Gameplay elements

Over time, Wheel of Fortune has introduced and occasionally retired various gameplay elements.

Current Elements
The current round structure is as follows: Until shopping was removed from nighttime in October 1987, commercial breaks could (and frequently did) occur mid-round.

½ Car

A special ½ Car Wedge was initially used only for the week of April 11, 2011. Similarly to the $10,000 and Million-Dollar Wedges, it had a one-third-sized "Car" space surrounded by one-third-sized $500 wedges, and a license plate-shaped "car" tag on top. Hitting the "car" space in the middle awarded the tag plus $500 per consonant; solving the puzzle allowed the contestant to keep the tag, and getting two awarded a Hyundai Accent. The ½ Car Wedges were in play from Rounds 1-3, and located over the orange $300 space and blue $500 next to the red $900. If a tag was landed on, a car horn sounded.

The original "Car" tags were unique in that they were not lost to Bankrupts hit in subsequent rounds (but were lost to Bankrupts hit in the same round). Also, if one was claimed, it was replaced with another in the next round. During the week that these were in play, only one of the tags was ever claimed and several variables involving the tags were not explored.

Another unique property of the ½ Car Wedge was that it affected two other spaces on the Wheel for aesthetic purposes: the red $900 wedge became blue until Round 4, and the Wild Card moved to the pink $900. These changes were reverted for the rest of Season 28.

Beginning on September 26, 2011, the ½ Car pieces were changed to "½ Kia" license plate-shaped tags featuring the logo of said manufacturer and offering a $15,000 Kia Soul. One is still over the blue $500, but the other has moved one wedge counterclockwise to the green $500 (changed from $700), also resulting in Wild Card's permanent relocation to the pink $900. Also, the tags are now lost to Bankrupts in subsequent rounds. When a tag is picked up, a large graphic of a tag appears on the contestant's scoreboard before shrinking to fit under their score. Beginning on September 28, collecting a tag also awards $500 per consonant.

From October 24-28 and 31 (the first episodes taped in Season 29), the tags said "½ Car" in blue, similarly to the first ones, and offered a $14,999 Ford Fiesta plus $500 per consonant. The Kia tags returned on November 1. December 5 did not have any tags, since it was a sixth episode from the season premiere week.

If a car is won in Rounds 1 or 2, no more tags are made available for later rounds.

 Bankrupt 

Introduced on August 28, 1974 (the Edd Byrnes pilots), Bankrupt is a black wedge on the Wheel that takes away the player's score for that round when landing on it (score from previous rounds is not affected). Early in its life, the wedge had white outlines; these were removed by June 7, 1976. There was originally one Bankrupt on the Wheel in Round 1 and two for each round thereafter, but since the beginning of Season 27 both Bankrupts are present throughout the game.

The wedge's symbolic slide whistle was added sometime between June 7, 1976 and April 6, 1978 (one recollection claims it was added in 1977), and changed to the current sound on July 17, 1989. Strangely, starting in the late 1980s, the slide whistle sound was not heard if the host hit it on the Final Spin.

For a brief period beginning on September 16, 1996, the second Bankrupt was "off model", using the Clarendon font with all letters the same size. This was fixed by October 2.

The single-round record for Bankrupt hits is believed to be six, occurring on March 27, 1979 and October 4, 2011 (both in Round 2).

 Cash Wedges 

Wedges with a dollar amount on them, and essentially the "meat" of the show. A correct letter call credits that amount multiplied by how many times the called letter is in the puzzle.

The minimum amount was $25 when the show debuted ($0 in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot), which was quickly increased to $100 in 1975 followed by $150 (1985-96), $250 (1996-99), and $300 (1999-). $50 was the minimum on the 1974 pilots and from July-September 1989 on daytime.

On the daytime show, the top dollar amounts were originally $500/$750/$1,000 in Rounds 1-3 respectively; by June 7, 1976 this was altered to $500/$1,000/$1,500. This configuration remained until some point between June 1 and December 4, 1979, when it was altered for the remainder of the original NBC run to $750/$1,000/$2,000; when it moved to CBS in 1989, the amounts were lowered to $500 (Rounds 1-2)/$1,000 (Round 3)/$1,250 (Round 4+).

Nighttime top values are $2,500 ($750 on the premiere, $1,000 from the end of 1983 until 2000) in Round 1, $3,500 in Rounds 2 and 3 ($1,000 in Round 2 and $5,000 in Round 3 and beyond until 1987; $2,500 in Round 2 and $3,500 in Round 3 from 1987-2000), and $5,000 in Round 4+.

Between 1987 and about 1990, if time permitted, some games played Rounds 3 and 4 in the same segment (both with $3,500 as the top dollar value) and introduced $5,000 in Round 5. Conversely, some road shows in the mid-1990s played only one round in the first segment, with Round 2 (in its own segment) introducing $3,500, Round 3 introducing $5,000, and no second Wheel prize. This pacing was also used on 1990s episodes during and preceding sweepstakes, to allocate time for Pat to explain them. It also led to two games in September 1997 where, due to time constraints, $3,500 was top dollar for both Rounds 2 and 3; one of these games also had Round 3 begin as a Speed-Up.

During the Cash and Splash/Cruise and Cash Splash Sweepstakes in Season 7, Round 2 had both $2,500 and $3,500 (although only $3,500 was shown on-camera when Pat announced the two spaces being on the Wheel in said round). The former was on the purple $150 near Lose A Turn.

 Free Play 

Introduced in Season 27, replacing the yellow $400 between Lose A Turn and Bankrupt. If a contestant calls a wrong letter or makes an incorrect guess while on the wedge, s/he may continue their turn. Players can also call a vowel without cost. Correct consonants on the Free Play are worth $500 each, and contribute $500 to the Jackpot in Round 1.

 Gift Tag 

Introduced on March 20, 2000, the Gift Tag offers $1,000 towards a company's products. Originally located on the red $900, it moved to the red $800 in Season 20 and again to the green $700 in Season 21. A second one was added on the pink $300 in Season 22. For the last few weeks of Season 23, a third was added on the yellow $400 near Lose A Turn (where Free Play is now). While this was removed at the start of Season 24, the debut of the Wild Card over $700 on October 23, 2006 caused the Gift Tag formerly over that space to move back to the same yellow $400. That Gift Tag was removed only one week later, leaving only the one over the pink $300.

Most often, they are ovals with the company's logo on a white background, although some have had unique shapes.

 Jackpot Round/Wedge 

Introduced on September 16, 1996, the Jackpot is a cash prize which starts at $5,000 and has the value of each successive spin added to it. An onscreen display throughout the round shows how much is in the Jackpot. To claim it, the contestant must land on the wedge, call a right letter, and solve – all within the same turn. The first Jackpot win was on September 26, 1996, at the base value of $5,000.

The wedge was originally over the orange $300, moving to the green $500 in 1999 and to the red $300 in 2008. Initially, the Jackpot was in Round 3. It also moved to Round 2 on the weeks of May 1 and 8, 2000, a change that became official at the beginning of Season 18. In Season 27, it moved again to Round 1.

From September 4, 1997 until the retirement of the "Friday Finals" format, the Jackpot started at $10,000 on Friday Finals episodes. From Season 24 onward, letters called on the wedge are worth $500 each plus $500 towards the Jackpot; previously, they had no value.

The Jackpot wedge has had ten distinct appearances over its lifetime, more than any other, with the first lasting barely three months; the ninth design can be seen at Sony Studios' Wheel Hall of Fame. A similar Jackpot prize was used from 1986-88 on daytime, which is mentioned under "Retired Elements".

 Lose A Turn 

Present since the 1973 pilot Shopper's Bazaar, Lose A Turn simply makes the contestant lose his or her turn, but unlike Bankrupt does not remove money or prizes. Originally, a second wedge was added in Round 3; this was removed by June 7, 1976.

The wedge was originally yellow with white outlines around the lettering and the space itself. By June 7, 1976 the outlines were removed, and on September 16, 1996 the wedge adopted its current appearance (a very light shade of yellow, nearly white). Around January 2003, the wedge changed to its current Clarendon font.

 Million-Dollar Wedge 

Introduced on September 8, 2008, the Million-Dollar Wedge is a special wedge which offers a chance at $1,000,000 in the Bonus Round; it has a shiny, green, one-peg-wide "ONE MILLION" in the middle, with one-peg-wide Bankrupts on either side, and it is located over the orange $800. The contestant must hit the wedge, call a correct letter, and solve that round's puzzle without losing it to Bankrupt. If s/he then wins the game without hitting Bankrupt, the $100,000 envelope is removed from the Bonus Wheel and replaced with a $1,000,000 envelope.

Since its inception, the $1,000,000 bonus envelope has only been hit once; on October 14, 2008, contestant Michelle Loewenstein won it by solving the bonus puzzle LEAKY FAUCET. A disclaimer in the credits of the episode states that those who win the $1,000,000 may have it paid in installments over 20 years ($50,000 per year) or take a lump sum of $660,000.

Several contestants have been only one or two pegs away from the $1,000,000 envelope, and one in July 2009 lost the wedge to a Bankrupt, then lost $100,000 in the Bonus Round.

Mystery Round/Wedges

"The Mystery Round: it's all or nothing!"

Introduced in Season 20, the Mystery Round offers a chance at an extra prize in the main game. A pair of Mystery Wedges are placed on the Wheel in Round 2. Both are valued at $1,000 ($500 until Season 22), and offer the choice of taking their face value or forfeiting it for a chance at the prize. One wedge has the prize on the reverse, and the other has a Bankrupt. If either wedge is flipped over, the other can only be played at face value for the rest of the round. When one is landed on, a tinkle effect and chord are heard.

The prize was often a compact car when the round debuted, or a prize valued in the $10,000 range. Starting in Season 24, the prize was often $10,000 cash. Since October 3, 2005, it has almost always been that, except for October 19 and 20 (taped prior to the change), and at least one week where it was a $10,000 credit card from Capital One. Also since October 3, 2005, a graphic effect shows home viewers what is on the reverse of a wedge if it is landed on.

The Mystery Wedges have had five designs, although they have always included a question mark in a circle above the dollar amount. The wedges were originally black with a blue circle, a color scheme which was reversed in Season 22. In Season 23, the circles were changed from black to red and the font was darkened. In Season 24, the font became slightly lighter and the digits got a sparkling outline. In Season 26, the wedges became indigo and the outlines were removed.

The Mystery Wedges were originally located over the green $500 (between $300 and $800) and the orange-yellow (changed to blue in Season 24) $500 between $900 and $300. In Season 26, the latter was moved to the blue $300 next to Lose A Turn and the green $500 became a second blue $500.

The Mystery Round was in Round 3 until October 17, 2011, when it moved to Round 2. However, the weeks of October 24 and December 26, plus December 5-8, still had it in Round 3 due to being taped out of order.

 Prize Puzzle 

Introduced on September 11, 2003, the Prize Puzzle offers an extra prize to the contestant who solves the puzzle. They originally occurred randomly throughout the week, but began occurring daily in Season 23.

On March 15, 2004, the show debuted the Wheel Watchers Club, which allows home viewers a chance at winning the prize as well. After each Prize Puzzle, a SPIN ID is drawn, and if a home viewer sees their ID on the show, they have 24 hours to verify it on the show's website. When seen on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the SPIN ID graphic is covered by a red box reading "Open to US residents only".

Spin IDs had two other "regular" purposes: from September 12, 2005 through mid-2009, they were used if a contestant won a car in the Bonus Round, and from April 23, 2007 through September 16, 2011, winners who had an active Sony Card received $50,000 as well. Occasionally, SPIN IDs have been used as parts of home viewer sweepstakes.

Until Season 28, a Prize Puzzle could occur in any of the first three rounds; from Season 28 to October 14, 2011, it could occur in Round 2 or 3. Starting the week of October 17, 2011 (excluding the weeks of October 24 and December 26), they are now limited to Round 3. It is not known why this change was made, but it may have been to lessen the chance of a contestant building an early runaway lead.

Barring only two known instances (a home entertainment package on December 24, 2003 and a $5,000 HomeGoods shopping spree on January 28, 2010), the Prize Puzzle always offers a trip. This has led to fans often criticizing the puzzles for being overly specific or contrived (two extreme examples being WHERE DO I PICK UP MY SKI-LIFT TICKETS? on November 22, 2011 and EXPERIENCE LIFE IN THE CARIBBEAN on December 16), giving it the nickname "Trip Puzzle". It appears that Wheel is aware of the former, as graphics for the Prize Puzzle had the words "Prize Puzzle" on a globe (Seasons 25-26; "Prize!" in Season 26) or navigational compass (Season 29).

Prize Wedge

The concept of a Prize wedge was first tried on the hour-long episodes in late 1975 and January 1976. Unlike the current ones, these were claimed immediately upon being hit and apparently did not require solving the puzzle to be won. Also, if a contestant lost it to Bankrupt, it was apparently placed back on the Wheel immediately.

Prize wedges were introduced permanently on the first nighttime episode in September 1983, and on daytime in July 1989. Like all other winnings, they are held if the contestant solves that round's puzzle without hitting Bankrupt. Initially, a contestant who hit a Prize wedge claimed it automatically upon hitting it, then called a letter for the dollar value underneath. The current rule, where the contestant has to call a right letter before claiming the wedge, was introduced on both versions in September 1990.

From the retirement of Shopping until the late 1990s, Wheel prizes were introduced in Rounds 2 and 4, obviously unless Round 4 began as a Speed-Up. From 1992-96, in the event that neither the Surprise (see below) nor Round 2 prize were claimed by Round 4, the Round 4 prize was placed on the blue $200. In Season 14, perhaps due to increasing time constraints, the second one was moved to Round 3 but only present if the Surprise was claimed by then. For a short time after the retirement of the Surprise wedge, the second Wheel prize was fully reinstated for Round 3, but it was retired again in January 2002. From then until June 2005, it was in Round 2, and moved to its current position of Round 1 in September 2005.

While Bob Goen was host, the daytime show generally introduced a new prize starting in Round 2; each time a prize was claimed, it was replaced with a new prize, up to two. This often presented the scenario of having three prizes up for grabs by Round 4. Upon the show's return to NBC, there would still be up to three prizes, but the first one was introduced in Round 1. Also from that point onward, the prize's value would flash on a chyron if it was picked up, something which was never done on nighttime.

Until the late 1990s, Prize wedges often offered a variety of prizes, including some rather esoteric choices such as an autographed engraving of Florence Nightingale or even $500 cash (pictured above). Since around 2000, it is extremely rare for the prize to be something other than a trip or cash prize provided by a sponsor.

The current Prize wedge is on $350, also the position of the Round 2 prize from at least the mid-1990s onward. If the Prize wedge is red, it typically moves to another wedge to prevent it from being adjacent to the red $800. Since late 2011, the wedge is removed before Round 3.

From 1983-96, Prize wedges were lime green with black text. For Season 14, they were greenish-brown with dark green text in the Clarendon font (and had sparkles through September 13). Since September 1997, they have featured artwork representing the prize in question.

 Speed-Up 

Present since the earliest days, the Speed-Up round is used when time is running short.

During a Speed-Up, the host gives the Wheel a Final Spin to determine the cash amount of each consonant called (plus $1,000 since October 1999), and vowels are free. Originally in the shopping era, a shopping round always followed the Speed-Up. At some point between December 18 and 28, 1981, this was changed to play for a gift certificate if the round began as a Speed-Up.

Control begins with the player who was in control at the time that the Speed-Up bells ring, although the value spun is (since at least March 15, 1978) determined by the red contestant's arrow. Each player calls one letter at a time, going in order from the viewer's left to right. After calling a letter, the contestant has three seconds (reduced from five on April 13, 1998) in which to solve the puzzle. Since around 2000, every game ends in a Speed-Up, most likely to allow for a better chance at a comeback by a trailing contestant and to bring a definite "end" to gameplay.

Initially, if the host hit something other than a cash amount on the Final Spin, it was left in and he spun again; this led to an oddity in May 1990 where Pat's Final Spin hit Bankrupt three times before his fourth attempt landed on $5,000. The practice of editing out "bad" Final Spins began on February 24, 1997, and edits can usually be spotted by looking at the Wheel's position just before the close-up shot. From February 24, 1997 through the end of Season 26, the second Bankrupt and any remaining cardboard was removed should a round start as a Speed-Up.

Originally, clacking and chalkboard taps were frequently heard during Speed-Up rounds. These were from the Used Letter Board, as letters were discarded and scores changed. The letter cards were hinged and flipped back to mark those which had been picked. By July 17, 1989, the chalkboard had been replaced by a dry-erase board (and in the 2000s by a monitor).

 Toss-Ups 

The Toss-Up rounds were introduced with the Season 18 premiere on September 4, 2000. For that season only, there were two: one before the interviews, to determine who starts Round 1, and one before Round 4 to determine who starts that round. Both Toss-Ups were valued at $1,000, and the round was not split-screened; home viewers saw only the puzzle board.

In Season 19, a third Toss-Up was added, with the values set at $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000. The $1,000 is essentially a "warm-up" for the contestants, determining who is interviewed first. The $2,000 Toss-Up determines who starts Round 1, and the $3,000 one (still before Round 4) determines who starts that round.

During a Toss-Up round, the puzzle answer is revealed one letter at a time. Contestants are given buzzers similar to those on Jeopardy! and may ring in when they think they know the answer. When a contestant rings in, the "right letter" ding is heard. Giving an incorrect guess "locks out" that player for the rest of the Toss-Up.

On rare occasions, Toss-Up rounds are unsolved, at which point the last letter reveals and the "time's up" buzzer from the Bonus Round sounds. Most frequently, unsolved Toss-Ups stem from a contestant giving a wrong answer with most of the puzzle revealed, leaving little to no time for anyone else to ring in. However, there are several cases where two or even all three contestants rang in with wrong answers, and at least one where nobody rang in at all. If the $1,000 Toss-Up goes unsolved, the player in the red position is interviewed first; if the $2,000 one is not solved, the red player starts Round 1; and if the $3,000 one is not solved, the player who started Round 1 also starts Round 4.

Wild Card

Introduced on October 23, 2006, the Wild Card offers an extra letter to be called on a spin for the same amount as the contestant is currently sitting on. Alternatively, it can be taken to the Bonus Round, where it allows for a fourth consonant.

The Wild Card was originally located on the green $700, replacing the second Gift Tag. It moved to the pink $900 in September 2011 (a change previously made for the week of April 11, 2011; see above) and the $700 wedge was reduced to $500.

During its first season, Pat frequently forgot that the Wild Card is lost to Bankrupt, and would often forget to take them back until several turns later; this was most notable in a January 2007 game (Teen Best Friends week) where the contestants kept it into the Bonus Round even though they should not have, but did not solve their bonus puzzle.

Ties
While very rare, ties have occasionally occurred on Wheel.

Daytime (at least 1986-89)

A tie game simply meant that no Bonus Round was played and all three contestants returned the next day. The continuation game did not count towards a champion's three-day limit, leading to an oddity in 1987 where a champion played five games due to two consecutive ties.

Known tie games include November 13, 1986, the aforementioned 1987 episodes, and twice in 1989 during Rolf Benirschke's tenure as host. Benirschke's first tie quickly became infamous, as it resulted in him looking at the camera and admitting that he didn't know what to do.

It is not known how ties were handled prior to November 1986, as no circulating episodes or clips from before that point are known to contain one.

Nighttime (1983-2000)

Tie games on the nighttime show were originally broken by a Speed-Up round between the tied contestants. If a Speed-Up had already occurred, Pat gave the Wheel another Final Spin to determine the value of the tie-breaker round. This was also the procedure for daytime weeks that used the Friday Finals format, and it is believed that Goen-era ties were handled identically.

Known tie games include a show in December 1987 and October 5, 1993. The former had the tie-breaker in its own segment, resulting in the Bonus Round moving to the final segment and Pat signing off immediately afterward, while the latter had the tie-breaker immediately after Round 5 (which was a full Speed-Up) with the rest of the game paced as normal.

Nighttime (2000-)

Since the introduction of Toss-Ups, a fourth Toss-Up (without cash value) is used to determine which contestant proceeds to the Bonus Round. This happened on March 13, 2003 and March 2, 2006.

Retired Elements
$10,000 Prize

Lifespan: November 28, 1994 - June 6, 2008

A one-peg-wide, golden $10,000 design with a one-peg-wide Bankrupt on either side. It was located on an orange $800 from 2001 until its retirement, and before that on the Bankrupt between $500 and $600 (between $750 and $350 from the beginning of Season 14 until the Jackpot Round premiere). Hitting the $10,000 portion gave the contestant a $10,000 cash prize if a correct letter was called, which was treated like a Prize wedge and could not be spent on vowels. The reverse of the wedge was originally blank, but sometime around October 1995 it gained a shiny $10,000 design on the reverse. If claimed, it was placed with the design face-up on the contestant's arrow.

Initially, it was introduced in Round 3 and stayed on the Wheel through subsequent rounds until claimed. In Season 14, it was only in play during Round 2, and it moved back to Round 3 in Season 18. From Season 20 until its retirement, it was only available in Round 1.

For at least one episode in January 1997, the $10,000 was placed upside-down for Round 4 and treated as a dollar amount. This may have been a short-lived "extra" for Friday Finals episodes.

For its last season, the numbers on the reverse were given white outlines. The wedge was replaced by the Million-Dollar Wedge, which functions identically.

25 Wedge

Lifespan: September 10, 2007 - June 6, 2008

A second Wheel prize, located on the purple $550 in Round 2 (Round 1 in its first week of taping). The wedge offered a special prize with a theme of 25 (such as a $2,500 cash prize, $2,500 in gas cards, etc.) and functioned identically to the existing Prize wedges.

Big Money Wedge

Lifespan: September 10, 2007 - June 6, 2008

A special wedge used in the Mystery Round, located on the yellow $400 between $300 and $600 (where Free Play is now). This wedge contained a small screen that alternated randomly among values of $5,000, $7,500, and $25,000 plus Lose A Turn and Bankrupt (which was sometimes displayed with black text on a white background instead of vice-versa). If it was landed on, the wedge was "enhanced" by a graphic effect that highlighted it with a yellow glow. Its cash values were obviously flat rates, though the Wild Card could be used on any of its amounts. If any of its cash amounts were claimed, it functioned as a $1,000 space for the rest of the round.

For the first week of tapings only, its amounts were treated as prizes, but for the rest of the season any money won with it could be spent on vowels. Also for the first week only, the contestant's scoreboard displayed "BIG MONEY" along with the score. The wedge's housing was recycled in Season 26 for the current Jackpot wedge.

 Buy A Vowel 

Lifespan: September 1973 - 1975

A red wedge on the Wheel (two from Round 3 onward) which allowed contestants to purchase a vowel. It is also one of the most enigmatic and uncertain elements in the show's history, with recollections being contradictory on every aspect:


 * Whether or not contestants had the opportunity to buy vowels at their discretion, which if it were the case would make the wedge little more than a forced purchase: Mike Burger, who saw and reviewed the 1974 pilots, stated that players did not have to hit the wedge; the First Edition board game, on the other hand, requires that players land on it to purchase vowels.
 * What it did if the player did not have enough: at least one eyewitness reported an early screenshot of a contestant with a negative score, so it is believed that the $250 was still deducted. Others recall that the wedge resulted in a lost turn if it was hit by a player who did not have $250, which is the case in the First Edition game.
 * What it did if all vowels in the puzzle had been revealed: several claim that it became Lose A Turn, although whether it still deducted $250 is unknown. Strangely, the First Edition game does not address this, apparently thinking it unlikely that the wedge would be hit (at most) six times in a single round.

It is possible that the wedge's rules were altered in its lifespan, which would allow for the contradictions above. Just as contradictory, and far less explainable, is when the wedge was retired, with various accounts claiming it lasted anywhere from the first few episodes up until the end of 1975. The only available hint is Milton-Bradley's two games, where Buy A Vowel is present along with the gift certificates but the two-digit values have been removed; while the July 15 and August 29 shows exist on audio tape, they are not publicly available.

In any event, the wedge was removed by June 7, 1976.

 Cash Wedges 

Lifespan: see below

A variety of cash values have been used by the show, then dropped: $0, $25, $50 and $50♦, $75 and $75♦, $100, $125, $150, $175, $200, $225, $250, $275, $325, $375, $425, $650, $700, $750, $850, $950, $1,250, $1,500, and $2,000.

$0 was used only in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, while $225, $325, $375, and $425 were only used in the 1974 pilots. $25, $50, and $75 were the first three values dropped after the show went to series.

$125, $275, $650, and $850 were removed sometime between June 4 and December 4, 1979, when the top values became $750/$1,000/$2,000. The resulting layouts remained, barring a few moves and increases/decreases, until $175 left in September 1986.

$2,000 was retired when Bob Goen became host of the daytime show (July 17, 1989), with $50, $75, $125, and $175 returning and $1,250 added as top dollar in Round 4. The two-digit values were given diamonds on July 18, but the minimum was re-increased to $100 sometime in September (definitely by the 18th); $100, $125, $175, and $1,250 were retired following the 1991 finale.

September 16, 1996 debuted the show's current single-template layout, removing $150, $200, $750, and $1,500. $250 remained until October 4, 1999.

Wheel 2000 returned 100, 150, 200, 650, 750, and 2,000 to the Wheel as point values, with 2,000 being top value for Round 2. 850 also returned, albeit only for the Bravo Card tour.

$1,000 remained through June 2, 2000, then returned on September 6, 2004 as the increased face value for the Mystery Wedges.

The most recent retired value is $700, used from the 1973 pilot through June 10, 2011. $300 is the only value that has always been on the Wheel.

$950 is a unique example as it was never used on the Wheel itself, even though it appeared on rug and turntable layouts along with the 1989-92 opening animation. Exactly why it has never been used in gameplay is unknown.

Double Play

Lifespan: September 4, 1995 - July 19, 1996

Normally located on the blue $300 (between $400 and $200) in Round 2 where it was introduced, then moved to the pink $200 between $400 and $900 for Rounds 3+, the token could be used before any turn in to double the value of the next spin. If used before hitting a penalty wedge, the penalty had no additional effect, but the Double Play was not returned. It is believed that it would have also been discarded if used before hitting a Prize wedge, Surprise or Free Spin, although there is no record of this happening (although one team during Sweethearts Week in February 1996 used it to double the $10,000 cash prize).

During its first episode, the token was placed over Free Spin's then-normal spot of the purple $200 next to Lose A Turn in Round 2 since Free Spin was claimed in Round 1, then on the tan $200 between $500 and $550 in Rounds 3+. A post-production shot of the latter position occurred during Round 2.

 Free Spin 

Lifespan: September 1973 - July 17, 2009

Also introduced in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, Free Spin was originally a single tan wedge on the Wheel. Hitting it automatically gave the contestant a Free Spin disc, and s/he spun again. A Free Spin could be used at any time after a contestant lost a turn, or saved for later.

The wedge originally had white outlines like the other three special spaces, which was removed by June 7, 1976. Beginning in December 1987 or early 1988, it was kept on the Wheel for Round 1 only and replaced with a yellow $200 in subsequent rounds. This yellow wedge was upgraded to $300 at the start of Season 6 in September 1988; however, during Goen's run, Free Spin continued to be used during Rounds 1-2.

The Free Spin disc was originally tan, with "FREE SPIN" printed horizontally across the center. The more familiar green design, with "SPIN" in the center and "Free" on the top and bottom in yellow script, was introduced on July 17, 1989.

On October 16, 1989, the Free Spin wedge was retired with the yellow wedge being upgraded to $500 ($400 on Goen's version) and taking over for all rounds, and Free Spin reduced to a single disc placed over a random dollar amount. It spent all of Season 13 on the purple $200 next to Lose A Turn, then moved to the green $300 on September 16, 1996, staying there until its retirement. It was most likely changed to a single disc to prevent contestants from gaining unfair advantages by turning in multiple Free Spins, or banking multiple discs that never got used.

Originally, the Free Spin token was claimed like Prize wedges (being immediately removed and a letter called for the value underneath), but this was changed in Season 8 so the disc had to be earned by calling a correct letter; this was reversed in September 2007 to award the Free Spin plus $300 per correct letter, with the disc moving up the wedge (so that it no longer obscured the 3) to make this change more obvious. Also in this timespan, the disc was available in the first three rounds; previously, it was only available in the first two rounds.

 Free Vowel 

Lifespan: September 1973

A singular wedge used only in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot which allowed the player who landed on it to pick a vowel at no cost. The wedge sat between $100 and $250 for the first two rounds ($400 and $350 from Round 3 onward), and across from Your Own Clue (see below).

Free Vowel eventually returned in September 2009 as part of Free Play.

 Jackpot (Daytime) 

Lifespan: September 15, 1986 - September 16, 1988

The daytime Jackpot wedge was used in Round 3 on the red $300 between $200 and $250. Unlike the current Jackpot, this one began at $1,000 and increased by $1,000 every day until won. It was treated identically to a Prize wedge, and the money won with it could not be spent on vowels or in shopping rounds.

The highest known Jackpot was $22,000, awarded on November 27, 1987.

Preview Puzzle

Lifespan: October 4, 1999 - June 2, 2000

"Here's tonight's Preview Puzzle just for you at home. It's a [category]. Can you solve it? Stay tuned for the correct answer."

A short, partially-filled puzzle (complete with category) shown before the intro. While it was shown, Vanna would mention it through the above voiceover; after she and Pat walked out, she then revealed the Preview Puzzle answer. The first one used was TOM CRUISE (Proper Name).

The Preview Puzzle is unique in that it had literally no bearing on the game whatsoever, and was entirely for the home audience. It was most likely an attempt to provide more play-along factors for home viewers, something which has since been done more smoothly and successfully with the Toss-Ups.

Puzzler

Lifespan: June 12/September 21, 1998 - June 2, 2000

Introduced on June 12, 1998 and made permanent on September 21, then used through June 2, 2000, Puzzler was an "extra" puzzle done immediately after any of the first three rounds. The Puzzler answer was related to the puzzle immediately before it, with the category and about half of the letters revealed. The contestant then had 5 seconds to solve it for a cash bonus of $2,000 ($3,000 in Season 17), during which time the Bonus Round beeps played. If the Puzzler was in Round 1, this typically meant that Round 1's answer would be extremely short (usually 6-8 letters), sometimes resulting in the Puzzler being longer than the answer it preceded.

Strangely, the Puzzler was first used on the last show of Season 15, only to disappear for the first two weeks of Season 16. This may suggest that the season finale was taped out of order.

Originally, the Puzzler was indicated by a series of bells, which were removed at some point between October 12 and November 9, 1998.

 Red-Letter Puzzles 

Lifespan: approx. November 12, 1993 - April 1995

Red-Letter Puzzles could occur at any time during the main game, in any category. In these rounds, the puzzle answer had some letters which are red. After the contestant solved the puzzle, s/he was given 5 seconds to unscramble the red letters, which spelled out a short (usually 4-6 letters) word; to make the red letters stand out more, the rest of the letters in the puzzle were turned off. Unscrambling the word awarded $1,000.

The show also held several home viewer sweepstakes with similar puzzles, starting with a Red-Letter Sweepstakes in Season 10 (February 8-22, 1993). In these sweepstakes, home viewers could submit the word spelled out by the red letters for a chance at winning a prize. Later sweepstakes included the Gold Letter Sweepstakes (February 7-18, 1994), with gold letters that spell the last name of an Academy Award winner; the Red White and Blue Sweepstakes (November 7-18, 1994), with red-and-blue letters that spell the last name of a U.S. President; and the Olympic Sweepstakes (May 6-10, 1996), with red-and-blue letters that spell an Olympics-related word.

 Returning Champions 

Lifespan: approx. January 6, 1975 - June 7, 1996

"If you win today, we're gonna retire you as a champ."

Another well-known retired element. When Wheel debuted in 1975, contestants could stay on for up to five days; this was reduced to three days at some point between June 7, 1976 and December 31, 1979. A notable exception is the champion from Benirschke's last show on June 30, 1989, who did not return for Bob Goen's debut on July 17.

The nighttime show originally did not use returning champions, adopting the concept when it moved to Television City in September 1989. The element was replaced from 1996-98 by the Friday Finals, where the three highest-scoring players from Monday-Thursday returned to compete again. The final winner under the old rules (June 7, 1996) returned for her third appearance on September 4, but nothing was said about her returning.

Since 1998, the show has returned to one-and-done for all contestants. Pat Sajak explained on the Sony Rewards website that this change was made because the most skilled players are not always the big winners – a good puzzle solver may end up hitting Bankrupt or Lose A Turn over and over while a lousy solver could stumble into a runaway lead.

In any case, the return to one-and-done has resulted in several contestants leaving with very little to show for their efforts, including several winning scores of less than $10,000 (one of the lowest, if not the low record, being $6,550 on December 13, 2004).

Unlike Jeopardy!, where contestants who appeared on a version other than the Alex Trebek run can appear again, contestants who were on Wheel at any time in its American history are not allowed back. The show's official website specifically mentions Wheel 2000 and the daytime show (name-checking Chuck Woolery, Goen, and Sajak; "or other hosts" presumably covers Benirschke, Alex Trebek, and possibly Byrnes) on its "Show FAQs" page; on the "Contestant FAQs" page, this is covered by the far more generic "Our rule is that you can be on the show only once in a lifetime. There are a lot of people who want to spin the Wheel!"

 Shopping 

Lifespan: August 28, 1974 - October 2, 1987 (nighttime)/June 30, 1989 (daytime)

"Try not to hit that black space, Bankrupt, because if you do, you lose your cash but not your merchandise, because once you buy a prize, it's yours to keep."

"The prices of the prizes were furnished to the contestants prior to the show and have been rounded off to the nearest dollar. Gift certificates do not include sales tax."

Arguably the most famous retired element. After solving a puzzle, a contestant could spend his or her winnings on prizes in a showcase. This element was unofficially retired from nighttime on October 5, 1987 with the Big Month of Cash, an experimental play-for-cash format that seamlessly became permanent, while daytime kept it through June 30, 1989.

Contestants could put money "on account" at any time during a shopping round, which allowed the money to carry over to the next round, but at the risk of being lost to Bankrupt. From about mid-1975 onward, the winnings could also be placed on a gift certificate if a contestant did not have enough money left over to buy another prize (which would almost always be chosen). To ensure that the player would have money to spend, there was a $200 house minimum if a contestant solved with less than that amount banked (although at least one game omitted a shopping round because there were no remaining prizes under $200).

It should also be noted that contestants did not have to spend all of their winnings on prizes; a contestant could choose to put winnings "on account" at any time, even without buying a prize. According to one personal recollection, an early contestant placed all of his winnings on account immediately, and then used the combined total in a late round to buy the most expensive prize.

Probably the most fondly-remembered part of the shopping rounds is the ceramic Dalmatian (typically worth $154), which several contestants purchased. By March 1987 it became the show's mascot, and in the years since has become a semi-cultural icon associated with Wheel – the Retro Week "Shopping" wedge was a picture of the Dalmatian, both Pat and Vanna own one (and have displayed them on occasion), the Wheel Watchers Club released an exclusive bobblehead, one is present at the Sony Studios Wheel Hall of Fame (with original pricetag), and it even appeared on the April 12, 2005 episode of Jeopardy! (with the clue disregarding daytime and Trebek claiming to have six of them). At least on Wheel, as opposed to the manufacturer, the Dalmatian's official name is Sheldon.

A variant was used for the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, although the rules were somewhat complex.

Surprise

Lifespan: October 5, 1992 - June 12, 1998

A special Wheel prize present throughout the entire game. It was located on the peach $200 between $500 and $700 in Rounds 1 and 2 and on the tan $200 between $500 and $550 in Rounds 3 and up. On October 8, 1992 (Season 10) and September 4, 1995 (Season 13); it was seen on the purple $150 in Round 3. In September 1996, it moved to the yellow $400 between $250 and $500 (between $300 and $250 in Season 15 only). It was claimed identically to the other Prize wedges, but the prize was not revealed until after the contestant won it.

For its first week, Surprise used a far thinner, Arial-esque font; both it and the subsequent version used through the end of Season 13 used black text on a pink background.

From Seasons 9-13 the Round 4 prize was placed on the tan $200 if the Surprise was claimed before then; if both the Surprise and Round 2 prize remained, the Round 4 prize was placed on the blue $200. For its last two years, in the event the Surprise was claimed before Round 3, it was replaced by a second Wheel prize.

Surprise was retired at the end of Season 15, and was essentially replaced in September 1998 by a second Wheel prize (which was itself removed in January 2002). During its last season, the wedge was redone for Happy Holidays Week to include a gift box. When claimed and won, the box was opened to reveal a card that read "I've won (name of prize). Tell me about it, Charlie!" which then segued into the prize description.

 Your Own Clue 

Lifespan: September 1973

Used only in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, Your Own Clue was a wedge that activated the rotary phone in front of the contestants. The player who landed on it picked up the phone and received the puzzle's category (Person, Place, or Thing) from announcer Mike Lawrence. If that same player landed on Your Own Clue again, Lawrence gave her a more detailed clue; if another contestant landed on the space for the first time, she started from the first clue.

While Your Own Clue was discarded from the American format after this pilot, the concept became a part of several foreign versions (albeit without the phone).

Bonus Round
The Bonus Round has had several variations over the show's long history.

Shopper's Special

Lifespan: September 1973

Used only on the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, with the bonus puzzle being the name of the prize the contestant was playing for. The winner was shown all vowels in the puzzle, then had 30 seconds to give consonants to fill in the solution.

Hour-Long Episodes

Lifespan: approx. December 1, 1975 - January 16, 1976

While details on the hour-long format are sketchy, it is believed that three contestants competed in the first half-hour and three more in the second half-hour. The two winners then drew a category from a bowl and played a final round, which included a Prize wedge similar to the current one except that it was put back on the Wheel if lost to a Bankrupt. The winner of the final round is believed to have played a Bonus Round identical to the Star Bonus rules, below.

Star Bonus

Lifespan: approx. April 3 - May or June, 1978

A token present in Rounds 1-3 which allowed a trailing contestant to play a special puzzle at the end of the show. The disc was placed over a $100 wedge ($150 in Rounds 2-3), and was not lost if a player hit Bankrupt. Here, the contestant could pick among four different prizes, with the difficulty of the puzzle corresponding to the prize's value (Easy, Medium, Hard, Difficult).

The Star Bonus Round had the player being shown the blank puzzle and choosing four consonants and a vowel, then given the category and 15 seconds to solve (with an onscreen "stopwatch" graphic counting down the time). There are three known instances of the Star Bonus being played: two Difficults and a Medium; one of the Difficult puzzles was played by veteran game show contestant Scott Hostetler, who failed to solve PABLO PICASSO (Person).

Star Bonus was likely retired for several reasons, the most obvious being that there was no guarantee it would be played – if it was not picked up, it was removed to play a fourth round; if it was played, the interviews were considerably cut down to squeeze it in. The prizes designated for the Star Bonus (marked by stars) were also available during normal shopping rounds, which allowed for the possibility of the token being rendered useless. Additionally, it was possible for the day's winner to have the token.

The only known Star Bonus reference in contemporary media, and the only hint to its duration, is on an episode of Match Game taped in May or June (aired June 26): when host Gene Rayburn began to explain about landing in a "gold star area" on the Star Wheel (which debuted that day), panelist Richard Dawson joked that "Chuck Woolery comes out and punches you in the mouth."

Current Bonus Round

Debuted: approx. December 18, 1981

The most familiar Bonus Round has been in place since at least the week of December 14, 1981 (it was called the "Christmas Wish Bonus" during that week, so it is highly likely that it was introduced then). Originally, the contestant was provided a blank puzzle and a category, and asked for five consonants and a vowel. S/he then had 15 seconds to solve. Almost all contestants chose some permutation of R, S, T, L, N and E, as those letters are the most common.

The current rules were introduced on both daytime and nighttime on October 3, 1988: the contestant is given those six letters automatically, then asked for three more consonants and a vowel (plus a fourth consonant if s/he has a Wild Card). The time limit was reduced to 10 seconds, and the puzzles were made slightly harder. It is extremely rare for RSTLNE to comprise half or more of the answer, and there are several known instances between 1992 and 2001 of puzzles that did not use any of those letters.

Originally, contestants could pick any of the remaining prizes in the Bonus Round, which often meant playing for a fairly inexpensive prize such as a cabinet or bed. With the retirement of shopping from nighttime in October 1987, the nighttime Bonus Round began offering five different prizes: $25,000 cash, a car, and three other prizes that changed each week. In Season 6, the show tried two experimental "Wipeout" Weeks, where winning the Bonus Round allowed the contestant to return the next day, but also eliminated the prize that they played for.

As with the Star Bonus, the contestant originally played the bonus puzzle from the contestant area. The current setup was introduced by March 11, 1982.

With the vast majority of nighttime contestants picking the cash, the prize selection on nighttime was changed in Season 7 to a random draw from five envelopes spelling out W-H-E-E-L, and any prize that was won was taken out of rotation for the rest of the week. On Fridays, if only one envelope remained, Pat usually said what the remaining prize was but not open the envelope until the round was over.

While daytime added a $5,000 cash prize on Bob Goen's first episode (July 17, 1989), it still allowed players to choose their prize.

Beginning in September 1998, the $25,000 envelope was kept in play even if won. On September 3, 2001, the envelopes began containing three cars and two $25,000 prizes, all of which remained in play all week.

The envelopes were retired on October 22, 2001, replaced with the current 24-envelope Bonus Wheel. Prize distribution on the Bonus Wheel has changed over time, although there has always been only one $100,000 envelope. Additional cash amounts (from $30,000-$50,000 in $5,000 increments) were added for Big Money Week in February 2002, then made permanent that September.

The Bonus Wheel originally read "WIN $100,000 CASH BONUS"; this was changed in Season 26 to "SPIN & WIN AMERICA'S GAME". $25,000 envelopes remained until Season 28, when they were replaced by additional $30,000 envelopes.

While never stated on-air, the Bonus Wheel must make at least one complete revolution. Spins that do not are edited out.

Wheel 2000
Other than Bankrupt and Lose A Turn (renamed The Creature and Loser respectively), Wheel 2000 used several unique elements.

 Double Up 

A purple wedge with green font which allowed the contestant to try for double the wedge's value, or 1,000 points per correct consonant, by correctly answering a question posed by host David Sidoni. At least two questions were multiple-choice from three answers.

 Physical Games 

Wheel 2000 utilized various stunts over its run, which were played if a contestant landed on one of the three red, double-width 250-point spaces. According to one recollection, there were only two episodes where a physical game was not played. (All games gave the player 60 seconds unless otherwise noted.)


 * Alientoss: The player faced a small 12-square board and threw stuffed aliens at the numbers to try and match shapes, with a letter earned for each shape matched. For the Bravo Card tour, there were four pairs on a nine-square board (possibly according to a theme, such as Halloween with a trick-or-treat bag, a pumpkin, a bat, and a skeleton) with the remaining space taken by Bravo, which acted as a wild card.
 * Call Waiting: The contestant stood behind a semicircular table with five phones on top and had to pick one up; after saying "Who's calling?", s/he had to determine the famous person from the clues they gave. The trick was that all five phones were ringing at nearly the same time, and only rang four times each.
 * Chutes and Letters: The player stood over a 12-wedge wheel (four each of red, yellow, and blue) and had to correctly guess where a ball (rolled by them down a chute) would land.
 * Cube Roll: Unknown; its only known appearance, during Round 2 on the first taped episode, was edited out.
 * Feed the Raptor: Known to have involved a giant raptor head and a sort of "sandbox".
 * Letter Launch: The player stood by a catapult and tried to launch UFOs (placed on the catapult by David) into one of four "pods" extending from a giant rotating cog. While the contestant began with 30 seconds, s/he could add 15 or 30 more by answering two true-or-false questions posed by David.
 * Match It: The player had four colored helmets and three humanoid aliens (the latter's colors revealed to the audience), and had to match the proper helmet to each alien. Upon placing the helmets, a podium lit up with 0-3 lights, denoting how many were correctly placed. (Unlike the other games, all three letters were awarded upon winning; it is assumed that if the player ran out of time, the number of correct placements determined how many letters were earned.)
 * Monster Heads: The player wore rubber gloves, goggles, and an apron; s/he had to reach into a vat of green slime and pick out pieces of heads of several famous people, living or dead.
 * Monster Rally: The player drove an R/C car along a maze-like course with five lines. While the first was the starting point, crossing the second line awarded one letter; the third line awarded a Wheel 2000 hat, the fourth gave a second letter, and crossing the finish line awarded the third letter.
 * Smell-O-Letter: The contestant, wearing a haz-mat helmet with a nozzle, had to smell up to four items (shown to the home audience) and try to name them.
 * Wash and Wear Words: The player put on various hats, shirts, pants, and shoes all showing a letter, and had to guess the four-letter word spelled out by that clothing. As far as is known, the game was always set up to avoid "dirty" words.

After the stunt, all three double-width wedges offered 250 points per correct letter for the rest of the game.

 Prize Box 

Another purple wedge with green font, this one had a large green box facing toward the contestant with the Wheel of Fortune 2000 logo on top. If the player called a correct consonant, s/he got 100 points per appearance and opened the box to get the small prize inside, such as a Game.com. The prize was kept regardless of the game's outcome, and a new prize was added for each round (presumably only if the previous one was won); it was essentially Surprise, which itself used a similar method of reveal for Happy Holidays Week in December 1997, mixed with the 1991 daytime prize structure.

Much later, on December 25, 1998, a Prize wedge had a box on top of it which Pat opened; inside was a CD jewel case with his picture on it, which he gave to the winning contestant before the Bonus Round. (The fact that such a "cheap" item was inside may make it a direct reference to the low-value Prize Box items on Wheel 2000, which had left CBS' schedule about three months earlier.)

 www.Wheel2000.com 

A blue wedge worth 750 points which was named after the website. If a contestant landed on it, Cyber Lucy read the name and hometown of a viewer who had registered on the site; if the player called a correct letter, the home viewer got a Wheel 2000 hat and t-shirt while the contestant got 750 points per consonant.

A new viewer was picked each time the space was hit, regardless of whether the previous viewer won.