv's music is good enough to keep on Jeopardy! but not Wheel, and more: 13, 14, 15-18.

Seasons 19-26 (2001-09)
The Bonus Round kicks out all not-a-car-or-cash prizes (look ma, no variety!) and changes to the Bonus Wheel, the Mystery Wedges debut, "Happy Wheels" temporarily pays lip service to "Changing Keys", and many other things: 19-22, 23-26.

Seasons 27-29 (2009-12)
Far more mis-solves and obviously-bad letter calls than prior seasons, barely-responsive Culver City audiences, nonsensical puzzles (mostly Trip Puzzles), decisions by the staff that give off a general feeling of "We really don't care anymore.", and other stuff: 27, 28, 29.

Season 30 (2012-13)
The logo adopts "30th Anniversary" in cursive over the logo with a nice 3D-esque Wheel underneath and strings of lights in the background (reminds me of the 1975-76 curtain), except the centerpiece has reverted to the more compact (but far less eye-catching) two-row style. It's the big 3-0 of nighttime, yet you eschew the classic logo...why?

The borders around the contestant scoreboards are removed, making them touch each other for the first time since 2007, and the week's theme is displayed across the entire area during the opening. Another monitor is added for Pat's area, which displays the two-row logo and occasionally changes to fit the theme; other than that, does it have a point? Probably not.

The Wild Card, Gift Tag, and Prize wedge now award $500 per letter, and the ½ Car now changes every week. When the fans said "add variety in your prizes", Wheel somehow thought that meant "more cars" (although starting off with a Ford Fiesta has to be on purpose, as that was the car offered in the tags' first taped use of Season 29).

Most of the Wheel values either increase or decrease, but overall it's a gain compared to Season 29. $700 comes back after a year's vacation (and more plentiful, as one replaces Jackpot for Rounds 2+), while $650 rises from its grave to make a triumphant return to gameplay after 33 years (or 14½, depending on whether you count its use on Wheel 2000). Didn't see that coming.

Following Round 2, an old Bonus Round is shown as Vanna asks the audience to solve it. Sure, it's the Preview Puzzle, but it's a lot better.

The Bonus Round contestant window now has something else from days long ago: an onscreen timer, not used since the Star Bonus "stopwatch" graphic in 1978.

In addition to all this, the SPIN IDs are now used in drawings for $5,000, and there's also a Tweetstakes plus "Ask Pat & Vanna".

Returning Categories: The 90's on September 18, The 80's on September 20.

Road Shows: Madison Square Garden in New York City (May).

Classic Clips (intros only)

September 24-28 replaced them with greetings from the hosts of international adaptations. In a rarity, some clips include Jack Clark.

NOTE: The "classic clip" dates given are those used by Wheel, unless the specific date is known or they don't actually give a year. I also don't know just how many of these are present in the above-linked video archives.


 * September 17-21, 2012 (12/13/82 {Vanna's official debut}, 9/7-10/99 {Endless Summer: Vanna and nightgowns, following the bonus puzzle NIGHTGOWN}, 1998 {the clown/mortician Frank}, 10/16/08 {the WOOD-BURNING STOVE debacle}, 5/20/11 {New Orleans: Pat and Vanna dive face-first into beignets})
 * October 1-5, 2012 (1997 {addressing the "married" comments}, undated {between 2/85 and 11/86; Vanna moves like a bug Pat once sprayed; music almost entirely removed, remainder is "Frisco Disco"}, 1997 {Vanna talks about her "foundation" aka "girdle"}, 2010 {bumper with Vanna fanservice}, 11/11/08 {Hawaii: Kalaau goes nuts after getting the Wild Card})
 * October 8-12, 2012 (12/28/81 {Pat's debut}, 11/18-22/02 {Seattle Family Week: mother pats Sajak's rear end}, undated {circa 1993; Pat and Vanna naked in a hot tub}, 5/14/98 {Houston College Week: Alvaro goes nuts after solving the Speed-Up IT TOTALLY BLEW ME AWAY for $25,000; music replaced by current Toss-Up solve cue}, 3/17/10 {Charles does some beatboxing, Pat says his own attempts to beatbox just end up with drool})
 * October 15-19, 2012 (1991 (Vanna hits Pat with a pie, he retaliates by doing the same}, 5/10/12 {Portland: Carrie's BIFFY OCEAN mis-solve on Free Play}, 12/4/95 {Vanna debuts her new haircut; music...not replaced, in a freaking huge shock to all}, 4/10/07 {Pat says a gorilla entered the studio and ate Vanna; must...resist...obvious joke.......}, 1999 {"Now do Forrest Gump as the Road Runner."})
 * October 22-26, 2012 (2001-02 {Season 19: the "AN UGLY CHILD" mis-solve by a school counselor}, 5/5-9/03 {Armed Forces Week: Gervy slaps Pat's butt after solving the $2,000 Toss-Up, Vanna does the same after the Bonus Round}, 2001 {Lou solves a puzzle for $4,600, Pat imagines them in a car dealer commercial since they're wearing the same outfit}, 11/7-18/94 {Red, White, & Blue Sweepstakes: contestant solves The Forties puzzle GERMAN OCCUPATION OF PARIS, complete with '94 puzzle-solve cue}, 1998 {Pat and Vanna show off their red tongues after eating candy})

2012


 * September 17, 2012 (#S-5656/Season Premiere/Spa Getaway, Day 1: Lisa/Candace/Matt, with commercials)
 * September 19, 2012 (#S-5658/Spa Getaway, Day 3: Mike/Linda/Mary Beth; fast-forwards through commercials, ends right after Jim congratulates the Bonus Round winner)

2013


 * January's a long way off. :)