Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 34

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A timeline for Season 34 of Wheel of Fortune, which will air in first-run from September 12, 2016 through June 2017.

Note: During the season (September-June), this page is generally updated Monday-Friday around 8:00 PM Eastern, so spoilers may be present for the most recently-aired episode. It is also updated at times from mid-June to mid-September as details of the new season are revealed and taping days are announced.

Second Note: Any below information regarding episodes that have not yet been taped or aired is preliminary and subject to change, with months added as info is released about them. Further, please do not guess and do not add anything to this section past the most recently-aired episode unless it is confirmed.

Known Tapings

 * Two weeks of shows will be taped at Culver City on November 10-11.
 * The theme of the August 26 taping day is currently uncertain, though available info indicates a Disney-centered Family Week.

Season Changes

 * The opening animation is slightly altered so that a graphic showing the theme's week appears over the studio doors.
 * The Crossword category becomes a regular feature, no longer limited to Round 2. For at least the early tapings of this season, it appears three times per week.
 * Crossword Rounds now have "CROSSWORD" written in squares above the category strip when the puzzle is revealed; this changes to "Clue" when the round is in progress.
 * The Prize copy is permanently retired.
 * ½ Cars no longer include specific copy or images of the car in question; instead, an image of the car's make is shown on a blue background.
 * The "pop-up" score displays at the top of the screen in Round 3 now zoom onto the screen, as opposed to simply sliding downwards.
 * The $33,000 envelopes are increased to $34,000.
 * Car envelopes in the Bonus Round return to showing the car's logo.
 * The SPIN ID feature is discontinued for the first part of the season due to many local pre-emptions by national election debates and Thursday Night Football. It will return for at least the Secret Santa Sweepstakes.
 * The theme of the week now appears on the scoreboards during the Bonus Round.
 * The Wheel is now wrapped in plastic when not in use, most likely to prevent tourists from trying to spin or tamper with it. A sign is placed on a nearby stand and on the Wheel itself, showing the traditional logo and a message reading " DO NOT UNCOVER OR TOUCH THE WHEEL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ".

September 2016

 * September 12 is Teacher's Week, taped July 14; this is also the first taped week of the season. During this week:
 * The post-Round 1 bumper is a famous quotation pertaining to teaching or education, on a blue background with a picture of that person.
 * The Bonus Round car is a Ford Escape worth $30,140, well below the cash minimum.
 * On September 12:
 * Before the $1,000 Toss-Up, Harry Friedman is heard when Pat asks what season it is.
 * The Gift Tag is $1,000 cash from Pilot Pens.
 * Jim is shown on-camera before Round 2.
 * Pat forgets about the Prize Puzzle after Matt solves and begins to round his score of $500 to $1,000 before Harry can be heard correcting him.
 * On September 13:
 * There is a ½ Car win.
 * The third-place contestant has $12,800.
 * Contestant Nick wins two cars: the ½ Car in Round 2, and a Ford Escape in the Bonus Round.
 * On September 14, there is a ½ Car win.
 * On September 15:
 * Contestant Darren lands on a ½ Car tag in Round 3 after the round's other tag has been picked up; oddly, this is not commented on.
 * Round 5 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?
 * On September 16, contestant Kendall mentions that her grandfather was on the show 27 years ago, and that he "won all three episodes".


 * September 19 is National Parks, taped July 28.
 * On September 19:
 * Round 4 is an unusually short answer of VAST MEADOWS, which is even more unusual as Rounds 1-3 do not run overtime, and a fifth round is played.
 * The bonus puzzle UPBEAT PERSONALITY is a rare bonus puzzle under three-and-a-vowel rules to have at least one each of R, S, T, L, N, and E.
 * For only the sixth known time, a contestant calls Q in the Bonus Round. However, it is not in the puzzle.
 * Pat promotes various national parks in the final segment.
 * On September 20, five consecutive wrong letters are called in the Speed-Up, none of which are edited out.
 * All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of September 19. This is part of an eight-loss streak starting on the 16th.


 * September 26 is Disney Grand Adventures, taped August 25. During this week:
 * Each show features a cold open:
 * Monday: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald exiting a van and entering the studio.
 * Tuesday: Pat stealing a Mickey Mouse ice cream treat from Vanna.
 * Wednesday: Vanna and Minnie coming out of their dressing rooms in the same dress.
 * Thursday: Vanna encouraging Pat to ride a carousel.
 * Friday: A stagehand talking with Goofy about props which need to be taken down and tied onto the truck, after which Donald is revealed to be tied up in the truck as well.
 * The characters also appear in the intro:
 * Monday: Mickey and Minnie introduce Pat and Vanna from the back of the audience, while Donald and Goofy escort them onstage.
 * Tuesday: Goofy introduces Pat and Vanna from the audience railing (unlike all previous instances, this uses an angled shot), while Mickey, Minnie, and Donald escort them onstage while in safari gear.
 * Wednesday: Minnie introduces Pat and Vanna from in front of the puzzle board, while Goofy, Mickey, and Donald escort them onstage in pink and green suits.
 * Thursday: Goofy and Donald introduce Pat and Vanna from the audience railing, and Mickey and Minnie escort them onstage.
 * Friday: Mickey introduces Pat and Vanna from in front of the Wheel, while Minnie, Goofy, and Donald escort them onstage, the latter two in tuxedos.
 * The category strips are teal with green floating Mickey Mouse heads.
 * Even though married couples are competing, the ½ Car tags are not used.
 * Unusually for a team week, the Prizes and Prize Puzzle trips are all under $10,000.
 * On September 26:
 * Round 2 is the first instance of a Crossword Round having five words.
 * After one of his opponents solves Round 2, contestant Bill pretends to run offstage with the Million-Dollar Wedge and Mystery Wedge that he and his wife failed to claim.
 * In the final segment, Pat and Vanna show a piece of the Peter Pan's Flight ride.
 * On September 27-30, the Prize is a trip to all four Disney theme parks, with Pat and Vanna reading part of the copy.
 * On September 28, in the final segment, Pat and Vanna eat an ice cream cake prepared by the Boathouse Orlando.
 * On September 30:
 * The $1,000 Toss-Up WINNIE THE POOH is incorrectly punctuated (it should be hyphenated).
 * In the final segment, Walt Disney World ambassador Caitlin Buscher presents Pat and Vanna with honorary Disney cast member nametags.

October 2016

 * October 3 is Shopping Spree, taped July 15. During this week, the Prize is a shopping spree: creditcards.com on Monday, Novica on Tuesday, Furniture of America on Thursday, and bradsdeals.com on Friday. (The Prize is not won on Wednesday.)
 * On October 3:
 * Oddly, the closed captioning displays every contestant's response in quotation marks.
 * The $1,000 Toss-Up is re-shot, due to the music not playing the first time around.
 * After the other two contestants ring in with wrong answers on the $1,000 Toss-Up, contestant Matt is instantly ruled correct for saying the correct response despite not ringing in; this goes against precedent, where Pat will usually prompt the last contestant to ring in anyway before all the letters come up. This ruling does not affect the outcome.
 * For only the third time, more than one contestant or team hops on Express.
 * On October 4:
 * The third-place contestant has $12,050.
 * There is a $100,000 loss.
 * On October 6, the Gift Tag is a $1,000 debit card from CreditCards.com.
 * On October 7, the Round 1 puzzle CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC is inexplicably categorized as Title instead of Movie Title.
 * October 10 is Pacific Northwest, taped July 29.
 * On October 11:
 * The Wheel is not preset before Round 1, as the yellow arrow is on the left of the pink $650 instead of in the center of $2,500.
 * Contestant Peggy only spins twice in the entire game, landing on Bankrupt both times; however, she wins $5,400 in the Speed-Up.
 * Round 4 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?
 * October 17 is Bed & Breakfast, taped August 11.
 * On October 18:
 * Against precedent, the reverse of the Mystery Wedge is not shown when contestant Tina declines to flip it.
 * There is a ½ Car win.
 * On October 20:
 * Round 4 is an unusually short answer of MONOPOLY MONEY; this is all the more unusual as a fifth round is played.
 * Neither Bankrupt nor Lose A Turn is hit.
 * On October 21, six rounds are played.
 * October 24 is the Wyndham Rewards Sweepstakes, taped August 12. During this week, the Prize is a trip to a Wyndham-owned hotel, for which Jim reads the copy.
 * On October 24:
 * As the winning contestant does not have anyone in the audience, Vanna holds the Million-Dollar Wedge at the start of the Bonus Round.
 * Unusually, there are two plugs between the Bonus Round and closing chat.
 * On October 25:
 * The Prize Puzzle trip is a $10,500 trip to Thailand.
 * The $2,000 Toss-Up is Movie Title, and the $3,000 Toss-Up is Title.
 * The second-place contestant has $19,100.
 * October 31 is College Week, taped September 8.

November 2016

 * November 7 is Veterans Week, taped September 6.
 * November 14 is Wheel Across America, taped September 7.


 * November 21 is America's Game.
 * November 24 is the sixth episode from Shopping Spree.


 * November 28-December 9 are the Sears Secret Santa Sweepstakes, taped September 22 and 23 respectively.
 * November 28 is also Family Week.

December 2016

 * December 26 is America's Game.
 * December 26 and 27 are the sixth episodes from Veterans Week and Great Escapes, respectively.