Parodies and Appearances

The longevity of Wheel of Fortune has provided plenty of chance for various shows to make parodies or have their characters make appearances on Wheel as part of a (sub)plot. Oddly, there do not appear to be any instances of either before 1984.

Family Guy
"Alright, Peter, you made it to the Bonus Round. Congratulations." "Thanks, Regis."

Probably one of the more beloved examples, "I Take Thee Quagmire" (aired March 12, 2006) began at the Bonus Round with Peter Griffin. With the category of Actor & Show, Peter chooses Z, 4, three Q's, and the Batman symbol; he then solves the puzzle (ALEX KARRAS IN WEBSTER) anyway, much to the host's shock.

With $1,300, Peter goes shopping (complete with insert over a pan of the prizes and the 1980s "Changing Keys" theme) – buying the ceramic Dalmatian ($600), a week of maid service ($250, which leads into the plot), and a hat rack ($400); with $50 left, he asks how much the fat guy in the circle is.

"That's you." "Oh-oh, embarrassing. Okay, well in that case I'll take the rest on a gift certificate."

(Two other parodies were brief cutaways to puzzles designed to make the viewer think something vulgar, but quickly realize that it couldn't possibly be that due to the shown letters; the solved puzzles were GO TUCK YOURSELF IN and MY GRANDMOTHER'S HAIRY AUNT.)

In Living Color
"Hello, and welcome to Wheel of Dozens! Where talkin' trash can get you cash, so when the Wheel's turnin', it's yo' momma we're burnin'!"

A sketch from the final season (aired December 30, 1993), hosted by "Stu Dunfey", had a Wheel consisting of "Yo' Momma" phrases (i.e., "Yo' Momma's So Ugly") that players completed for $100 per diss; filling the role of penalty spaces were "positive" comments (i.e., "Yo' Momma's So Beautiful").

The game ended in a tie, so the winners played a "Lightning Round" where they alternated spouting disses to Mother Teresa.

Mad TV
Parodied on three different occasions:


 * February 9, 2002: It's Celebrity Couples Week! The three couples competing are Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar; Will Smith and Jada Pinkett; and Kenny Rogers and a girl he met at a bus stop named Ginger as a replacement for his wife Wanda, who couldn't make it. The first puzzle is Famous Love Songs, and Rogers makes the first spin, hitting top dollar of $1,500. Ginger calls a V, of which there is one on the board; after Vanna reveals it, Rogers thinks she is a witch. Pat interprets his accusations as an incorrect attempt to solve the puzzle, so play moves to Gellar, who spins and lands on the Prize wedge (a $940 home barbecue system). Prinze repeats the V, thinking that they were "hiding some". On to Smith, who hits Lose A Turn but Pinkett encourages him to spin again; he does so, only to land on Bankrupt. With control back to the blue team, Rogers spins $500. Ginger immediately asks to solve, and correctly does so with LOVE ME TENDER. After the remaining letters light up, Rogers again accuses Vanna of being a witch and chases her around the set as Pat casually throws to commercial.
 * November 15, 2003: It's Government Worker Week! The contestants are Debbie Jane, a DMV photographer; Stanley, a monument bird feces remover (played by guest star David Arquette); and Louis, a congressional light bulb changer. The show has returned from a mid-round break. The category is Quotation, and the puzzle reads GIVE ME LIBERT_ OR GIVE ME DEATH. With Debbie Jane in control, she mis-solves with LIBERTO; Stanley asks to buy a "continent", to which Pat tells him that only vowels can be bought, though Stanley doesn't exactly know what a vowel is. Pat reminds him that vowels are A, E, I, O, U, and emphasizes "sometimes Y" while pointing to the single blank spot remaining on the board. Stanley spins the Wheel and, after a very long spin, lands on $700 (although the camera accidentally shows Louis' arrow landing on $500). He asks to solve, and provides the same incorrect solution as Debbie Jane did. Louis spins the Wheel, which Pat impatiently stops after a few seconds; Louis lands on $1,250, and confidently asks for F. Back to Debbie Jane, who solves incorrectly once again with LIBERTU. A sound effect signals the Final Spin, to which Pat simply moves the Wheel without letting go. After Stanley calls two letters which are already on the board, he mis-solves with LIVERY; Pat asks if he said "Liberty", which Stanley denies. Louis passes his turn, as do Debbie Jane and Stanley. With Pat getting rather angry, he decides to have Vanna just reveal the last letter, and whoever says the answer first will be declared the winner. The last letter is revealed as a happy face, to which Stanley claims he solved with that solution earlier (GIVE ME LIBERT-HAPPY FACE OR GIVE ME DEATH), which a dumbfounded Pat is aware of. The show cuts to a test card which reads "DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULT_, WHEEL OF FORTUNE WILL NOT (with a happy face replacing the O) BE SEEN. PLEASE STAND B_."
 * November 12, 2005: The show begins with Pat saying that he's been hosting the show for 60 years and stopped caring 58 years ago. The three contestants enter and Pat appears lovestruck by the blue contestant named Lexi Von Cannon (guest star Pamela Anderson). Pat cuts short the introductions for the other players (homemaker Faye Schnantz and high school teacher Aubrey Simelle) and asks Lexi to start the game. Faye tells him that she won the toss backstage, but he dismisses her and tells Lexi to spin while announcing the first puzzle as a Famous Person. Lexi's spin lands on Lose A Turn, but Pat stops Faye from spinning and tells Lexi to spin again. Pat begins rigging the game in her favor, much to the other contestants' anger – as Lexi calls obscure consonants, Pat tells Vanna to light up most of the consonants in the puzzle. With the puzzle board showing _BR_H_M L_N__LN, Lexi solves the puzzle as MADONNA and, despite the buzzer sounding, Pat rules her correct. The skit ends with Pat and the other two contestants spinning the Wheel as Lexi lies down on it, much to Vanna's shock.

Pookie Poo
An obscure Flash cartoon series from the late 1990s parodied Wheel (starring Saint Patjack and Vanity White) and other games, with the eponymous character bringing his attitude to each.

The Wheel layout seems to be somewhat based on early nighttime episodes, albeit with two $1,000 wedges plus $650 and $950; in addition, "Loose A Turn" is red. The puzzle, FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT (Famous Sayings), is accidentally solved by Pookie while he threatens to hurt Patjack.

So Random!
An early sketch from 2011, All-Star Wheel of Fortune, has Fred, Taylor Swift, and Willow Smith playing. Fred is obnoxious, Taylor sings about everything, and Willow whips her hair around to the point that the game does not progress whatsoever.

South Park
"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" (aired March 7, 2007) begins with Stan Marsh's dad, Randy, at the Bonus Round; having already been spotted RSTLE plus his choices of BNGO, with the category of People Who Annoy You and $30,000 on the line, he is very reluctant to say the only thing he can think of (a racial epithet) but still mis-solves NAGGERS (with the A missing), shocking the nation and beginning the plot.

227
"Over $100,000 worth of prizes, today on this special neighbors version of Wheel of Fortune! And now, let's meet our host: Pat Sajak!"

On the Season 2 premiere "Wheel of Misfortune" (October 4, 1986), Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs) and neighbor Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry) compete on a "neighbors edition" of nighttime Wheel against a fisherman named Rusty. In Round 1, Sandra calls an M, which is not in the puzzle, and Mary hits Lose A Turn. Rusty then spins $1,000 and calls a Z; despite derision from his opponents, there is a Z in the puzzle (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, a Title), which he solves.

Later, in Round 3, Mary tries to solve the Thing puzzle with $19,750 but says SANTA FE TRAIL (a Place) instead of the actual answer, SANTA FE TRAIN. Rusty ends up shutting-out the women.

The A-Team
The episode "Wheel of Fortune" (aired January 14, 1986) begins during Round 3 on the daytime show, with H.M. Murdock solving the Phrase puzzle ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR for $6,500. With over $28,000 thus far, Murdock goes shopping and buys a humidor with 50 cigars ($150), a solar-powered buffer and a year's supply of Reptile car wax ($250), a waterbed ($1,800), and a two-week trip for two to Hawaii ($4,250); the remaining $50 is placed on a gift certificate. Pat then mentions that Murdock will return in two weeks to play a Super Challenge Match for prizes beginning at $12,000.

The episode wraps by returning to Wheel for a Bonus Round with Murdock, playing for a new Mazda truck. With the category of Place and choices of TSLCDE, he manages to solve SOUTH AMERICA just ahead of the buzzer.

This Wheel appearance is one of only two known instances with then-announcer Jack Clark, the other being the 227 episode above; "Frisco Disco" is played as Jack describes Murdoch's prizes.

Gimme A Break!
"The Big Apple" (aired February 16, 1984) begins with Nell Harper (Nell Carter) and Adelaide Wilson (Telma Hopkins) discussing Wheel, then going on a "Friends Day" edition of the daytime show. With $7,600, Nell mis-solves the Quotation puzzle GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH, but Addy solves correctly for $2,400; the remainder of the episode involves a trip to New York which Addy purchases.

The Wheel layout has $1,000 present along with $1,500 and $2,000, while the concept of friends playing on Wheel would later become (Teen) Best Friends Week.

L.A. Law
"Vowel Play" (aired November 29, 1990) is the only known example that does not involve Pat or a parody of him; instead, it involves Bob Goen, Vanna, and Charlie O'Donnell in the subplot.

Following the "previously on..." recap, a daytime Wheel episode begins complete with "From Television City in Hollywood..." opening spiel. Round 1 (Phrase) is played with the Round 4 Wheel layout, and continues until contestant Douglas solves BALD IS BEAUTIFUL. The L.A. Law opening begins right afterward, and Vanna appears a few more times as part of the subplot.

Notably, a camera shot is used of the players applauding in front of the spinning Wheel which is adopted on the actual show upon its return to NBC (January 14, 1991); the logo is dropped from the show by Teen Week in February, matching the shot in L.A. Law.

Santa Barbara
An episode aired May 12,﻿ 1988 had Gina solving the (rather appropriate) bonus puzzle BLACKMAIL (Thing, having chosen BKLNRI) just ahead of the buzzer, winning a grand total of $55,700 (including, presumably, $25,000 in the Bonus Round). Her husband, shortly after hugging Vanna, gets pinched by Gina's earring.

Ten at 10:00
A promo made during the 2005-06 season for CBS-58 (WDJT)'s newscast, with a contestant solving the puzzle FIRST ALERT WEATHER in the category Ten at 10:00. Pat and Vanna appeared as themselves, and the 1997-2000 version of "Changing Keys" plays throughout.

Other promos involved Family Feud, Jeopardy!, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?