User:Daniel Benfield/Nighttime Video Archive

Suggested by TPH, I began this page by focusing on Seasons 1-6 due to A) the preservation of my sanity and B) the lack of returning champions during that period. Since then, Guint and John (and myself) have added episodes from afterward; while this "front page" remains focused on Seasons 1-6, videos of the current season are at the very bottom.

The timeline is here, daytime videos here, and international videos here.

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 ©1983-2014 Califon Productions/Merv Griffin Entertainment and associated entities.

AND ANOTHER THING: All opinions on this page and its subpages are my own (see my name above the door?), and as per the rules of the MOS I'm doing it within my userspace. Mind you, the fact you're seeing this means you're here for a reason, so please don't let my thoughts sour you in any way.

Season 1 (1983-84)
September 19, 1983 - June 29, 1984

Distinguishable primarily by the first iteration of "Changing Keys" and the squared-off contestant backdrops. At least the premiere (Jeff/Leslie/Linda), Kathy/Janet/Barry, Cyn/Susan/Steve, and Laura/Lisa/Glenn have $750 as the top value in Round 1, which becomes $1,000 most likely after the first week of taping.

The original Merv Griffin Productions logo is replaced on November 28 by an animated one, whose griffin becomes static (along with a larger picture and smaller font) in February...although the logo changes appearance until about the April tapings. Also, the King World logo originally uses a blocky font, which changes (most likely on November 28) to a rounder font over the spinning Round 1 layout.

The trees behind Pat change from green to brown in late September or early October, then to light-up white ones by October 31 (no, seriously; contemporaneous daytime episodes are a big help :). Shortly after tapings begin, the outlines of the money graphic and subsequent logo become white, resulting in a brighter/cleaner appearance.

"Walls" replace the trees in February and remain until late 1986, although the trees still show up and the walls' decorations/foliage still help in dating. The Wheel flippers may become longer and thinner sometime between September 22 and October 31, but that could just be me going by some less-than-optimal video quality.

Summer repeats for this and the next few seasons can usually be determined by a sudden cut to another screen just after the fee plugs to show the replacement fee sponsors.

Road Shows: Ohio State Fair in Columbus (August 29-September 2).

Repeat Weeks: December 26-30, April 23-27.

GSN Repeat Dates: December 1, 1994-October 2?, 1998 (part of a rotation with Seasons 5 and 10).

1983


 * September? 1983 (WPVI promo of three puzzles being solved: BLOWING HOT AND COLD, SEND IN THE CLOWNS, and the bonus puzzle KENNY ROGERS {apparently from the first or second week WPVI aired})
 * September 19, 1983 (#S-001/Premiere: Jeff/Leslie/Linda {taped 7/6/83}; taped from GSN's first day {prefaced by a history dossier by Peter Tomarken}, begins slightly into chant, ends shortly after fee plugs {alternate copies from 8/18/07: full episode, uploaded by Jeff's son; montage including slate, courtesy of Wink Martindale himself!})
 * [Has the puzzle board's original chase light sequence (counterclockwise on the left, clockwise on the right).]

White-outline money graphic/logo


 * September 21, 1983 (#S-003: Kathy/Janet/Barry, with $500 cash as the Wheel Prize {displayed as a dollar sign} and explanations of the Final Spin and bonus prizes; taped from GSN on what I presume is December 3, 1994, with one commercial)

Top value in R1 becomes $1,000


 * September-October 1983 (Lou/Cindy/Karen, with a three-minute voiceover by Jack Clark; begins after Jack's first opening line, Round 1 prize plugs and several other brief portions missing, no last segment)
 * [Has the original chase light sequence.]

Brown-leaf trees


 * September-October 1983 (Bob/Pearl/Carmen, with the original chase light sequence {apparently the first aired for WPVI, on 9/12/83}; repeat broadcast, video is a bit bright {alternate copy})


 * September-October 1983 (Ed/Dawn/Ellen {taped 9/83}, with the original chase light sequence; taped from GSN {alternate copy, followed by the first 1:22 of the Michael/Penny/Ron Jeopardy! episode from 6/85})
 * September-October 1983 (Dan/Gloria/Ola {taped 9/83}; taped from GSN, jumpy video)
 * [Same week as above.]

Light-up white trees


 * October-November 1983 (Rick/Joan/Cecelia; no last segment, and region-locked in at least the United States {alternate copy})
 * [Has the original chase light sequence and really small Prize wedge letters.]


 * December 1983 ("11 Alive" promo with Bonus Round winners from September-October 1983 {with the brown-leaf trees, one being Bob/Pearl/Carmen; alternate copy, taped from KOMO in 1984})
 * December 6, 1983 (WLS promo {by ABC's Ernie Anderson!} with clips from various episodes, including Theresa/Patti/Scott {with the $60,000 Rolls-Royce win} and a security guard opening a briefcase of money in front of the curtain {a very out-of-place clip I've never seen before} {alternate copy, dated 2/11/84})

1984


 * January 1984 (Lloyd/Linda/Debbie, with Jack ad-libbing {"And now, here's your litterer: Pat Sajak!"} and Vanna White spinning the Wheel at the end; repeat from 8/84, begins just after opening chant)
 * [Has the original chase light sequence. Also has no white outlines on the money graphic (which is green!) or subsequent logo.]


 * January-February 1984 (Thelma/Sam/Lisa, with the curtain screwing up, more ad-libbing from Jack {"And now he's parked, here's your host: Pat Sajak!"}, a reference to WPVI; repeat from 6/84, audio lags about 2-3 seconds behind video after Round 2 puzzle is shown {gets considerably better after Segment 2, though})
 * [Probably from a station that debuted Wheel prior to 9/19/83. Has the reversed chase light sequence (clockwise on the left, counterclockwise on the right).]
 * January-February 1984 (Tom/Cindi/Velma; repeat from Summer '84, with commercials)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * January-February 1984 (Fern/Darlene/Michael, with Mark Corwin credited as director and a good example of how one spin can literally make a difference {taped 1/84}; taped from GSN)

"Walls" replace trees, "static" Griffin logo


 * February? 1984 (WCBS promo, with some clips from the first few months or so)
 * February 15, 1984 (KCOP promo for the show's debut on that channel beginning March 5, with some clips from about the first half of the season bookended by shots of Pat and Vanna in front of the walls)
 * February-September 1984 (WCBS promo, with clips from two different episodes during this period)
 * Spring? 1984 (KCOP promo with a lot of clips from early in the season {before the walls were introduced}, bookended by shots of Pat in front of the walls)


 * February-April 1984 (Teresa/Mark/Gladys, with a full credit roll; repeat from 7/84, occasional video problems but still watchable)
 * [Has the animated Griffin logo.]
 * February-April 1984 (Frances/Elaine/Duane; repeat from 8/84 with a Ticket Plug {didn't see that coming}, begins just before "Fortune!" in opening chant)
 * [Has the animated Griffin logo.]


 * April 1984 (Virginia/Bob/Norma {taped 2/14/84}; has commercials, no last segment {alternate copy: #1a, #1b, and #1c, by the original uploader, although part 1b is region-locked})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. One promo is for the 1984 Olympic Games.]
 * April-May 1984 (Mark/Carol/Debi {taped 4/84}; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence, but no white outlines on the money graphic or subsequent logo.]


 * August 1984 (KMBC promo with clips from early in the season {before the walls were introduced}, including the "EARTH BIRD" mis-solve {alternate copy, same station})

Season 2 (1984-85)
September 10, 1984 - June 21, 1985

Distinguishable primarily by "Merv Griffin Productions" becoming "Merv Griffin Enterprises" (with a completely-static logo and a Peignot font that makes it easily distinguishable) and the King World logo adopting its familiar "star" motif (now over the Round 3 layout). Sometime between November 23 and January 17, the overhead Wheel shot for the King World logo is dropped; by about April, it becomes light blue and returns to its September-November 1983 position/use.

After at least the first week (September 10-14), the 1984 "Changing Keys" debuts; after at least another ten episodes, and definitely sometime in October, the second sunburst backdrops debut.

Sometime between the beginning of October and November 23, the $150 next to $1,000 in Round 2 decreases to $100; sometime between then and early December, the green $1,000 gets a wider font (most noticeably the $ and first 0).

At this point, the wide-font $5,000 is used at least twice (both after the wide-font $1,000 debuts) and leaves by early December; my best guess is that the wide-font wedges debuted on the same day, with $5,000 back to normal after at least two shows. The Winter decorations return again in early December and leave in late January or early February.

In early December, Round 1 adds $700 and $800; the aforementioned $100 is upped to $600; and the red $200 near Bankrupt in Rounds 2+ becomes a yellow $500. By the 19th (which is very clearly decorated for Christmas), Round 1 adds $900 and the aforementioned yellow $500 moves to the red $300 next to Bankrupt.

Episodes through about mid-January have the monospaced font (for the category displays and wardrobe plugs), no animated Wheel logo, and no Helvetica; there were at least eleven episodes in January before the changes.

Following this, the opening logo (over the Wheel) is altered to fill in the transparent wedges. At least four episodes aired during this period, in which the animated logo wasn't quite certain of itself. Just after the Helvetica chyrons get their shadow effect, the regular animated logo debuts (minus one glitchy instance in February or March).

The Helvetica chyrons are altered by February 8, with at least 12 episodes using them, and again by March 29; the regular $1,000 returns sometime between May 2 (or 13) and the June 21 season finale.

In late January or early February, after the Winter decorations are removed but before the second Helvetica chyrons debut, the eligibility display, wardrobe plugs, and full credit roll change from white to blue. Oddly, though, there's at least three episodes post-Winter that have the shadowed chyrons and two Winter ones with the second chyrons.

On matters that are a little less confusing, Summer/weekend repeats now cut to a shot of a set piece (usually a portion of the "wall" decorations) in blurred close-up for the replacement sponsor list. I'm reasonably sure this changed when the walls were ousted in October-November 1986.

(Massive thanks to Greg Brobeck and his huge Season 2 collection for noticing the stuff regarding "Changing Keys", the sunburst backdrops, and logo/category graphics {I remembered reading somewhere that the season began taping before the music/sunburst changes were made}. Further thanks to WREYtube for the airdate of E.R./Casey/Stacey, which provided and remains an extremely-helpful "anchor" for the 1984 part of the season.)

(Problem: things only got more confusing.)

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

GSN Repeat Dates: October 5, 1998-July 2, 1999 (one near-complete cycle, despite being exactly 39 weeks, due to some pre-emptions for special programming).

1984


 * September 1984 (Bob/Ali/Debbie; taped from GSN, somewhat-crackly audio)
 * September 1984 (Kersteen/Cinders {Cynthia}/Jack, with a full credit roll {credits only})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * September 1984 (Anita/Paula/Wayne, with the first known use of Fictional Characters; taped from GSN)
 * [Apparently, these three episodes are from the same week.]

Second "Changing Keys"


 * September 1984 (Bill/Brilla/Teddy; taped from GSN, with the reversed chase light sequence)
 * September 1984 (Larry/Diane/Howard, with a full credit roll and quite a few technical oddities; taped from GSN, begins at "Fortune!" in opening chant)
 * [Same week as below. Has the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters.]
 * September 1984 (Charmaine/Debbie/Janice, with Pat eerily foreshadowing all the crappy themed weeks at the beginning of Round 2 {"It's Apostrophe Week on Wheel of Fortune."}; taped from GSN with commercials, ends during eligibility disclaimer {replaced by a very brief clip of The Joker's Wild})


 * September 1984 (Debbie/Suzanne/Dan; taped from GSN with commercials, ends during eligibility disclaimer)
 * September 1984 (Michelle/Emil/Linda, with a goof from Pat in Round 4; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]

Second sunburst backdrops


 * October-November 1984 (Dave/Joan/Kathy; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters.]
 * October-November 1984 (Father Rob/Betty/Marla, with a camera appearing on-camera after Round 2; taped from GSN {alternate copy})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]


 * October-November 1984 (Janice/Faye/Marvin; taped from GSN {alternate copy})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * October-November 1984 (Shirley/Dewey/Bonnie, with "once you buy a Sea Monkey it's yours to keep" and Pat stopping Dewey before the first spin of Round 2 so he can read the "People does not always mean Proper Names." disclaimer; taped from GSN)
 * October-November 1984 (Michael/Sandy/Karen; taped from GSN, begins just before "Of!" in opening chant)

$150 in R2 (next to $1,000) becomes $100


 * November 23, 1984 (#S-250: E.R. {Elizabeth Renae}/Casey/Stacey, with one of my favorite contestants :); taped from GSN {alternate copies of intro through Vanna's entrance and full last segment, taped from WTVJ with commercials})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]

Wide-font $1,000 and $5,000 wedges debut


 * November-December 1984 (Sharon/DeeDee/Brent, with a full credit roll; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence and smaller Prize wedge letters.]
 * November-December 1984 (Laura/Bob/Rochelle, with a "MINI CAR" wedge in the style of Free Spin and the wardrobe plugs done over the spinning Round 1 layout for...some reason; taped from GSN)

Normal $5,000 returns


 * November 22?, 1984 (#S-249?: Nancy/Al/Nicki; ends after Bonus Round segment)


 * November-December 1984 (Jeannette/Tim/Colleen; taped from GSN {alternate copy})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence and smaller Prize wedge letters.]
 * November-December 1984 (James/Gale/Sharon, with the CLEVELAND OHIO Speed-Up solve that made it onto the show's highlight reels; taped from GSN)

$700/$800 in R1, $100 next to $1,000 in R2 becomes $600, $200 next to Lose A Turn in R2+ becomes $500, Winter decorations added


 * Early December 1984 (Ken/Kathy/Bruce, with a couple of very rare events; taped from GSN with a voiceover promo for the new season of Extreme Gong "beginning June 1"...but then that would put this around April-May 1999 and...)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]

Yellow $500 in R2+ moved to red $300 next to Bankrupt


 * Early December 1984 (Reiko/Ralph/Conrad, with a full credit roll where Mark Corwin is director and Dick Carson isn't listed; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * [Money graphic and subsequent logo are white!]

$900 added in R1


 * December 19, 1984 (#S-268: Kathe/Esther/Dennis, with wreaths and bows on-set; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * December 24-25?, 1984 (John/Larry/Peggy, with some Christmas-themed puzzles; taped from GSN, video problems throughout {especially during the intro, but it's all very watchable}, ends during 15-second timer in Bonus Round {but the answer's pretty obvious})

1985


 * January 1985 (Mike/Renita/Laura; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Was listed as December 25, 1984 on the timeline at one point.]
 * January 1985 (Rita/Lynn/Jonas, with $800 on $750 in Round 1; taped from GSN, begins at "-une!" in opening chant, start of Bonus Round segment missing {begins during Jack's description}, ends during Griffin announcement)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * January 1985 (Judy/Jim/Kathy, with $800 on $750 in Round 1; taped from GSN)


 * January 17, 1985 (#S-284: Cynthia/John/Susie; taped from WLKY with most commercials, bunch of missing bits {begins shortly before Pat introduces Vanna, audio drops out at times beginning just before the Round 3 prize plugs, nearly everything between Rounds 2 and 3 is missing} but has more commercials after the show, followed by most of an ABC Thursday Night Movie intro before changing channels to The Cosby Show {briefly} and several seconds of Magnum P.I. {alternate copy, same source but no commercials or post-show clips})
 * [Has the original chase light sequence. The commercials, specifically one after the show, put this no later than the 21st; the Thursday Night Movie intro narrows it down to between the 3rd and 17th, but Wheel aired repeats the week of December 31 and the sponsor list indicates this wasn't a repeat. The movie, starring Ann-Margret and Frederic Forrest, was an encore of the 1983 TV movie Who Will Love My Children?. TV Tango says ABC showed an encore of The Thorn Birds Part 4 on the 10th and this on the 17th, so...]

Animated logo debuts, opening logo's transparent wedges become white, first Helvetica chyrons (no shadows)/Bonus Round totals/credits


 * January 1985 (Steve/Christina/Debra; taped from GSN {alternate copy})
 * [Has the green/yellow animated logo, the original chase light sequence, and the shorter Prize wedge letters.]

First Helvetica chyrons get shadows


 * January 1985 (Judy/Tim/Iris, with Pat playing with Vanna's dress sleeve {it makes sense in context} and a subsequent camera shot that became the norm much later; taped from GSN with four commercials {including a "Wheel of Fortune Bonus Game" promo}, ends during fee plugs)
 * [Has the green/yellow animated logo and no Prize value chyron.]
 * January 1985 (Peg/Renee/Doc, with a Bonus Round win ruled as a loss{?!}; tail end of Bonus Round only)
 * [Has the red/green/yellow animated logo.]

Near-complete regular animated logo debuts (blue parts are opaque)


 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Milt/Fran/Stuart, with a huge chunk of money put on account, a full credit roll, and one of my favorite contestants :); taped from GSN in 1999, begins during Jack's opening spiel {"-hundred dollar ruby and diamond bracelet"})
 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Joyce/Nancy/Mark; taped from GSN)
 * [Has no Prize value chyron.]
 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Stacey/John/Kim, with someone other than Vanna modeling a prize!; taped from GSN {alternate copy})

Regular animated logo, Winter decorations removed, eligibility disclaimers/wardrobe plugs/full credit rolls change from white to blue
 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Mary/Dick/Chris; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * Late January-Early February 1985 (Steve/Kelli/Jim, with Pat skipping the entire rules spiel {"$1,000...you know the rules, let's get on with it."} and a full credit roll; taped from GSN on 3/31/99 {with a voiceover promo for the Burt Luddin's Love Buffet debut "tomorrow night"}, first part of Round 4 missing {begins during Final Spin})

Second Helvetica chyrons (white around bottoms of letters)


 * February-March 1985 (Hal/Chris/Rita; taped from GSN, audio/video seriously out of sync for the first four minutes {slightly off for the rest}, no last segment)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters.]
 * February-March 1985 (Denise/Gloria/Ron; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * February-March 1985 (Ann/Derek/Jerry, with a full credit roll; taped from GSN)
 * February-March 1985 (Carol/Susan/Beverly; taped from GSN, begins just before money graphic)
 * February-March 1985 (Mary/Dan/Marianne; taped from GSN, begins during opening chant {"-une!"})

Third Helvetica chyrons (white all around each letter)


 * March 1985 (Susan/Beth/Ted; original? broadcast, taped from some Channel 4 {alternate copy, same source})


 * February-June 1985 (Jerry/Joan {pronounced "Joanne"}/Elaine, with a player who has "three children, one of each"; taped from GSN in 1999, rough video {especially at beginning; alternate copies: #1; #2})
 * [Uncertain chase light sequence.]
 * February-June 1985 (Deborah/Cheryl/Robin; taped from GSN, begins just before Jack's opening spiel)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * February-June 1985 (Kim/Brad/Carla; taped from GSN, albeit with no logos present! {alternate copy, same source})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * February-June 1985 (Kathy Jo/Tom/Beth; taped from GSN {alternate copy})


 * February-June 1985 (Ron/Margot/Elaine; WTVJ repeat from 9/27/86 with commercials, intro {ends just before first player interview} and tail end of Bonus Round through credits only)
 * [Uncertain chase light sequence, blue King World logo.]


 * February-June 1985 (Jo Ann/Rusti/Fritz; taped from GSN, ends during Enterprises logo {"Wheel of Fortune is produced by..."})
 * February-June 1985 (Shannon/Larry/Meryl; taped from GSN, ends during Vanna's wardrobe credit)
 * February-June 1985 (Tony/Bob/Kathy; taped from GSN, ends during the decidedly-less-bold-than-usual eligibility disclaimer {replaced by a brief Match Game clip from 2/75 with Avery Schrieber, Brett Somers, Gary Burghoff, Trish Stewart, Richard Dawson, and Patti Deutsch})


 * April 1985 (Lu Ann/Rich/Sharon; original broadcast!, begins during Round 2, "ghosts" in picture)
 * [Credits are blue; King World logo is blue and near the bottom of the screen.]


 * May 1, 1985 (T.G.I.4 {KRON series} behind-the-scenes report; the Wheel set has no Winter decorations, while the Wheel has $700, $800, $900, and the wide-font $1,000)
 * [Co-host Jan Rasmusson notes that KRON shows Wheel "morning and evening and Saturdays", indicating that the weekend feed is present here rather than in September '86 as was officially claimed.]
 * May 2, 1985 (#S-354: Diane/Linda/Ronda, with a goofier-than-usual Pat; taped from GSN, small cuts here and there, nothing too big {alternate copies: alternate copy})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Airdate comes from a press photo and newspaper article stamp-dated "April 12 1986" about Ronda, which mentions her show having aired "last May 2".]


 * May 7, 1985 (Promo with the 1983 "Changing Keys" and four puzzles: THE NEW YORK TIMES, PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, and COME AND GET IT)
 * May 13, 1985? (#S-361?: Gina/Cindy/Mike; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Airdate comes from a press photo and newspaper blurb stamp-dated "May 13 1985" that mentions Mike's episode airing "tonight"; it may not be right (it's definitely February-June in any case), but it's the best we've got.]

Regular green $1,000 returns


 * May-June 1985 (Lori/Peggy/David; taped from GSN)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence and shorter Prize wedge letters.]

Season 3 (1985-86)
September 9, 1985 - June 20, 1986

Distinguishable primarily by the green $1,000 becoming yellow, the nearby $800 becoming orange, and the Griffin logo using pacific-blue font instead of the previous silver. Likely at the beginning of the season, and definitely by the first week of December, the walls appear to change to a more "curtain-like" style; said walls are given blinking lights sometime between December 6 and February 11, which remain until the walls are replaced shortly into Season 4.

Charlie O'Donnell fills in from October 21-November 1.

Repeat Weeks: December 30-January 3, March 31-April 4.

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

1985


 * Late 1985? (WCHS promo for a Friday episode, showing a partial Bonus Round)
 * December 5, 1985 (#S-454: Nikki/Tony/Terry; the THRILL OF VICTORY episode; repeat broadcast {alternate copies, same source: full show; Round 3 only; the wrong call itself})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence, but no Winter decorations or lights.]

Lights added to walls


 * December 1985-June 1986 (Faye/Joe/Mary; end of intro through most of contestant interviews, plus clips of Round 2 and I think Round 4)

1986


 * Early 1986 (KPRC promo with a fictional contestant and {the debut of?} the two-row logo; parade portions taped 7/6/85)


 * February 1986 (? {girl in dark outfit}/? {male in dark suit and reddish tie}/? {blonde in red}, with a "$149,000" money graphic; taped from WFTV, ends just before player intros)
 * February 1986 (Becki {brunette in red}/? {African-American female in blue}/? {redhead? in light purple}, with a "$154,000" money graphic; taped from WFTV with commercials, intro {ends just before first interview} and tail end of Bonus Round through end of show only)
 * February 1986 (?/? {redhead? female in flowery print}/Linda {purple outfit}, with someone putting $2 "On Account"; taped from WFTV with commercials, end of Round 2? only)
 * February 11, 1986 (#S-497: ? {male}/? {female}/? {female}; taped from WFTV, preceded by the close of that night's Jeopardy! and a few commercials {link is timecoded to skip them}, ends just after Vanna's entrance)
 * [Has the green $1,000 in Round 1.]


 * March 14, 1986 (#S-520: Dick/Diane/Betty; has commercials {alternate copy, no commercials})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * May 5, 1986 (#S-551: Ken/John/Andra, with the AT MY CAT'S END mis-solve {alternate copy... thing, by the original uploader})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Also has the green $1,000 in Round 1 and $100 present in Round 2. I should note that the mis-solve is the only part you'll ever see on blooper specials, and Wheel itself edited the Burbank-era buzzer in to make it seem like the player lost right afterward...even though the moments after said mis-solve are way more notable.]


 * May 1986 (KRON promo with another fictional contestant who recounts how she got where she is...although really, she didn't need to go on Wheel to be hit on)

Season 4 (1986-87)
September 8, 1986 - June 19, 1987

Distinguishable primarily by the new Wheel colors (notably the pink $1,000 in Round 1), third sunburst backdrops (introduced sometime between mid-October and November 13), and aqua-blue King World logo (which remains through the end of Season 6).

Sometime between November 13 and December 22, the Griffin logo changes to add "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company"; around Spring, the text "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED" is added below the copyright stamp. Sometime between mid-October and November 13, the walls introduced in February 1984 are removed.

Oddly, $900 is removed from Round 1 and the spin order there is altered, going from $900-$250-$400-LAT to $250-$400-$200-LAT. Sometime this season, the $200 between $500 and $550 in Rounds 2+ temporarily becomes $900 while the peach $900 temporarily becomes lime green.

The "Wheel of Misfortune" episode of 227 (using the third sunburst backdrops, post-"walls" setup, the red $300 instead of $500 next to Bankrupt and the tan/lime-green $900 wedges) airs October 4; an available copy of its press release has "AUG 26 1986" stamped on it.

Repeat Weeks: December 29-January 2, April 20-24.

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

1986


 * October 13-17, 1986 (Julie/David/Nita; taped from WXIA with commercials, ends during Pat's wardrobe plug {alternate copy, no commercials})
 * [Has the original chase light sequence. One promo mentions October 18.]
 * November 28, 1986 (20/20 report on the show, although despite the airdate the clips are from Charlie's substitution in Season 3; towards the end of the report, Hugh Downs gives a quip from his days as Concentration host)

"A unit of The Coca-Cola Company" added to Enterprises logo


 * November-December 1986 (Kate/Marc/Caryn, with a full credit roll; begins during intro {"-merchandise..."}, average quality)

1987


 * 1987 (WWL promo with a partial "Vanna, Pick Me A Letter" rewrite; mostly contains clips from early this season with one shot of the third sunburst backdrops)
 * 1987 (WCBS promo with no clips, but still really weird {they try for Vanna White and get James Brown; really, guys?} {alternate copy})
 * 1987 (WCBS promo asking "What will Vanna wear tonight?")


 * January 5-7, 1987 (#S-66?: Ann/Valerie/Helen; begins immediately before money graphic, ends a few seconds into fee plugs {alternate copy, no commercials})
 * [Has the original chase light sequence.]
 * January 1987 (KHOU promo with clips from late Season 3 and maybe early Season 4)
 * January 13, 1987 (#S-672: Mary Anne/?/?, with a full credit roll; taped from KHOU, begins at start of sponsor list)


 * February 12, 1987 (#S-694: LeGrande/?/? {taped 1/18/87}; partial Bonus Round only)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. The airdate is given here, and the tapedate is listed here. LeGrande later became an Oprah staffer/producer from 1990-97.]


 * March 30-April 3, 1987 (?/Nancy/Eleanor, with a couple of fun moments during Round 2; Round 2 only, with a very brief shot of a "Toyota Spring Break Event" logo at the end)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * May 1987 (Mark/Barbara/Susan; begins at Round 4, fee plugs missing, ends during Jack's closing spiel {"Wheel of-"})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * June 1987 (Martine/Jim/Gerri; has commercials, begins just before player interviews {alternate copy, no commercials})
 * [Two promos mention Father's Day as upcoming, while a third plugs a car giveaway on the 18th. Griffin logo still has "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company".]

Season 5 (1987-88)
September 14, 1987 - June 24, 1988

Distinguishable primarily by the Big Month/Bonanza of Cash (October 5 through at least February 12); Free Spin is available in Rounds 1-2 until sometime between February 12 and maybe March 23, at which point it's replaced by an off-model $200; sometime between then and April 28, it's upgraded to an off-model $300.

By October 30, the Enterprises logo's background becomes yellow and "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company" changes to "A unit of Coca-Cola TELEVISION". On February 8, the Coca-Cola credit becomes "A unit of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc."

To (most likely) celebrate the switch from shopping to play-for-cash, the stage is adorned with rugs and turntables with mostly-nonexistent Wheel layouts (some strange, some not). Probably on November 2, the "only vowels remain" beeps are halved from eight to four.

Sometime in November, while "continue by popular demand" is used in the open and after both Geri/Chip/Betsy and Norm/Marci/Dean, the tan $600 in Round 1 becomes $900. Also, the $250 and $500 between Lose A Turn and Bankrupt in Round 3 swap positions, the spin order going from $500-$400-$250 to $250-$400-$500.

Sometime afterward, possibly on November 9, the opening is altered to replace "continue by popular demand" with "present". I know Norm/Diane/Linda uses this, along with the below.

"Big Bonanza" is dropped from the opening sometime between February 12 and March 23, with the money graphic returning to the center of the screen sometime between then and mid-April.

Jack leaves on May 6, with Charlie returning for at least the next two weeks. Other than the different-looking fee credits, Summer repeats are distinguishable by the fee plugs being read by Pat and/or Vanna.

Repeat Weeks: December 28-January 1, April 4-8.

GSN Repeat Dates: Early 1996-October 4, 1998 (apparently on weekends).

1987


 * September 1987 (Promo for an "all-new season" with Kool & The Gang doing "I'm A Wheel Watcher"; there's no mention of playing for cash {or even any hint of the switch}, suggesting it's from beforehand – and if so, it's likely the last promo done before some big changes...)
 * September? 1987 (WTHR promo with some clips of the above interspersed with some new ones, notably sans a "new season" graphic)

"Big Month of Cash" begins, "Coca-Cola TELEVISION" replaces "The Coca-Cola Company"


 * October 5, 1987 (#S-796/Big Month of Cash, Day 1: John/Nancy/Peter; taped from GSN on 8/18/07 {alternate copy})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]
 * October 1987 (Big Month of Cash, Day ? {"That's genuine cardboard."}: Rhonda/Patt/Jay, with Pat acting a bit like something's bothering him; taped from GSN)
 * [Not from the same week as above, as there's different prizes onstage.]

"Big Bonanza of Cash" begins, "only vowels remain" beeps shortened from eight to four


 * November 1987 (Norm/Marci/Dean, with...am I hearing this correctly? – a clear loss ruled as a win; montage including intro and end of Round 4? through end of show {no fee plugs, although the sponsor list indicates this is a repeat broadcast})
 * November 10, 1987 (#S-822: Elliot/?/?, with Pat talking to a pair of mannequins on-set and full credit roll {albeit less "full" than usual due to an NBC technicians' strike}; original broadcast!, last segment only)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Don't know which period this fits into, sorry.]

Tan $600 in R1 becomes $900, pink $500 and purple $250 near light-blue $400 in R3 swap positions


 * November 1987 (Deb/Art/Amy, with Pat acting like something's bothering him {taped 10/87}; taped from GSN {alternate copy})

"Present" replaces "continue by popular demand"


 * November 1987 (KJAC promo for the weekend feed {Season 4 based on the clips, possibly the first three weeks of Season 5, although one clip has the 1984-86 walls}, airing on Sundays at...10:30 PM?!}


 * November-December 1987 (Sheila/Greg/Dick, with Pat dropping his pants!; WOKR repeat from 2/18/89, with commercials {alternate copies, no commercials: #1, #2})
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence. Pat does the replacement fee plugs.]
 * December 17, 1987 (#S-849: Eileen/Peggy/Paul; has commercials, ends just before King World logo)
 * [Has the reversed chase light sequence.]


 * December 1987-January? 1988 (Rick/Julie/Gretchen, with the first known nighttime tie {taped 12/87}; taped from GSN)
 * December 1987 (KATU behind-the-scenes report {the main behind-the-scenes clips are definitely from Christmas 1987, as the set is decorated for the holiday and the original $25,000 sign is present}; clips are also shown of Lois Wainer's nighttime appearance from October 1983-February 1984 {the light-up white trees are present}; doubles as a Consumer Close-Up report, part of a series of game show stories and whether they're really scams {they aren't, but still...you have to remember to pay taxes, even if you only win cash!})

1988


 * January 4-February 5, 1988 (Suzie/Jay/Lorie; WEWS repeat from 7/20/88 with commercials, begins shortly before Round 4)
 * [Jack does the replacement fee plugs...and he's clearly ill.]


 * January-March 1988 (Marj/Paula/Denia {Part 3, Part 4}, with a "How did that get past the censors?!" moment in Round 4 {taped 1/88}; has brief bits of commercials, begins as Jack says the value of the last item, no last segment)
 * [Has the "squished" Prize wedge lettering.]


 * January 31-February 6, 1988 (Promo for Acme's Wheel scratch-off tickets, with a "Changing Keys" that's similar to...the 1994 version? {interestingly, the overhead logo shot at the beginning has the tan $600})

"Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." replaces "Coca-Cola TELEVISION", off-model $200 debuts in Round 2, "Big Bonanza of Cash" dropped


 * March 24-April, 1988 (Gerri/Maria/Kevin, with the off-model $200 present through the opening spin, a thin-font $3,500, and Vanna getting her dress soaked; 6/28/88 repeat, with a brief Family Feud promo by Rod Roddy{?!})
 * [Pat and Vanna do the replacement fee plugs.]

Off-model $200 becomes off-model $300 (same font)
 * April 28, 1988 (#S-934: Jan/Peter/Phil; taped from WMAR with commercials, news promo voiceover blocks out most of Jack's fee plug voiceovers, ends just before sponsor list {the station's doing, for whatever reason})

Jack leaves


 * May 9-June 24, 1988 (?/?/?, with Charlie announcing and a full credit roll; begins just after fee plugs)
 * [Different week than the below. One YouTube comment claims this is from May due to the season ending May 27, which I doubt because that's the 37th week.]


 * May 16, 1988 (#S-946 {"Here's a block of wood that Vanna White once touched."}: Rosemary/?/?, with Charlie announcing; taped from KCOP with commercials, very end of last main-game segment through beginning of Bonus Round segment and very end of Bonus Round segment through end of show only, followed by the first 1:11 of that night's Jeopardy! {Seniors Tournament I, Day 1: Tom/Louise/Jim})

Season 6 (1988-89)
September 5, 1988 - June 16, 1989

Distinguishable primarily by M. G. Kelly announcing and the more familiar $25,000 sign. $2,500 becomes darker this season, while $3,500 adopts the same font. $5,000 does the same by October 3.

The New York Contest is held from September 5-26, with the winners attending a special set of tapings in October. The 10-second/three-and-a-vowel Bonus Round debuts October 3, and the 1,000th nighttime show (Maureen/Morris/Howard) is that Friday.

M.G. leaves after February 17, with Charlie returning on the 20th.

(Massive thanks to Greg Brobeck and his huge Season 6 collection for sorting out the September-October and May-June episodes. Further thanks to Chuck Donegan for the airdate of Fred/Fran/Betty.)

New Categories: Same Name on September 6, Before & After on February 27.

Road Shows: Radio City Music Hall, New York City (November 14-25; Don Pardo announces).

Repeat Weeks: December 26-30, March 27-31.

GSN Repeat Dates: October 1, 2001-August 22, 2004 (three complete cycles).
 * Probably around June 2003, and definitely by mid-November, the credit crunch promo went from being on the right side to the left.
 * On March 15, 2004, Game Show Network rebranded itself as GSN: The Network For Games, the logo changing from "GAME SHOW" (which it had in some form since about September 1997) to "GSN" (which remained, with minor changes, until about November 2008).

Things To Look For

Various things mentioned in the timeline that haven't been attributed to any specific episode as of yet.

Sometime in September (these could be from a single episode):


 * A Speed-Up puzzle is thrown out for reasons unknown, but due to poor editing the thrown-out puzzle is introduced normally at the top of the round (just as the Final Spin bells sound) with the replacement puzzle seen immediately after Pat's Final Spin. The error is more obvious in that the original puzzle is Phrase and the replacement puzzle is a one-word People.
 * The third known appearance of Quotation in the Bonus Round: TWO IF BY SEA, which is not solved.

Sometime between October 4 and (possibly) February 17:


 * A contestant fills in the bonus puzzle WHAT'S THE CATCH completely.
 * The O in the bonus puzzle POLICE CAR accidentally lights up while Vanna turns the RSTLNE letters, but turns back off.
 * A game with a Place puzzle of SECRET HIDING PLACE, believed to be the first time the category name is also part of the answer. (This could be from any of the above three shows.)
 * A game where every puzzle in the main game is Thing and the Bonus Round is Fictional Character (OLD KING COLE).

Sometime in May:


 * For what is most likely the first time, a contestant calls Z in the Bonus Round. Interestingly, she only does this because she already called the other two consonants in the puzzle (A HIT OR A MISS).

1988


 * August 1988 (Promo for the New York Contest, posted by the male actor of said commercial; features Don Pardo! {alternate copy})


 * September 5, 1988 (#S-976/Season Premiere: Ann/Constance/Jan, with a tribute to Jack; taped from GSN, with commercials {alternate copies: #1, no commercials; #2a and #2b, with commercials})
 * [Alternate copies of Jack Clark tribute: #1, #2, #3.]


 * September 6, 1988 (#S-977: Sharon/Nathalie/Peter, with M.G.'s first nighttime on-camera appearance!; taped from GSN)

"Three-and-a-Vowel" Bonus Round


 * October 4, 1988 (#S-997: Rick/Renee/Chris; taped from GSN {alternate copy... thing})


 * October 11-December, 1988 (Emerald?/Chris/Janice; taped from GSN, partial Round 3 and Bonus Round only {WHICH OLD WITCH and CANADIAN BORDER}, video is accidentally slowed down slightly)


 * October-December 1988 (Shari/Tom/David, with the bonus puzzle THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE and some particularly-short contestants; taped from GSN with commercials, fee plugs missing {alternate copies: #1, no commercials; #2a and #2b, same source as main links})


 * November 2, 1988 (#S-1018: Louanne/Ann/Walt; taped from GSN)

Radio City Music Hall


 * November 12, 1988 (CBS special on the Radio City tapings {Part 2}, recorded prior to them {except the closing segment, taped the day of})
 * November 14, 1988 (#S-1026: Meg/Dave/Matt, with a "$337,000" money graphic; taped from GSN on 8/18/07)
 * November 17, 1988 (#S-1029: Amy/Bill/Mary Lou, with a "$328,000" money graphic; begins at newspaper graphic {alternate copy})


 * November 25, 1988 (#S-1035: Martha/Linda/Willie, with a "$268,000" money graphic {Part 4, Part 5}; taped from GSN in 2004, video freezes at some pretty bad times)

Back to Burbank


 * November 29, 1988 (#S-1037: Pamela/Robin/Chet, with Pat's comments suggesting this is the debut of the Shipboard Party; taped from KTBS with commercials, ends during Pat's wardrobe plug {alternate copies of intro (begins at "-t this studio...") and credits, same source})

1989


 * 1989 (KJAC promo for the weekend feed, with clips from Season 5 {hard to miss the original $25,000 sign...})


 * January 2-February 3, 1989 (Eileen/Irene/Ray {Part 3, Part 4}; taped from GSN)
 * [Same week as below.]
 * January 2-February 3, 1989 (Arnie/Judy/Valerie, with "I was getting ready to tell him about Vanna!"; taped from GSN in early 2004, small portion of Bonus Round cut out {possibly same week as Joy finding a Free Spin on a car seat, as the His-and-Hers signs are Hers-His)

The second Wipeout Week presumably airs February 6-10. It was previously thought to have been 2/13-17, but the below would suggest otherwise.


 * February 16, 1989 (Sandy/Jodie/Vallie, with a fun contestant and a pretty amazing Speed-Up solve; taped from KCCI)

Charlie returns


 * February 20, 1989 (#S-1091: Renee/Carol/Damon {taped 1/89?}, with Marla Gibbs making an appearance; taped from GSN)


 * February 21?-June 16, 1989 (Start of sponsor list through most of the full credit roll; taped from KCCI, tape fuzz throughout but still audible, "Don't be Cruel" special report preview replaces last part of the credits {the station's doing, for whatever reason}
 * [Might be from Family Week, since there's two people onstage with Pat and Vanna.]


 * February-March 1989 (Michelle/Bettye/Andy; montage of Rounds 1-3 and Bonus Round, prefaced by Andy's brother Jeff winning a car in October-December 1986 {third sunburst backdrops, post-"walls" backdrop, late-1984 Griffin logo})


 * February-May 1989 (Karen/?/?; clip of the FANCY THAT Bonus Round where Karen says a word that has to be censored by the Pyramid cuckoo)
 * February-June 1989 (? {female}/Paula/? {male}; clip {possibly whole} of Round 4 or 5, no audio)


 * March-June 1989 (Sallie/Wendy/Cheyney, with a $10,000 savings bond on the Wheel {"Frisco Disco" plays during the description, much like the $500 cash prize in Season 1} and several good quips from Pat {"The Wheel is crammed, jammed, stuffed with stuff..." "And what'll you be worth at maturity?" "And this is Communist Dictator Week on Wheel of Fortune."}; taped from GSN in 2002-03, some speedup occurs during Rounds 4-5)
 * [A graphic promo is for "all-new episodes of Whammy!" and a Lingo promo with footage of Season 1.]
 * March 24, 1989 (Sue/Susan/Vince; has commercials, including one for Spring Air with Vanna!)
 * [Has the bright blue King World logo on a dark blue background, usually seen on other King World shows such as Jeopardy!.]
 * April 18, 1989 (#S-1127: Fred/Fran/Betty, with Pat briefly calling Before & After a new category; taped from WPVI with most commercials, begins at animated logo, no audio until after Pat walks out {and it's pretty low throughout})

NOTE: May 5 is Barbara/Tom/Ed, and Family Week is May 8-12.


 * May 16, 1989 (#S-1147/College Week, Day 2: Kristi/O.J./Gary, with a rare one-word Phrase; has most commercials {jump-cuts from early in a commercial to just before Pat signs off}, begins shortly before interviews, ends just after the fee plugs begin)


 * May 22-June, 1989 (Arlene/Tina/Bill, with a huge win; taped from GSN between June 2003 and March 2004, with a Funny Money promo {alternate copy, same source})
 * June 13, 1989 (#S-1167: Theresa/Pat/Roland; begins at Round 2, preceded by a WDIV promo and brief KNBC weather report with Pat {link is timecoded to skip them}; also includes a plug for the new sweatshirts and T-shirts)

Post-Season 6
Originally created by me for the episodes that contain a bunch of clips (marked as "CLIPFEST"), Guint and John (primarily, but I've also chipped in) started adding episodes from various seasons...but then there started getting to be way too many episodes, so we needed sub-subpages.

Seasons 7-12 (1989-95)
The move to CBS Television City and all the new stuff, the $10,000 Wedge debuts, Megaword stinks up the place for 6½ months, Slang stinks up the place for three years, the rise of Friedman, and other notable events: 7, 8-11, 12.

Seasons 13-18 (1995-2001)
The show moves to its permanent home at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, the Jackpot debuts, the backdrops become randomized, themed weeks appear every single week, the puzzle board is given an (honestly needed) overhaul, the Wheel's automation is discontinued for good as are the multiple templates, the decision that Merv's music is good enough to keep on Jeopardy! but not Wheel, and more: 13, 14, 15-18.

Seasons 19-26 (2001-09)
The Bonus Round kicks out all not-a-car-or-cash prizes (look ma, no variety!) and changes to the Bonus Wheel, the Mystery Wedges debut, "Happy Wheels" temporarily pays lip service to "Changing Keys", and many other things: 19-22, 23-26.

Seasons 27-30 (2009-13)
Far more mis-solves and obviously-bad letter calls than prior seasons, barely-responsive Culver City audiences, nonsensical puzzles (mostly Trip Puzzles), decisions by the staff that give off a general feeling of "We really don't care anymore.", massive(ly-unnecessary) post-production, a half-decent anniversary season, and other stuff: 27, 28, 29, 30.

Season 31 (2013-14)
September 16, 2013 - June 13, 2014

The logo again returns to the traditional style, although the Wheel inside the logo is removed and the words "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" are placed on a Wheel consisting of colored wedges (in orange, purple, green, red, yellow, and blue) with "OF" in the center and the dots on the sides (all inside the Wheel, of course). It somewhat resembles the long-gone overhead logo shot, which I loved, so kudos for reminding me of the 1974 style; opposite-of-kudos for removing the Wheel in the center, though the "classic" traditional logo is still present on the generic set.

The regular intro is actually pretty decent for the first time since Season 28 – the sequence begins at a cityscape with an amusement park (including a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster), with searchlights crisscrossing in the background. As the camera travels, the building lights turn on as Jim says "From the Sony Pictures Studios, it's America's Game...", after which the graphics fade into a CGI Sony Pictures Studios complex, right through the open gates (with a photo of Pat, Vanna, and the two-row logo on both sides). The complex's lights turn on as the camera travels in on a video screen showing the logo in the back. After the chant, the logo zooms in on the "O" in "of" as Jim says "Ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show: Pat Sajak and Vanna White!"

The Wheel is altered again: the purple $550 becomes $500, the Million-Dollar Wedge moves to the pink $500, and the Gift Tag moves from said wedge to the aforementioned purple $500...oh, and the Jackpot is retired because it had an unusually-high season last year and something had to be done after that $1,000,000 win – of course, it wasn't going to be "lower the top prize", although in fairness I think Friedman knows he can't touch said top prize because it'd make the show look cheap. Way too late for that, but hey...

Alternately, if the New York shows were any indication, Harry should actually get insurance for said Million this time. Not having that goes beyond Thunderdome inane and into "Dafuq are you thinking?!" territory.

Still, the Express debuts and it's a pretty good idea (and the complete opposite of "saving money") except for being in Round 3...which is still Trip pin' Puzzle territory, leading to some fans (including myself) noting that an Express win is immediately overshadowed by "ooh look a trip".

$5K Every Day Plus continues from the Summer (minus the Secret Santa shows, for obvious reasons), with the "Plus" being awarded if the winner is an active Sony Card holder – they get $10,000 instead. While I'm pretty sure that's also the opposite of "saving money", they evidently agreed with me because the "Plus" is removed on November 28 (the first show after Secret Santa).

Speaking of getting cheaper, the cash awarded with cars in the Bonus Round is dropped from $5,000 to $3,000 on November 25. Because Friedman has to save money somewhere.

Putting away the snark and negativity...long-time director Mark Corwin dies on July 25 due to cancer, and from what I gather it was a long battle; the two weeks recorded prior to this air September 30-October 4 and October 14-18, as originally scheduled, with the America's Game shows airing November 5 and 7. On September 4, Wheel puts a tribute into that day's repeat, replacing the original ending of May 29; while the tribute is great, I have my suspicions about why it was put into that particular repeat...

Jeopardy! director Kevin McCarthy fills in for the Vegas tapings (see below), with Wheel associate director Bob Cisneros filling in for the next two Culver City tapings and Jeopardy! technical director Robert Ennis Jr. doing the next three Culver City tapings. On November 19, 2013, the show announces that Cisneros is the new permanent director.

...But if they were "searching" for a new director, why stop after three candidates (all in-house) and only two months after the season began airing? I mean, Rich DiPirro isn't doing anything that I'm aware of these days...although given how he tried to be a Goodson person rather than a Fremantle one on The Price Is Right, he'd likely try to be a Griffin person rather than a Friedman one on Wheel...and Harry probably wouldn't like that.

February 24 marks a big change for the website, as the Wheel Watchers Club is no longer a separate site (thus taking out the 25th-Anniversary Moments Page and its Archive). In addition, the 404 page is updated with the same "PAGE NOT FOUND" puzzle, but with the "Spin Again!" category replaced with a "Back to Home" button; the background is changed to match the current set, as is Vanna's appearance (she's no longer standing next to the puzzle board).

The show celebrates its 6,000th nighttime episode with a week-long celebration, full of retro clips and the heartwarming return of "Changing Keys"...except the week comes three weeks after the actual 6,000th show on April 11 (which was acknowledged on said day). Regardless, the montages go N/A-#1,000-"#3,000"-#2,000-"#4,000"...and no, that's not a typo – that's the actual taping order, which also omits #5,000 entirely. The week is also notable for several other events: the upping of the top value from $5,000 to $6,000, the appearance of Buy A Vowel (BAV) moderator Josh Woo, and the appearance of special-needs contestant Trent who warms the internet's hearts and gets Pat to admit on-air for the first time in decades that Megaword (and, during the host chat, Foreign Phrase) sucked. :P

Oh, and that drought between July 2009 and March 2010 where the show went 131 episodes without anybody landing on either Big One ($100,000/Million) in the Bonus Round? Yeah, it got worse this season – between June 2013 and May 2014, we went 182 shows without such a landing. And given known news about Season 32, it seems like things are going to get better solely because the confetti hasn't been fired in so long.

New/Returning Categories: N/A as of yet.

Retired Categories: N/A as of yet.

Road Shows: The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nevada (September 16-27, October 21-25, December 30-January 3, February 10-21).

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

2013


 * September 17, 2013 (#S-5852/Season Premiere from The Venetian, Day 2: Paul/Luis/Melissa, with the CORNO CURRO CABINET missolve that sent most of the general public into RAEG! mode because they {and the media} didn't bother to read the rules {"Paul got screwed! He should sue Wheel! Give him his million bucks!", etc.} and the first "Express ride"; begins during Round 1, middle of Round 2 skipped)
 * September 30, 2013 (#S-5861/Teachers' Week, Day 1: Casandra/Daniel/Navinka; clip of the regular S31 opening, its debut)
 * October 11, 2013 (#S-5870/Southern Hospitality, Finale: Sherri/Jesse/Joy; intro and Round 1, plus a clip of a pointless Mystery Wedge choice due to a record number of consonants {alternate copy of the Mystery Wedge choice, albeit 33 seconds shorter})
 * October 14, 2013 (#S-5871/Weekend Getaways, Day 1: David/Cindy/Patrice, with a huge front game; begins during Round 2)


 * October 16, 2013 (#S-5873/Weekend Getaways, Day 3: Andrew/Susan/Angela)
 * October 24, 2013 (#S-5879/Las Vegas Vacation, Day 4: Rod/Shelley/Mary; clip of a Bonus Round where the win cue accidentally plays...and there's a really obvious edit)
 * November 8, 2013 (#S-5890/America's Game I, Finale {Home For The Holidays}: Adam/Renee/Trisha, with Pat breaking a Bonus Round envelope and Vanna announcing the winner {chosen randomly?!} of last season's Millionaire Maker Sweepstakes {alternate copy})
 * [The giant novelty check presented to the winner of said sweepstakes, very obviously designed for this event, still follows the first name-last initial format, leaving a lot of white space; the odd thing about this is that it looks like nearly all of the last name had White-Out applied in post.]


 * November 11, 2013 (#S-5891/Secret Santa Sweepstakes III, Day 1/Walmart Family Week, Day 1: Alexa & Niki/Kristina & Kathy/Serena & Alethea)
 * November 12, 2013 (#S-5892/Secret Santa Sweepstakes III, Day 2/Walmart Family Week, Day 2: Tanushka & Bina/Abbot & Drew/Kimberly & Nolan)
 * November 13, 2013 (#S-5893/Secret Santa Sweepstakes III, Day 3/Walmart Family Week, Day 3: Alissa & Sandra/Marva & Ken/Monique & Britany {alternate copy})
 * November 15, 2013 (#S-5895/Secret Santa Sweepstakes III, Day 5/Walmart Family Week, Finale: Simon & Rafael/Jillian & David/Yvonne & Pamela)
 * November 21, 2013 (#S-5899/Secret Santa Sweepstakes III, Day 9: Jason/Rebecca/Jessica; clip of Round 1 with a lost turn edited out for no reason, with captions)

"Plus" element removed from $5K Every Day; cash bonus with Bonus Round cars dropped to $3,000


 * November 28, 2013 (#S-5904/Home For The Holidays, Day 1: Andy/Danielle/Meagan, with no Secret Santa or Walmart stuff because hey, who's gonna watch these shows and who's gonna notice/care that we just dropped our gimmicks unannounced halfway through a taping day? {Hint: They've seen this Wiki, so they really should know better than that!}; no $5K Every Day drawing, host chat, or fee plugs, ends during Merv's credit)
 * December 6, 2013 (#S-5910/Wheel Salutes Our Military, Finale: Joe/Jen/Jordon {alternate copy})


 * December 9, 2013 (#S-5911/Disney Cruise Week, Day 1: Jill & Larry/Jake & Rebecca/Eileen & Dave)
 * December 10, 2013 (#S-5912/Disney Cruise Week, Day 2: Dennis & Mary Jo/Ghamma & Kurt/Tiffany & Shannon)
 * December 11, 2013 (#S-5913/Disney Cruise Week, Day 3: Elaine & George/Brooke & Noah/John & Mary Jo)
 * December 12, 2013 (#S-5914/Disney Cruise Week, Day 4: Brent & Linda/Jennifer & Ron/Brian & Christina)
 * December 13, 2013 (#S-5915/Disney Cruise Week, Finale: Kelly & Justin/Juanita & Richard/Marilyn & John)
 * December 20, 2013 (#S-5920/Wheel Around the World, Finale: Danielle/Dan/Krista, full Round 4 Speed-Up with twelve wrong letters {none edited out} and four missolves; begins just after first call)
 * December 23, 2013 (#S-5921/Outdoor Adventures, Day 1: Crystal/Andrew/Wes, with Vanna telling a detailed story about losing a dental crown at the mall; taped from WABC)

''Note: All uploads from this point onward start at or during Jim's opening spiel and end after the Bonus Round. All ads, bumpers, the SPIN ID drawing, post-game chat, and credits are not present except where noted.''


 * December 24, 2013 (#S=5922/Outdoor Adventures, Day 2: Chris/Candace/Whitney)
 * December 26, 2013 (#S-5924/Outdoor Adventures, Day 4: Brian/Diane/Makida, with some awkward confusion over how to use the Wild Card followed by using it after a vowel purchase, a new rule for at least this season; begins at chant)

2014


 * January 17, 2014 (#S-5940/Always Great! Wheel & V8, Finale: Gretchen/Anne Marie/Rocco; full show)


 * February 27, 2014 (#S-5969/Spa Getaway, Day 4: Jeremy/Melody/Kelly; begins during Jim's opening spiel, ends after Bonus Round)


 * March 5, 2014 (#S-5973/European Vacation, Day 3: Ryan/Solmoz/Stephanie {alternate copy, begins at "It's America's Game!"})
 * March 6, 2014 (#S-5974/European Vacation, Day 4: Dan/Patti/Brook; full show)


 * March 13, 2014 (#S-5979/Beaches Resorts Family Week, Day 4: Joe & Melissa/Shawn & Annetta/Taylor & Belinda)
 * March 14, 2014 (#S-5980/Beaches Resorts Family Week, Finale: Beth & Lisa/Rico & Enrique/Kristen & Kimberly)


 * March 19, 2014 (#S-5983/America's Game III, Day 3 {European Vacation}: EMIL DE LEON!/Kendra/Charlene, with an amazing Bonus Round solve {NEW BABY BUGGY with just the NE!} that gave Wheel its most Internet fame yet...and by a BAV member, at that!)


 * March 26, 2014 (#S-5988/Girlfriend Getaways, Day 3: Shalonda & Heather/Ilana & Nicole/Kristin & Jessica)
 * [I'm just gonna say that this week feels awkward in the puzzle department. Similar to the weeks related to mothers and fathers, the puzzles relate to the stereotypes of "girlfriends" to the point of being embarrassing for some BAV users of both genders. Combine that with the fact that Friedman approves the puzzles that get used on-air, and I have to wonder if these tell more about him than I'd care to know.]
 * March 28, 2014 (#S-5990/Girlfriend Getaways, Finale: Danielle & Andrea/Maggie & Lauren/Amanda & Nikole; preceded by the end of the same day's Jeopardy! {Amy/Douglas/Julia}, ends after promotional plugs, includes commercials and captions)


 * April 23, 2014 (#S-6008/America's Game IV, Day 3 {College Week}: Symone/Jenna/Jake; begins during animated intro)
 * April 28, 2014 (#S-6011/Wheel 6000, Day 1: JOSH WOO/Rachel/Josh B., with a hilarious mis-solve in Round 3; full show)

Note: All uploads from this point onward now include at least part of the intro and end after the post-game chat, except where noted.


 * May 22, 2014 (#S-6030/Shop Your Way, Day 4: Mike/Amy/Sheila)
 * June 3, 2014 (#S-6037/America's Game V, Day 2 {Happy Mother's Day}: Debi/Jen/Kelly, with a really close finish)
 * June 11, 2014 (#S-6043/Happy Father's Day, Day 3: Corey/Chris/Ted)

Season 32 (2014-15)
September 15, 2014 - June 12, 2015

Last season, I said that Wheel only ever has one good idea per season and yet somehow bungles it. Last season, it was the Express...getting shoved in with the Trip Puzzle. This season...

Well, let's start with the positives: for one thing, the logo is mostly the same as Season 31 but now has a ring of lights around the logo. They're most likely meant to represent the spokes (which would be just outside the wedges), but I can't help but think of the short-lived "light ring" of 1975 and the overhead shots that used it.

The Mystery Wedges are now a brighter purple (at least something on the set's getting brighter...), while the nametags' font changes from Helvetica Black to Arial Black (most noticeable in the R's) with larger lettering for at least the shorter names. And the cash awarded with Bonus Round cars is restored to $5,000.

...So what's their one good idea this season? Increasing the Wheel amounts, even affecting the minimum for the first time in a while: the blue $350 is increased to $550 (and for the first time since mid-1986, outside of rug and turntable layouts, in a color other than purple), $400 upgrades to $700, the blue $300 doubles to $600, the orange $300 triples to $900, and $450 is upped to $650. See the problem? The minimum's now $500, sure, but there's still no $950 or regular four-digit values.

And vowels still cost $250. Sure, I'm all for tradition and sticking to it, but this is the wrong place to do so. Vowels were trivial as it was after the Wheel's minimum value became $250 – now it's just become silly!

Starting this season, calling the titular Same Letter in said category awards an extra $1,000...because it doesn't already award at least $1,000 with the new minimum? "Bonus" questions, Harry; we said "bring back the bonus questions", not "shove an arbitrary bonus into a category that doesn't need it".

Sick of seeing $30,000 pop up frequently in the Bonus Round? Well, now you'll be seeing $32,000 frequently because that's the new minimum. And it'll keep going up another $1,000 for each new season, probably becoming more $35,000 envelopes if Wheel manages to get that far.

...So explain to me again how "put more money into the show" means "put more money into the wrong places", Friedman.

On August 5, prior to the season, the official website stops awarding points to Wheel Watchers Club members who solve the daily Bonus Round puzzles. The site FAQ claims that they're discontinuing this as part of something better for members, although based on the other changes this season I'm doubting it'll be "better"...or existent.

Still, on a more positive note, based on the known scheduling it seems that Secret Santa IV will actually be in December, possibly even covering Christmas week.

New/Returning Categories: N/A as of yet.

Retired Categories: N/A as of yet.

Road Shows: Hawaii (November 3-14, February 9-20).

GSN Repeat Dates: N/A as of yet.

2014

When something gets here, we'll let you know.

2015

See above.