Parodies and Appearances

The longevity and success of Wheel of Fortune has provided plenty of opportunity for various shows to make parodies or have their characters make appearances on Wheel as part of a (sub)plot. Oddly, there do not appear to be any instances of either before 1984.

Betty and Me
Issue #160 of this Archie spinoff (August 1987) apparently deals with a Wheel parody, but the specifics are unknown.

The Chimp Channel
Involving, you guessed it, monkeys. Notably, one player tries to solve without spinning (which is normally allowed), although "Pat" tells her that she has to spin.

Family Guy
"Alright, Peter, you made it to the Bonus Round. Congratulations." "Thanks, Regis."

Probably one of the more beloved examples, "I Take Thee Quagmire" (aired March 12, 2006) began at the Bonus Round with Peter Griffin. With the category of Actor & Show, Peter chooses Z, 4, three Q's, and the Batman symbol; he then solves the puzzle (ALEX KARRAS IN WEBSTER) anyway, much to the host's shock.

With $1,300, Peter goes shopping (complete with insert over a pan of the prizes and the 1984 "Changing Keys" theme) – buying the ceramic Dalmatian ($600), a week of maid service ($250, which leads into the plot), and a hat rack ($400); with $50 left, he asks how much the fat guy in the circle is.

"That's you." "Oh-oh, embarrassing. Okay, well in that case I'll take the rest on a gift certificate."

(Two other parodies were brief cutaways to puzzles designed to make the viewer think something vulgar, but quickly realize that it couldn't possibly be that due to the shown letters; the solved puzzles were GO TUCK YOURSELF IN and MY GRANDMOTHER'S HAIRY AUNT.)

FoxTrot
The May 17, 1988 strip has Jason watching the daytime show while his mother tries to get him to help his father with the computer. Amusingly, the dialogue and puzzle board shot from the TV date the Wheel episode to between August 1980 and December 1981 (the host uses Chuck Woolery's "One, two, three of them!" style, the puzzle board has three lines, and Jack Clark is mentioned by name); the puzzle, OBSEQUIOUS OPAQUE SQUID, is solved with just the Q's.

Full House
The episode "The Test" (aired January 11, 1994) had Vanna White appearing as part of a dream sequence in DJ's classroom, where she takes the SAT. It is known that the episode also contained clips of a (possibly real) Wheel episode (mainly the scene where she and Kimmy are studying). In the dream sequence, Kimmy passes and gets a scholarship to Stanford while DJ fails and gets a scholarship to Clown University. When DJ takes the test for real, Vanna plays a teacher named Mrs. Moffat.

In Living Color
"Hello, and welcome to Wheel of Dozens! Where talkin' trash can get you cash, so when the Wheel's turnin', it's yo' momma we're burnin'!"

A sketch from the final season (aired December 30, 1993), hosted by "Stu Dunfey", had a Wheel consisting of "Yo' Momma" phrases (i.e., "Yo' Momma's So Ugly") that players completed for $100 per diss; filling the role of penalty spaces were "positive" comments (i.e., "Yo' Momma's So Beautiful").

The game ended in a tie, so the winners played a "Lightning Round" where they alternated spouting disses to Mother Teresa.

Mad TV
Parodied on three different occasions:


 * February 9, 2002: It's Celebrity Couples Week! The three couples competing are Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar; Will Smith and Jada Pinkett; and Kenny Rogers and a girl he met at a bus stop named Ginger as a replacement for his wife Wanda, who couldn't make it. The first puzzle is Famous Love Songs, and Rogers makes the first spin, hitting top dollar of $1,500. Ginger calls a V, of which there is one on the board; after Vanna reveals it, Rogers thinks she is a witch. Pat interprets his accusations as an incorrect attempt to solve the puzzle, so play moves to Gellar, who spins and lands on the Prize wedge (a $940 home barbecue system). Prinze repeats the V, thinking that they were "hiding some". On to Smith, who hits Lose A Turn but Pinkett encourages him to spin again; he does so, only to land on Bankrupt. With control back to the blue team, Rogers spins $500. Ginger immediately asks to solve, and correctly does so with LOVE ME TENDER. After the remaining letters light up, Rogers again accuses Vanna of being a witch and chases her around the set as Pat casually throws to commercial.
 * November 15, 2003: It's Government Worker Week! The contestants are Debbie Jane, a DMV photographer; Stanley, a monument bird feces remover (played by guest star David Arquette); and Louis, a congressional light bulb changer. The show has returned from a mid-round break. The category is Quotation, and the puzzle reads GIVE ME LIBERT_ OR GIVE ME DEATH. With Debbie Jane in control, she mis-solves with LIBERTO; Stanley asks to buy a "continent", to which Pat tells him that only vowels can be bought, though Stanley doesn't exactly know what a vowel is. Pat reminds him that vowels are A, E, I, O, U, and emphasizes "sometimes Y" while pointing to the single blank spot remaining on the board. Stanley spins the Wheel and, after a very long spin, lands on $700 (although the camera accidentally shows Louis' arrow landing on $500). He asks to solve, and provides the same incorrect solution as Debbie Jane did. Louis spins the Wheel, which Pat impatiently stops after a few seconds; Louis lands on $1,250, and confidently asks for F. Back to Debbie Jane, who solves incorrectly once again with LIBERTU. A sound effect signals the Final Spin, to which Pat simply moves the Wheel without letting go. After Stanley calls two letters which are already on the board, he mis-solves with LIVERY; Pat asks if he said "Liberty", which Stanley denies. Louis passes his turn, as do Debbie Jane and Stanley. With Pat getting rather angry, he decides to have Vanna just reveal the last letter, and whoever says the answer first will be declared the winner. The last letter is revealed as a happy face, to which Stanley claims he solved with that solution earlier (GIVE ME LIBERT☺ OR GIVE ME DEATH) and a dumbfounded Pat is aware of. The show cuts to a test card which reads "DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULT_, WHEEL OF FORTUNE WILL N☺T BE SEEN. PLEASE STAND B_."
 * November 12, 2005: The show begins with Pat saying that he's been hosting the show for 60 years and stopped caring 58 years ago (implying a setting of 2041-42 and that he stopped caring when the nighttime show debuted). The three contestants enter and Pat appears lovestruck by the blue contestant named Lexi Von Cannon (guest star Pamela Anderson). Pat cuts short the introductions for the other players (homemaker Faye Schnantz and high school teacher Aubrey Simelle) and asks Lexi to start the game. Faye tells him that she won the toss backstage, but he dismisses her and tells Lexi to spin while announcing the first puzzle as a Famous Person. Lexi's spin lands on Lose A Turn, but Pat stops Faye from spinning and tells Lexi to spin again. Pat begins rigging the game in her favor, much to the other contestants' anger – as Lexi calls obscure consonants, Pat tells Vanna to light up most of the consonants in the puzzle. With the puzzle board showing _BR_H_M L_N__LN, Lexi solves the puzzle as MADONNA and, despite the buzzer sounding, Pat rules her correct. The skit ends with Pat and the other two contestants spinning the Wheel as Lexi lies down on it, much to Vanna's shock.

On the Television
One sketch done sometime during the 1989-90 period was "Wheel of Misfortune", created by a slightly alternate Merv Griffin. While the "roulette meets hangman" concept is mostly the same, some parts are taken very literally.

Pookie Poo
An obscure Flash cartoon series from the late 1990s parodied Wheel (starring Saint Patjack and Vanity White) and other games, with the eponymous character bringing his attitude to each.

The Wheel layout seems to be somewhat based on early nighttime episodes, albeit with two $1,000 wedges plus $650 and $950; in addition, "Loose A Turn" is red. The puzzle, FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT (Famous Sayings), is accidentally solved by Pookie while he threatens to hurt Patjack.

Saturday Night Live
A sketch aired May 6, 2006 had guest star Tom Hanks as Pat. Strangely, it also uses the 1983 "Changing Keys" despite the song as a whole being absent from Wheel for nearly six years.

The show returns from break with the puzzle board reading BY THE S__N OF OUR TEETH (Phrase). Donna elects to buy the I, after which Pat does the Final Spin that lands on $600. Donna accidentally mis-solves with SPIN, realizing her mistake afterward; play goes to Kenny, who also mis-solves with SHIN despite the H's already being present. Marjorie also mis-solves, albeit even worse as she says SMILES.

Back to Donna, who mis-solves with CHIN. Kenny then asks to buy a number, then a vowel – U, which is already on the board; he then tries to solve with SUIN, which is wrong as well. Marjorie manages to epically mis-solve with BY THE SOCK OF MY FEET, after which Donna gets the proper missing word (SKIN) but with MY FEET at the end.

Pat figures that the players are nervous, and asks them to take a few deep breaths and look carefully at the puzzle board, then goes back to Donna. All three players pass for two cycles in a row, which leads Pat to give a hint – "a dermatologist would deal with this on a daily basis"; all three players begin shouting out answers, none of which even fit the puzzle. Pat realizes that the players simply aren't bright, but points out that neither is Vanna, and look at her career!

Vanna reveals the K, and the contestants seem to finally understand the puzzle...or not, as they think it has to do with lips. Pat gets them into a group hug, telling them that "If I were the old me, your stupidity would have sent me into a violent rage, and Vanna knows what I'm talking about. But today, I just feel sorry for you..."

The players, however, do not understand that they are being insulted, and when they do understand claim that "You insulted us by the skin of our teeth." This leads Pat to tear up his card and decide to quit, and the players chant "We! Are! Horses!" as he walks offscreen.

Sesame Street
"Give the pig a spin!"

A parody called Squeal of Fortune hosted by Pat Playjacks (the world's nicest game show host) and Velma Blank, with Count von Count and Prairie Dawn as contestants. The money and puzzles are replaced by a single pig, and before spinning the Wheel the player must guess how many times it will squeal; Count von Count wins, but upon seeing his choice of prizes (including a larger-than-life portrait of Playjacks himself, grapefruit goggles, and a barrel of industrial-strength gray-green finger paint); he opts to take the pig instead. Then an eel comes along to ask Pat if the game is called "Eel of Fortune".

So Random!
The opening sketch of the 2011 premiere was All-Star Wheel of Fortune with Fred, Taylor Swift, and Willow Smith playing. Fred is obnoxious, Taylor sings about everything, and Willow whips her hair around to the point that the game barely progresses. The sketch ends with Vanna tearing off part of the puzzle board and smacking Fred unconscious.

South Park
"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" (aired March 7, 2007) begins with Stan Marsh's dad, Randy, at the Bonus Round; having already been spotted RSTLE plus his choices of BNGO, with the category of People Who Annoy You and $30,000 on the line, he is very reluctant to say the only thing he can think of (a racial epithet) but still mis-solves NAGGERS (with the A missing), shocking the nation and beginning the plot.

Vanna, Pick Me a Letter
"I've just got to win, spin the Wheel again..."

A 1986 song by "Dr. Dave" (David Kolin) which was released on TSR Records #852 and frequently heard on The Dr. Demento Show. A parody of "The Letter" by The Box Tops, it describes a contestant on Wheel and mentions Bankrupt, Lose A Turn, the Final Spin chimes, the Bonus Round, the home game, and shopping. The song ends with the singer/contestant expressing shock at the fact that a black-and-white 5" portable TV set costs $500. ("You got ripped-off, man.")

A partial rewrite of the song, believed to have been performed by Greg Barnhill, was used in a promo for CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans. The ad includes footage from various episodes, plus an answer of NEW ORLEANS being revealed.

You Can't Do That On Television
A very brief parody was one of the many "pre-emption" cards used at the top of the show: in this case, the episode "Luck" (1986) used The Wheel of Fortune Runs Over People and Flattens Them.

Pee Wee's Playhouse
The episode "Fire in the Playhouse" featured "Wheel of Pizza" when Pee Wee opened the refrigerator.

Appearances
While daytime Wheel has rarely been seen on TV since 1991, some of its appearances below still turn up from time to time in syndication or on cable networks.

227
"Over $100,000 worth of prizes, today on this special neighbors version of Wheel of Fortune! And now, let's meet our host: Pat Sajak!"

The Season 2 premiere "Wheel of Misfortune" (aired October 4, 1986) had Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs) and neighbor Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry) competing on a "neighbors edition" of nighttime Wheel against each other and a fisherman named Rusty. In Round 1, Sandra calls an M, which is not in the puzzle, and Mary hits Lose A Turn. Rusty then spins $1,000 and calls a Z; despite derision from his opponents, there is a Z in the puzzle (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, a Title), which he solves.

Later, in Round 3, Mary tries to solve the Thing puzzle with $19,750 but says SANTA FE TRAIL (a Place) instead of the actual answer, SANTA FE TRAIN. Rusty ends up shutting-out the women.

The puzzle board uses its reversed chase light sequence, while the Wheel uses the tan and lime green $900 wedges temporarily used at this point on the actual show. Also present are the third starburst backdrops and post-"walls" setup, despite not being on the actual show at this point (an episode aired the week of October 13 still has the 1984 walls and starbursts).

The A-Team
"Wheel of Fortune" (aired January 14, 1986) begins during Round 3 on the daytime show, with H.M. Murdock (Dwight Schultz) spinning the Wheel a few times (oddly, despite his first spin landing on the $750 next to Bankrupt, the very next shot shows his flipper on the $600 next to the other Bankrupt) and solving ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR (Phrase) for $6,500 and a grand total of over $28,000. With the $6,500, Murdock buys a humidor with 50 cigars ($150), a solar-powered buffer and a year's supply of Reptile car wax ($250), a waterbed ($1,800), and a two-week trip for two to Hawaii ($4,250) with the remaining $50 on a gift certificate. Pat then mentions that Murdock will return in two weeks to play a Super Challenge Match (later referred to as "Championship Playoffs") for prizes beginning at $12,000.

The episode wraps by returning to Wheel for a Bonus Round with Murdock, playing for a new Mazda truck. With the category of Place and choices of TSLCDE, he solves SOUTH AMERICA just ahead of the buzzer.

Notably, this Wheel appearance is one of only two known instances with then-announcer Jack Clark (the other being the 227 episode above) and the only known time the shopping element is actually used despite the turntable appearing several other times; "Frisco Disco" plays while Jack describes Murdoch's prizes, and the puzzle board uses its reversed chase light sequence.

Finally, as far as is known, the show never actually held a Super Challenge Match, although the All-Star Dream Machine (1976) would probably be the closest. Pat's comments suggest that the Bonus Round was temporarily dropped for the weeks leading up to the Super Challenge Match.

Gimme A Break!
"The Big Apple" (aired February 16, 1984) begins with Nell Harper (Nell Carter) and Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (Telma Hopkins) discussing Wheel, then going on a "Friends Day" edition of the daytime show. With $7,600, Nell mis-solves the Quotation puzzle GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH, but Addy solves correctly for $2,400; the remainder of the episode involves a trip to New York which Addy purchases.

The set still uses the white light-up trees, while the Wheel layout has $1,000 along with $1,500 and $2,000. The concept of friends playing on Wheel would later become (Teen) Best Friends Week.

The King of Queens
"Inner Tube" (aired February 26, 2001) had among its dream sequences a brief bit of Wheel with Arthur ($666), Carrie ($3,500), and Doug ($1). Pat and Vanna appeared as themselves.

L.A. Law
"Vowel Play" (aired November 29, 1990) is the only known example involving a host that is not Pat or a parody of him; instead, the subplot involves Bob Goen, Vanna, and Charlie O'Donnell (his only known appearance of this type).

Following the "previously on..." recap, a daytime Wheel episode begins complete with "From Television City in Hollywood" opening spiel. Round 1 (Phrase) is played with the Round 4 Wheel layout, and continues until Douglas Brackman Jr. (Alan Rachins) solves BALD IS BEAUTIFUL. The L.A. Law opening begins right afterward, and Vanna appears a few more times as part of the subplot.

A camera shot is used of the players applauding in front of the spinning Wheel, despite the fact that it had already stopped its automation. The shot was adopted on the actual show upon its return to NBC in January 1991, with the logo dropped from that shot by Teen Week in February (resulting in an exact match to the one seen in L.A. Law).

Lexus
A 2008 series of commercials for one of the car company's then-new line of hybrid models showed various places the letter "H" vacated in favor of the car models' tags. One of these was Wheel, using the then-current set and a puzzle of _APPY BIRT_DAY. Neither Pat nor Vanna are present, their positions blocked from view by a staffer and another contestant, respectively.

The concept, however, falls flat due to the contestant (Andrea) trying to solve immediately after spinning, a move which is against the rules and would hence merit the buzzer that plays afterward. Strangely, unlike other appearances that used the top dollar value, the space landed on is not $5,000 but rather the nearby blue $600.

Santa Barbara
An episode aired May 12,﻿ 1988 had Gina Lockbridge (Robin Mattson) solving the rather appropriate bonus puzzle BLACKMAIL (Thing, having chosen BKLNRI) just ahead of the buzzer, winning a grand total of $55,700. Her husband, shortly after hugging Vanna, gets pinched by Gina's earring.

(It is not certain which version this was intended to be, partly since the Wheel is not seen clearly; the fact that both Santa Barbara and Wheel were on NBC at the time points to the daytime show, but the lack of a stated prize and no shots of center stage {plus Robin's total} suggest the nighttime show and a $25,000 win. No announcer speaks or is shown, which may suggest it having been done after Jack Clark became too ill to continue working.)

Ten at 10:00
A promo made during the 2005-06 season for CBS-58 (WDJT)'s newscast, with a contestant solving the puzzle FIRST ALERT WEATHER in the category Ten at 10:00. Pat and Vanna appeared as themselves, and the 1997 "Changing Keys" plays throughout.

Other WDJT promos during the same timeframe involved Family Feud, Jeopardy!, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?