FAQ

Given the number of years Wheel of Fortune has been on and the scope of this Wiki, there are some frequently-asked questions about various elements. This page will attempt to answer some of them.

Was the show always called Wheel of Fortune?
The show was originally called Shopper's Bazaar when it was first developed in 1973. The more familiar title appears to have been introduced in early August 1974.

Does the 1973 pilot still exist?
While it's very true that creator Merv Griffin and then-NBC boss Lin Bolen did not like it, it nonetheless exists and can be found online. Interestingly, the show is aware that it is online.

The most likely reason why it never showed up anywhere until 2012 is music rights, as the pilot used instrumental versions of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Spinning Wheel" and the main and commercial outro themes, respectively.

How many versions have there been?
In the United States, three: the original 1975-91 daytime series, the 1983-current nighttime run, and the short-lived 1997-98 spinoff Wheel 2000.

The show has been exported to quite a few countries; info on them can be found here.

What is the biggest one-round record to date?
$54,000, set on February 18, 2005 and tied on October 24 of that year plus February 7, 2007. All three were in the Speed-Up round.

That said, it is not the most money that could have been won. That record is $62,400, accumulated during Round 3 on December 5, 1985.

What is the main-game record to date?
$69,300, set on December 21, 2012.

How many $100,000 winners are there to date?
30, the first being on December 19, 2001. Note that this only counts those who won the $100,000 cash prize in the Bonus Round, rather than exceeding $100,000 otherwise.

Interestingly, two puzzles have each led to a pair of $100,000 wins: BRAINS AND BRAWN on January 24, 2006 and December 16, 2010, BACK IN A FLASH on May 15, 2006 and April 26, 2012.

How many $1,000,000 winners are there to date?
One: Michelle Loewenstein, on October 14, 2008. Her total was $1,026,080.

(As an aside, the largest non-millionaire record is $147,000, set on December 28, 2012 through a $100,000 win.)

How many touch screens does the puzzle board have?
52: 11 on the top and bottom rows, 13 in each of the two middle rows.

How big was the original puzzle board?
39 trilons, spread across three rows.

When was the curtain introduced?
Sometime between January 6 and November 3, 1975. The original curtain had vertical strings of lights, which were removed sometime between June 7, 1976 and January 24, 1977.

Why did some road-show bonus puzzles use the top two lines?
To increase visibility in larger venues.

What was the first letter ever revealed?
S, on the 1973 pilot. It was also the first letter given.

Has anyone ever solved with no letters showing?
At least one: the bonus puzzle BABY BOY on October 22, 1992.

What was the shortest bonus puzzle ever used?
AX, sometime in Season 11.

Have there ever been any puzzles without a vowel?
At least one: the bonus puzzle MYTHS on April 9, 2004.

What is the longest puzzle ever used?
This depends on whether punctuation is considered a "space" on the board.


 * If it is, then the longest is SHE JUST WON A SEVENTH U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP (Who Is It?, the answer being Michelle Kwan) on March 21, 2003, using 47 of the 52 monitors.
 * If it is not, then the longest is HERSHEY BAR GRAHAM CRACKER GOOEY ROASTED MARSHMALLOW (also the only appearance of What Are We Making?, the answer being S'mores) at 46 letters.

Who was the first host?
This depends on whether the 1974 pilots are included. If one goes by the name Wheel of Fortune, then Edd Byrnes was the first host. If only aired episodes count, then Chuck Woolery was the first host; Chuck also hosted the 1973 pilot.

Based on questions asked to audience members by current announcer Jim Thornton, the show itself takes the stance that Chuck was the first host.

Who was the first hostess?
Susan Stafford, who had been a syndicated radio host beginning around 1971. According to Thornton, who sometimes asks this question to audience members at the show's current base of Culver City, nobody has ever been able to give the correct answer.

Who was the first announcer?
Mike Lawrence if one includes the pilots, Charlie O'Donnell otherwise.

If Chuck, Susan, and Charlie were so great, why did they leave?
Charlie left in mid-1980 after then-NBC head Fred Silverman announced the show was to be cancelled on August 1. He signed a commitment to the upcoming Toni Tennille Show shortly before the cancellation was overturned and, under the belief that "a handshake is my word", opted to stay with it.

Chuck left due to a salary dispute with Merv, wanting a raise in his annual pay from $65,000 to $500,000 (in line with what other emcees made) because Wheel was drawing a 44 share. Merv offered $400,000, and NBC agreed to pay the remaining $100,000 until Merv threatened to move the show to CBS. NBC withdrew the offer, and Chuck's last episode aired December 25, 1981.

Susan departed because she wanted to do humanitarian work. She took a trip to India in Summer 1982 and, after seeing the plight many people were in, felt that turning letters for the past seven years was not really a way for a grown woman to live her life. Her last episode aired October 22.

How did Pat Sajak and Vanna White get the roles?
Pat, then a weatherman at KNBC, was noticed by Merv for his quirky and odd sense of humor. However, then-head of NBC Fred Silverman rejected the decision, claiming Sajak was "too local"; Merv opted to cease tapings until Pat was hired, which only happened after Silverman left the network.

Vanna was one of the tryouts to replace Susan, and was chosen due to her chemistry with Pat.

Why did Nancy Jones leave the show in 1995?
Nancy, who produced the show since its 1975 debut and had been the sole producer since April 1976, was dismissed over concerns by Sony that Wheel had become "tired and dated" under her watch.

Has the host ever hit Bankrupt or Lose A Turn on the Final Spin?
Many times, along with Free Play. It only seems like Pat never does because those invalid spins have been edited out since 1997. Pat also hit Prize wedges on occasion, and at least once landed on Surprise.

Back when invalid Final Spins were aired, there was a running gag from 1977 through at least May 1985 where the Bankrupt slide whistle would play if it was hit. Airing bad Final Spins also led to a notable incident on June 14, 1990 where Pat hit Bankrupt three times in a row before landing on $5,000.

What happened if someone used the Double Play and hit a prize or token?
While it never happened, the official rules stated that landing on a Prize wedge, Surprise, or Free Spin gave that player the choice of taking the token back or applying it to their next spin. The sole exception to this was the $10,000 Wedge, which doubled its value.

How many people have tried to solve on Free Play?
Two: November 24, 2010 and May 10, 2012. The first was correct, while the second was not.

Why do they sometimes briefly cut to Pat in the Speed-Up rounds?
To mask an edit of removing three incorrect letters, known as a "null" cycle, from the episode as-aired. In the main rounds, such cycles involve no money or extras being awarded, used, or lost.