Wheel 2000

Wheel 2000 was a children's version of Wheel of Fortune created and produced by Scott Sternberg which ran concurrently on CBS and GSN from September 13, 1997 to 1998. It was hosted by David Sidoni, with Tanika Ray as announcer and the voice of CGI hostess "Cyber Lucy". This version, aired on Saturday mornings, used a smaller set and played for points; all prizes were more geared towards children.

At least one CBS commercial for the show used clips from 3-4 different episodes, as well as a shot of Lucy in front of the adult version's puzzle board (reading WHEEL OF FORTUNE 2000).

Wheel 2000 last appeared on the CBS schedule in September 1998. The show's website, plugged by a special wedge worth 750 points ("www.wheel2000.com"), remained through at least October 13, 1999. At a point between then and May 10, 2000, it began redirecting to GSN. At some point between March 9, 2001 and November 28, 2003, it began redirecting to various search engines instead.

For information on this version's unique categories and gameplay elements, see List of puzzle categories and Gameplay elements.

Gameplay Changes

 * 1) Wheel 2000 airs weekly, on Saturday mornings.
 * 2) The show is filmed on a much smaller set. The only holdovers are the score displays and flippers.
 * 3) Children aged 10-15 play for points (not cash) and prizes more geared towards that age group, with no returning champions. As per the adult version's current policies, this version counts as your once-in-a-lifetime appearance on the American franchise.
 * 4) The opening is "Hey, it's time to play...Wheel 2000! And here's our host, David Sidoni!" David then introduces Lucy.
 * 5) The show's full title, Wheel of Fortune 2000, is only ever used in the open, on top of the Prize Box, and on a small set piece between the red and yellow contestants.
 * 6) Only three puzzle categories are held over, albeit with different names: Place becomes "Globetrotter", Proper Name becomes "V.I.P.'s", and Thing becomes "Just Stuff"; all other categories are unique. Contestants now choose their category from a list of three, with a new category available for each round. Each time a letter appears in the puzzle, it is said by a computerized male voice.
 * 7) Contestants who try to solve a puzzle are shown in the lower right-hand corner much like the bonus round; solving a puzzle awards a prize, which is kept regardless of the game's outcome.
 * 8) After a contestant solves a puzzle, Lucy, a CBS actor, or a sports athlete explains the solved puzzle in more detail.
 * 9) The bonus round has the random choice of the nighttime version, albeit with just two choices (A or B). Bonus puzzles are always a straightforward Person, Place, or Thing. The bonus prize is only revealed if the contestant solves the puzzle.
 * The Wheel is also very different:
 * 1) Top point values are 1,000 in Round 1, 2,000 for Round 2, and 5,000 thereafter. This is the first appearance of 2,000 since June 30, 1989.
 * 2) Bankrupt and Lose A Turn are replaced by The Creature and Loser, respectively. The "creature" is a monster (presumably a dragon) living beneath the Wheel, who comes up to "eat" the player's points; on the pilots, the Creature "ate" the player out of the rest of the round.
 * 3) Free Spin is removed entirely.
 * 4) New special spaces are added: "www.Wheel2000.com", "Double Up", "Prize Box", and three double-width "stunt wedges". If the Prize Box is claimed, a new one is added for the next round.
 * 5) The center of the Wheel has a monitor on it, which typically shows the Wheel 2000 logo.
 * 6) The layout, going clockwise from The Creature, is Creature-650-Stunt (250)-400-600-Prize Box (100)-550-Loser-350-Stunt (250)-500-300-150-Website (750)-450-(Top Value)-Stunt (250)-700-250-Double Up (500 or 1,000)-200. This is the first appearance of 650 since 1979.

Timeline
September 1997 : (show begins September 13)
 * September 13 has several notable events:
 * David enters from the door closer to the Wheel.
 * During Round 1, contestant Marissa tries to pick up the Prize Box right after landing on it (as was the case from 1983-90), but is quickly stopped by David. She ends up claiming the prize, a Game.com, which is merely referred to as "a personal video game system". She later becomes the first contestant on this version to win two Prize Boxes (Rounds 1 and 3).
 * Contestant Gerrard solves the Round 2 puzzle PRINTING PRESS with just _R______ _RESS revealed; the round is played only by him.

October 1997 :
 * On an episode probably from this month, a contestant fails to solve the bonus puzzle SOCRATES with S_CR_TES showing.
 * By the end of October, David and Tanika/Lucy begin a tour of Wheel 2000, sponsored by Bravo Card and branded by Discover, to various shopping malls in Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., New York City, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Jose, and Anaheim. The format is the same, except the Wheel has only 14 wedges including 850 (its first appearance since 1979), Bravo (much like the Prize Box, awarding a small prize package including the 1995 handheld game), Alientoss (the stunt wedge), and a very different design for The Creature; winners from each market are invited to appear as contestants on the show.

November 1997 :
 * Several events happen on November 1:
 * David enters from the door closer to the Wheel.
 * Contestant Patrick mentions that "I'm ready to play Wheel of Fortune!", which appropriately segues into David's gameplay spiel.
 * The first spin of Rounds 2 and 3 suddenly jump from approaching the Prize Box to just passing it.
 * With only vowels remaining in the Round 2 puzzle INTESTINE, Patrick buys an A. Play passes to Dawnell, who has no points and no guess, getting buzzed out. Play then goes to Ebony, who buys the E's and mis-solves the puzzle as ANTESTONE. Back to Patrick, who solves correctly for 2,000 points.
 * During the Speed-Up round, Ebony tries to call two letters in a row.
 * Patrick sweeps the main game and wins a computer in the Bonus Round.
 * By November 1, the bonus envelope colors are swapped, with red letters on a yellow backing; previously, they were yellow-on-red.

December 1997 :

January 1998 :
 * By about this point, the first taped episode is aired. Among the differences:
 * 1) David walks out of the door farther from the Wheel and converses with Lucy for a bit.
 * 2) The set piece between the red and yellow contestants is a clock with the hands pointing to approximately 11:50; the time changes as the episode progresses, and gives a likely reason for its change: Namely, that the episode took almost two hours to record and was heavily edited.
 * 3) The rules are explained slightly differently, with the camera zooming out from the center to show the Wheel, then cutting to the special wedges as David points them out. The only one that is zoomed-in is The Creature.
 * 4) The Wheel is a bit looser, and its layout is slightly different: The 250 and 700 point spaces are swapped, as are the "www.Wheel2000.com" and 450-point spaces. The former was probably changed because it had two 250-point spaces next to each other, while the latter appears to have been done so there weren't three special spaces cluttered next to each other (the top value and six-peg stunt wedge).
 * 5) None of the monitors show the Wheel 2000 logo.
 * 6) The large "turn indicator" lights to the left of the contestant displays are not present, and the flippers are a bit longer. (It is known that at least one other episode did not have the lights.)
 * 7) The contestant solve insert is in the upper right-hand corner.
 * 8) A new stunt is added for Round 2, called Cube Roll.
 * On the first taped episode, the clock behind the players is at approximately 11:58 when a Smell-O-Letter wedge is hit, which is roughly consistent with the clock when it is first seen; when the stunt ends two minutes later, the clock is at approximately 12:25.
 * At the beginning of Round 2, the clock has jumped from about 12:30 to about 12:50. Later in the same round, the clock jumps to about 1:05 and the Cube Roll game (which had not been played yet) is gone from the double-width wedges.
 * When the Round 2 puzzle is solved, the clock is at about 1:05. When David begins recapping the scores, it jumps to 1:30.
 * On the first taped episode, Lucy sits on top of the puzzle during Round 1; the letter that is called ends up being the one she is sitting on, obscured by her legs.
 * On at least the first taped episode, there is a commercial break during Round 1.
 * The first taped episode ends after two rounds, a very likely record low for at least the American franchise, if not the world.
 * During the first taped episode, there is a noticeable edit right after David consoles the player after the Bonus Round and before his signoff. Afterward, Lucy's fee plugs are spoken in a somewhat different tone.
 * On the first taped episode, David dances with the Bonus Round contestant during the credits.

February 1998 :

March 1998 :

April 1998 :

May 1998 :

June 1998 :

July 1998 :

August 1998 :

September 1998 :
 * By the end of September, Wheel 2000 is removed from CBS' schedule. The show continues in repeats on GSN for a while, then airs on Discovery Kids during the early 2000s.
 * The last taped episode is the final appearance of 650 and 2,000 as Wheel values.

Links

 * Official website (latest revision available via Archive.org)