User:Daniel Benfield/Nighttime Video Archive/Season 14

This was pretty much the season that changed everything.

To start, many aesthetic changes: a very abbreviated intro which bypasses the opening bars and goes straight into the "Changing Keys" melody part of the theme and ends on the puzzle-solve cue. After the logo separates (letters to the sides, wedges forward and center backward), the graphics change to a CGI Sony Pictures Studios complex that includes a yellow two-row logo below the Columbia-TriStar logo, with each company's name next to its respective logo. When zoomed in, the circular concrete transforms into a Wheel graphic, and the complex changes to four gold squares with the two-row logo on the reverse showing Pat, Vanna, and a CGI version of the $25,000 sign using last season's graphics as a backdrop, with a zoom-in on the 4th (later slowed down and amended to put the zoom-in on the 3rd square). Other changes include a video wall at center stage, a $25,000 graphic replacing the sign, Vanna showing off the $25,000 prize by using its envelope or a flashing battery-operated version, various new camera shots, every week being themed, brown prize wedges (which have glitter the first two weeks), new category strips, an on-model "3" on $3,500, Surprise's final design, rotating music going into commercials, and rotating contestant backdrops. The burst backdrops are still used occasionally until January, while the post-main game and post-Bonus Round totals stop flashing by October.

Starting in October, the show ends with the copyright date, "Created by Merv Grffin" chyron credit, and King World/Columbia-TriStar logos (with no spiels for any; in addition, the King World music is dropped); this is also seen on weekend repeats of Season 13. Beginning September 30, closed-captioning plugs are done before the first commercial break (done by Vanna or Charlie), and some closing fee plugs are recorded by the company.

Gameplay-wise, several changes occur: the returning champion format is dropped in favor of the Friday Finals in which the Bonus Round winner wins an extra prize, the $10,000 Wedge moves to Round 2 only (over the lone Bankrupt), and the Round 4 Prize is removed. Bonus category questions are now worth $2,000.

On September 16, the Wheel adopts a single-template system (with the center once again teal) based on that of Round 3: $150, $200, $750, and $1,500 are gone, with $250 the new minimum (and hence, no more working for vowels). The top dollar is placed over the yellow $1,000, the Round 2 Prize over $350, Surprise over the $400 between $500 and $250, the Free Spin over the green $300, the $10,000 Wedge over the golden $300, and the extra Bankrupt for Rounds 3+ (in Clarendon for its first few weeks) over the golden $300. In addition, the Jackpot Round debuts on this date in Round 3.

On November 18, the Jackpot graphic adopts its familiar red semicircle. On December 9, a new Jackpot wedge debuts with solid-red coloring, yellow lettering in a simpler font, and a black curve on the top (which becomes brown on the 16th).

Also on December 16, the category strips become large blue ovals, which are altered on January 13 to match the length of the text. On January 6, the Wheel's automation is removed, and on February 7 the Jackpot minimum increases to $10,000 for Friday Finals.

The trilon-based puzzle boards appear for the last time in February: the 7th for the "home base" board, the 21st for the road-show board. On February 10, the W-H-E-E-L envelope holder adopts a turquoise/red zigzag pattern.

Many changes are made on February 24, including the new touch-screen puzzle board, the current contestant nametags (a blue oval design), and the envelope holder gets green letters and gold lights. The debut of the new board includes a time-lapse video that includes the lights going out on the old board.

In addition to aesthetics, on February 24, any final spin that lands on Bankrupt (or another wedge that cannot be used for Speed-Up) is edited out. Perhaps to compensate for this, the second Bankrupt is removed during Round 4 (or later) if it begins as a Speed-Up, returning the golden $300 in play.

New Categories: Headline on September 3, Show Biz on September 9, Classic TV on September 16, Proper Name sometime in October.

Road Shows: Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California (November 11-22); Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavillion in Phoenix, Arizona (February 10-21); San Diego Convention Center in California (May 12-23).

Repeat Weeks: December 30-January 3 (October 7-11), March 24-28 (October 21-25).

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 ©1996-97 Califon Productions/Merv Griffin Entertainment and associated entities.

September 1996

 * September 2, 1996 (Season Premiere)
 * September 12, 1996

Jackpot/"one-template" Wheel debuts, Pat no longer mentions top value until R4


 * September 16, 1996
 * September 24, 1996

October 1996

 * October 7, 1996
 * October 11, 1996
 * October 29, 1996

November 1996

 * November 19, 1996 (College Week, Day 2)
 * November 21, 1996 (College Week, Day 4; Pat has laryngitis {alternate copy})
 * November 22, 1996 (College Week, Finale)

December 1996

 * December 3, 1996 (Escape to Hawaii, Day 2 {alternate copy})

Oval Category Strips


 * December 18, 1996 (Family Week, Day 3)
 * December 27, 1996 (Happy Holidays Week, Finale {alternate copy})

January 1997

 * January 9, 1997 ($10,000 Wedge accidentally reversed for Round 2)

"New" Oval Category Strips


 * January 13, 1997

February 1997

 * February 3, 1997 (Sweethearts Week, Day 1)
 * February 11, 1997 (Phoenix Week, Day 2)
 * February 18, 1997 (Phoenix Week, Day 7)
 * February 21, 1997 (Phoenix Week, Finale)

Set Overhaul


 * February 24, 1997 ({alternate copies: #1; #2; #3a, #3b, and #3c})

March 1997

 * March 4, 1997

April 1997

 * April 1, 1997 (Alex Trebek and Lesly Sajak host {alternate copy})

Pat finally stops saying "We're playing for cash."


 * April 30, 1997

May 1997

 * May 1, 1997
 * May 5, 1997 (Celebrities and Moms, Day 1)
 * May 6, 1997 (Celebrities and Moms, Day 2)
 * May 8, 1997 (Celebrities and Moms, Day 4 {alternate copy})

June 1997

 * June 5, 1997
 * June 6, 1997