Misconceptions and Myths

As with many TV shows, Wheel of Fortune has had many misconceptions and myths bantered around over its long history. This page is here to address them and sort fact from fiction.

Myth: Bankrupt has always used its slide-whistle sound effect.
Fact: Bankrupt began using its original slide whistle at some point between June 7, 1976 and April 6, 1978.

Myth: During the shopping era, the hostess always entered from the middle of the curtain.
Fact: In the early days, Susan Stafford came out from Chuck Woolery's left and conversed with him briefly. On Chuck's last show in 1981, she emerged from behind the puzzle board.

Myth: The shopping era always had the option of a gift certificate or "on account".
Fact: When the show debuted in 1975, "on account" was the only option. The gift certificate was definitely added by the end of the year, as it is included in Milton-Bradley's board game adaptations.

Myth: The show has always used punctuation in its puzzles where needed.
Fact: Wheel generally omitted punctuation in its early days, resulting in such puzzles as FISHERMANS WHARF instead of FISHERMAN'S WHARF. The earliest known instance of punctuation is LOVEY-DOVEY on April 7, 1978.

Myth: There has never been such a thing as a negative score.
Fact: A still from an early episode shows a contestant with a negative score. It has been surmised that Buy A Vowel deducted the $250 regardless of whether the contestant actually had it.

Myth: The current Lose A Turn wedge is white.
Fact: It is a very light shade of yellow.

Myth: The clip seen in the 4,000th nighttime episode with the caption of "1983" is from 1983.
Fact: It is an opening from 1978. Every element seen in the clip was discarded by 1983 (Charlie O'Donnell replaced by Jack Clark, "Big Wheels" replaced by "Changing Keys", platforms of prizes replaced by a single large turntable).

Myth: Nickname debuted in 1988.
Fact: Nickname is known to have been used on May 31, 1979. It was not one of the "original" categories, as it is not present in the 1975 home game's puzzle list.

Myth: Pat Sajak and Vanna White have hosted the show together since it began in 1981 on NBC.
Fact: None of that is true. The daytime show began in 1975, Pat joined in 1981, and Vanna became hostess in 1982.

Myth: The "logo on overhead shot of Wheel" opening was introduced in September 1983, and dropped when the show moved to CBS.
Fact: A very similar shot was done on the 1975 premiere. The opening remained through at least July 21, 1989 (Bob Goen's fifth episode) with the new logo at the end, but was discontinued by August 29.

Myth: Other than April Fool's 1997, Alex Trebek has only guest-hosted in 1980.
Fact: Alex is known to have filled in on the daytime show in mid-1985, likely for a single episode.

Myth: Other than April Fool's 1997, Vanna has only spun the Wheel once.
Fact: She is known to have spun the Wheel twice – a September 1989 show where she played a round for charity while Pat turned the letters, and a daytime Final Spin after Goen got frustrated over repeatedly hitting Bankrupt.

Myth: Rolf Benirschke doesn't like talking about his stint as host.
Fact: He was among the many who contributed to the show's E! True Hollywood Story.

Myth: The daytime show continued in some form until December 31, 1993.
Fact: The daytime show ended on September 20, 1991. Classic Concentration aired repeats until New Year's Eve 1993, but there is no evidence that Wheel did so.

Myth: The exact number of daytime episodes is unknown.
Fact: The total number, 4,215, was stated by Peter Tomarken during GSN's first day in 1994, just before they showed the first nighttime episode of Wheel.

Myth: Returning champions and the Friday Finals were eliminated due to the sheer amount of contestant applications.
Fact: Pat stated on the Sony Rewards website that it was removed because smart contestants could keep hitting Bankrupt while lousy puzzle-solvers luck into a runaway game. It could be argued that luck on the Wheel is the point of the game, that Pat's explanation is a flimsy excuse, and that the concept of returning players being nixed shortly after the 1997 court order to ban Raymond Taylor from appearing in the Wheel audience is too close to be a coincidence.

Myth: What Are We Making? is the only category that was only used once.
Fact: Composer/Song and Show/Song were used once each in Season 13.

Myth: Players who have appeared on a version other than the syndicated run are allowed to play again.
Fact: While this is true of sister show Jeopardy!, being on the American Wheel at any point in its history (including Wheel 2000 and possibly the three pilots) renders you ineligible for the rest of your life. The show's website went into detail about this at one point, but currently says it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Myth: The show tapes in airing order.
Fact: The show tends to tape well out of airing order, a practice going as far back as the 1994-95 season. This was best demonstrated in Season 28, when eight weeks announced by Charlie prior to his death were dubbed over by the guest announcers prior to airing for...some reason, possibly a desire to keep this misconception going.