User:Daniel Benfield/Nighttime Video Archive/Seasons 8-11

These were cluttering up the main subpage, so they had to be moved; none really had enough for a page on their own, and I know Season 12 will need its own sub-subpage (GSN aired the thing at least three times over), so this sub-subpage contains Seasons 8-11.

Season 8 (1990-91)
The road-show diamond backdrops become permanent at home base, and the floor is now black (daytime retains the chevron backdrops and white floor). The Wheel's lights are brighter, and the bottom layer flashes clockwise in sync with the others (it previously went counterclockwise). The new backdrops also result in an outgoing/returning champ's total being flashed onscreen like the post-Bonus Round total. Further, the rule for picking up prizes or the Free Spin is altered to require a correct letter first.

Sometime between September 11 and January, the W-H-E-E-L envelope holder gets a thick golden ring around it. Sometime between September 11 and April 16, Prize wedges begin to stay on the Wheel past the round they're introduced in (reversing a change introduced somewhere around October 1987).

The chevrons behind Pat get some lights sometime between April 16 and May 14.

New Categories: Clue in October, Title/Author at...some point.

1990


 * September 10, 1990 (#S-1371: Gemini/Julia/Mark {alternate copy})
 * September 11, 1990 (#S-1372: Dede/Don/Gemini {alternate copy})

1991


 * January 1991 (Tricia Gist fills in {Wednesday or Thursday}: Ken/Shelly/Patti, with the gold-ringed W-H-E-E-L envelope holder)
 * April 16, 1991 (#S-1516: Stella/Bill/Scott)
 * Spring? 1991 (Carla/Bob/Winston; comes between the April 16 and May 14 changes)
 * May 14, 1991 (#S-1536/College Week, Day 2: Becky/Andrea/Vince)

Season 9 (1991-92)
The contestant's Bonus Round letter choices become blue, and the blue Wheel wedges become teal.

New Categories: Foreign Word(s) and Foreign Phrase.

Road Shows: Disneyland in Anaheim (September 2-6; the regular puzzle board is used instead of the travel one), the Arie Crown Theatre in Chicago (September 30-October 11), and Disney/MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (October 28-November 22, April 27-May 22).

1991


 * September 3, 1991 (#S-1562/Teen Week from Disneyland, Day 2: Gary/Jason/Jimmie {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * September 6, 1991 (#S-1565/Teen Week from Disneyland, Finale {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * September 20, 1991 (#S-1575)
 * October 4, 1991 (#S-1585)
 * October 28, 1991 (#S-1601/Wheel Around the World, Day 1)
 * October 29, 1991 (#S-1602/Wheel Around the World, Day 2)
 * October 30, 1991 (#S-1603/Wheel Around the World, Day 3)
 * October 31, 1991 (#S-1604/Wheel Around the World, Day 4)
 * November 15, 1991 (#S-1615/Wheel Around the World, Day 15)

1992


 * April 27, 1992 (#S-1721/Walt Disney World, Day 1)
 * May 6, 1992 (#S-1728/Walt Disney World, Day 8)
 * May 7, 1992 (#S-1729/Walt Disney World, Day 9)
 * May 8, 1992 (#S-1730/Walt Disney World, Day 10)
 * May 18, 1992 (#S-1736/Walt Disney World, Day 16)
 * June 3, 1992 (#S-1748)
 * June 5, 1992 (#S-1750)

Season 10 (1992-93)
Many cosmetic changes: the fourth version of "Changing Keys" (the closing segment alternates between this and the 1989 version), the "dancing wedges" opening, the "burst" contestant backdrops (the diamond ones are retained for road shows), the "clear block" towers behind the Bonus Round prizes and contestants, and the High Rollers chimes for Clue, Where Are We?, and Fill In the Blank.

Further, some Quotation and "decade" categories (as well as the occasional "regular" categories) are followed by questions asked by Charlie for a $1,000 bonus. These are preceded by a set of low-pitched beeps and are only for the contestant who solves the puzzle.

September 21 debuts a new, sturdier W-H-E-E-L podium with lights that flash if the Bonus Round is won, and light-up red letters which turn off when an envelope is selected at the sound of a chime (low-pitched at home base, high-pitched on road shows).

The "Foreign" categories remain until about a month into the season, following the "category from Hell" incident with MAZEL TOV. Surprise debuts on October 5, although its first week uses a narrow, plain Helvetica-ish font.

The category chyron/prize value/credits/etc. font changes to Gill Sans on January 4, although road shows retain the Helvetica style until late Season 12. The first Red Letter Sweepstakes occurs February 8-26, which features a Red Letter puzzle in Round 3 that viewers at home unscramble.

New Categories: The "decade" categories, Fill in the Blank (displayed as Blank), and Where Are We? at some point, Slang on September 7, Artist/Song on April 26.

Road Shows: Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California (November 2-6/23-27); Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (November 9-20); Wang Center in Boston, Massachusetts (May 10-21).

1992


 * September 7, 1992 (Season Premiere)
 * September 10, 1992
 * September 14, 1992
 * September 15, 1992
 * September 17, 1992
 * September 23, 1992
 * September 24, 1992
 * October 14, 1992
 * November 1992 (San Francisco Week, Day ?)
 * November 10, 1992 (Philadelphia Week, Day 2)
 * November 20, 1992 ("My Favorite Teacher" I, Finale)
 * November 1992 (Soap Opera College Challenge from San Francisco, Day ?)
 * December 9, 1992
 * December 17, 1992
 * December 25, 1992 (Family Week, Finale)
 * December 28, 1992 (Wheel Into the New Year, Day 1)
 * December 29, 1992 (Wheel Into the New Year, Day 2)

1993


 * February 12, 1993 (Red Letter Sweepstakes, Day 5)
 * February 26, 1993 (Red Letter Sweepstakes, Finale)
 * March 5, 1993
 * April 2, 1993
 * April 9, 1993 (Teen Week, Finale)
 * May 1993 (Sports Stars Week)
 * May 25, 1993

Season 11 (1993-94)
The opening is slightly altered to remove the "10th Anniversary" graphic and add a closed-captioning bug in the bottom-right corner. The Red-Letter Puzzles debut by November 12, while the "three question marks" Fill In the Blank debuts around January.

February 7-18 are the Gold Letter Sweepstakes. Also, the week of May 2 is the only instance of the 1989 "Changing Keys" opening theme since the end of Season 9.

Road Shows: James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida (February 21-March 4); Disney/MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (December 20-24, April 4-22, May 2-6/16-20).

1993


 * September 21, 1993 (Sam/Lou/Jon)
 * October 4, 1993 (Susie/Amy/Rod, begins during chant)
 * October 5, 1993 (Rod/Jim/Belinda, with commercials)
 * November 12, 1993 (#S-2000: Stephen/Chanelle/Darryle)
 * December 24, 1993 (Family Week, Finale)

1994


 * March 11, 1994 (Bob/Dan/Robin)
 * March 14, 1994 (Deborah/Bob/Tony)
 * April 22, 1994 (Walt Disney World II, Finale: Gloria/Chris/Donna)
 * May 3, 1994 (Music Stars, Day 2: Gladys Knight/Tammy Wynette/"Weird Al" Yankovic) {alternate copy...thing}
 * May 6, 1994 (Music Stars, Finale: Lee Greenwood/James Brown & Little Richard/"Weird Al" Yankovic; Marilyn Horne appears)