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 knew Season 12 would need its own sub-subpage given how much GSN aired the thing, so this sub-subpage contains Seasons 8-11.

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 ©1990-94 Califon Productions/Merv Griffin Entertainment and associated entities.

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 December 25, Prize wedges begin to stay on the Wheel past the round they're introduced in (reversing a change introduced around October 1987). Sometime between September 11 and January, the W-H-E-E-L envelope holder gets a thick golden ring around it.

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

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

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

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 {alternate copy})

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).

Repeat Weeks: December 30-January 3, April 20-24.

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: Monica/Jason/Martel {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * October 4, 1991 (#S-1585/Chicago Week, Day 5)
 * October 28, 1991 (#S-1601/Wheel Around the World, Day 1 {alternate copy})
 * 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


 * Early 1992 (Jim/Glenn/Bennett, "contest" version)
 * April 27, 1992 (#S-1721/Walt Disney World, Day 1)
 * May 6, 1992 (#S-1728/Walt Disney World, Day 8 {alternate copy})
 * May 7, 1992 (#S-1729/Walt Disney World, Day 9 {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * May 8, 1992 (#S-1730/Walt Disney World, Day 10 {alternate copy by the original uploader})
 * May 18, 1992 (#S-1736/Walt Disney World, Day 16 {Alternate copies: #1, by the original uploader, #2, YouTube})
 * June 3, 1992 (#S-1748 {alternate copy})
 * 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). At the same time, the center Wheel rug gets a golden border.

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 the end of Season 12.

February 8-26 are the first Red-Letter Sweepstakes, which features a Red-Letter Puzzle in Round 3 that viewers at home unscramble.

Sony now owns Merv Griffin Enterprises, which changes the closing spiel to "Merv Griffin Enterprises produces...Wheel of Fortune!" with the King World logo getting its own music. On April 1, the Enterprises logo becomes a gold griffin statue in front of the cloudy background used by Columbia Pictures Television, Tri-Star Television, and Columbia Tri-Star Television, with the "Merv Griffin Enterprises" text and "Sony Pictures Entertainment Company" byline in the same Bank Gothic MD font as the aforementioned logos.

GSN repeats of these shows edit out any sweepstakes references, and the King World logo is replaced by the Columbia-TriStar Television logo, complete with Charlie's "Columbia-TriStar Television!"

New Categories: Where Are We? at...some point, Slang on September 7, the "decade" categories by October 26, Fill in the Blank (displayed as "Blank") by December 25, Artist/Song on April 26.

Retired Categories: Foreign Word(s)/Phrase, around September 14 (the MAZEL TOV/"category from Hell" incident). I doubt they made it to October.

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).

Repeat Weeks: January 4-8 (most likely), April 12-16.

1992


 * September 7, 1992 (#S-1756/Season Premiere)
 * September 10, 1992 (#S-1759)
 * September 14, 1992 (#S-1761 {alternate copy})
 * September 15, 1992 (#S-1762 {closing credits from original broadcast})
 * September 17, 1992 (#S-1764)
 * September 18, 1992 (#S-1765)
 * September 23, 1992 (#S-1768)
 * September 24, 1992 (#S-1769)
 * October 2, 1992 (#S-1775)
 * October 5, 1992 (#S-1776: Rob/Jennifer/Chris)
 * October 8, 1992 (#S-1778 {alternate copy})
 * October 14, 1992 (#S-1783)
 * October 26, 1992 (#S-1791)
 * November 2, 1992 (#S-1796/San Francisco Week, Day 1)
 * November 10, 1992 (#S-1802/Philadelphia Week, Day 2)
 * November 20, 1992 (#S-1810/"My Favorite Teacher" Week, Finale {alternate copy dated "November 27"})
 * November 23-27, 1992 (Soap Opera College Challenge, Day ?: Fiona Hutchison {Guiding Light}/Lauralee Bell {The Young and the Restless}/Chico)
 * November 23-27, 1992 (Soap Opera College Challenge, Day ?: Jason/Scott Reeves {The Young and the Restless}/Frank Dicopoulos {Guiding Light})
 * December 9, 1992 (#S-1823 {alternate copy})
 * December 17, 1992 (#S-1829)
 * December 25, 1992 (#S-1825/Family Week, Finale {alternate copy})
 * December 28, 1992 (#S-1826/Wheel Into the New Year, Day 1)
 * December 29, 1992 (#S-1827/Wheel Into the New Year, Day 2)

1993


 * February 12, 1993 (#S-1870/Red Letter Sweepstakes, Day 5)
 * February 26, 1993 (#S-1880/Red Letter Sweepstakes, Finale)
 * March 5, 1993 (#S-1885)
 * April 2, 1993 (#S-1905)
 * April 6, 1993 (#S-1907/Teen Week, Day 2: Courtney/Natalie/Angie; uses the Helvetica font throughout, and the 1992 theme in credits)
 * April 9, 1993 (#S-1910/Teen Week, Finale; uses the Gill Sans font throughout, and the 1989 theme in credits)
 * May 3-7, 1993 (Sports Stars Week, Day ?)
 * May 21, 1993 (#S-1933/College Week, Finale)
 * May 25, 1993 (#S-1937)

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 (the question marks are usually already revealed as the category is revealed). February 7-18 is the Gold Letter Sweepstakes.

For this season, the 1989 "Changing Keys" opens and closes every road show except Family Week (which uses Mannheim Steamroller's rendition of "Deck the Halls" in the opening and the 1992 "Changing Keys" in the credits) and Music Stars Week (which uses the opening version of the 1989 theme for the only time since the end of Season 9).

Weekend repeats of this season only feature Charlie's voice as he says the "Created by Merv Griffin" credit (which is heard in full credit rolls once the aforementioned credit appears on screen), before seguing into the Columbia-TriStar Television and King World spiels.

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

Repeat Weeks: December 27-31, March 28-April 1.

1993


 * September 21, 1993 (#S-1962: Sam/Lou/Jon)
 * October 4, 1993 (#S-1971: Susie/Amy/Rod, begins during chant)
 * October 5, 1993 (#S-1972: Rod/Jim/Belinda, only the second known nighttime tie; has commercials)
 * November 12, 1993 (#S-2000: Stephen/Chanelle/Darryle {alternate copy})
 * December 24, 1993 (#S-2030/Family Week, Finale: David & Albertha/Chuck & Bridget/Kitty & Mariann {alternate copy})

1994


 * March 11, 1994 (#S-2080: Bob/Dan/Robin)
 * March 14, 1994 (#S-2081: Deborah/Bob/Tony)
 * April 22, 1994 (#S-2105/Walt Disney World, Finale: Gloria/Chris/Donna)
 * May 3, 1994 (#S-2112/Music Stars, Day 2: Gladys Knight/Tammy Wynette/"Weird Al" Yankovic {alternate copy...thing})
 * May 6, 1994 (#S-2115/Music Stars, Finale: Lee Greenwood/James Brown & Little Richard/"Weird Al" Yankovic; Marilyn Horne appears)