User talk:Daniel Benfield

Feel free to leave a message, and I'll try to get back to you as quickly as possible (assuming, of course, that your comment necessitates a reply). -Daniel Benfield 01:27, July 22, 2011 (UTC)

(If you're looking for discussions/messages from 2011 or January-early August 2012, see User talk:Daniel Benfield/2011 Archive and User talk:Daniel Benfield/2012 Archive.)

Fur Coat
The picture of the contestant wearing the fur coat on the premiere goes back to something your mom said about a contestant wearing a fur coat for an entire episode.

If this contestant was the champion, she may have worn the coat for the next episode. Your mom could be remembering the second episode...

W. Austin Higgins (talk) 14:43, August 5, 2012 (UTC)


 * I don't think so; before seeing the picture (or, indeed, its source), I told her the contestant kissed Chuck and said that "no man ever gave me a mink coat before". Almost immediately after I said that, she started playfully hitting my arm – it all fell into place for her.
 * (Also, regarding the Wheel configurations page, I'm pretty sure I can confirm the entire 1975a Round 3 layout. Watch your email...) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 19:33, August 5, 2012 (UTC)

New York
Did Don appear on-camera on any of the NYC 1988 episodes? I could've sworn he did, but RuTube's being buggy for me right now so I can't figure out for myself. TenPoundHammer (talk) 21:02, August 9, 2012 (UTC)

Pam/Marlene/Gary
How did you figure that was 9/20? TenPoundHammer (talk) 05:05, August 13, 2012 (UTC)
 * Snowpeck taped the first few and last few weeks of Season 6. He's also been my source on the Seasons 2 and 5 info. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 05:14, August 13, 2012 (UTC)

Shopper's Bazaar/Wheel of Fortune Pilot production credits
Trying to find out full production credits for "Shopper's Bazaar pilot and Wheel Of Fortune pilots from 1974. and trying to locate the 6/7/1976 episode with full credit roll. and any full credit roll from 1975-1982. Yuck1990 (talk) 22:13, August 13, 2012 (UTC)
 * See your talk page, please. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 10:26, August 15, 2012 (UTC)

January 1990
During reruns that season, "It's an encore presentation" was dubbed in between "It's America's most watched game show" and "The famous wheel is spinning your way." One rerun week, most likely the one in April 1990, featured contestants who retired with at least $100,000. That week had "It's encore week, featuring our $100,000 winners" dubbed in. Gameboy2000 (talk) 13:21, August 14, 2012 (UTC)

Question about 1978-1985 category strips
What font were the 1978-1985 category strips (the "monospaced font" strips) in? Or, what would be the closest approximation you could get for Microsoft Word? BryceLozier (talk) 04:37, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I'm not a font expert. :( All I can suggest is to ask someone else. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 10:23, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * That's fine, thank you anyway. BryceLozier (talk) 10:24, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * Sure. :) {For the record, I know it was used on the credits for The Hollywood Squares and Gambit from 1980-81. A couple of Al Franken's commentaries for Saturday Night Live in 1979-80 used the 1975-76ish category font.} -Daniel Benfield (talk) 10:45, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * Also, unless I'm much mistaken, in the earliest episodes of "The $10,000 Pyramid" from 1973 (prior to the Television City shows aired by GSN), the words in the main game used the same "monospaced font" chyrons as the 1978-1985 Wheel category font (By November 1973, the monospaced font on Pyramid got replaced with Helvetica chyrons, which lasted for the rest of the 1973-1980 run of Pyramid)... if that helps any with ID'ing the 1978-1985 font. BryceLozier (talk) 10:50, August 15, 2012 (UTC)

Season 30 Wheel template
Hey, Daniel.

I think it's great that $650 is returning to Wheel of Fortune. It's basically the 70s again on the show. Just one question, can you confirm the return of $700? Some sources claim the blue wedge next to Free Play is $700, but from the picture I saw, it is hard to tell because the Wheel there is on an angle. 99.141.165.131 15:10, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * First off, welcome to the Wiki. :) It's great that $650 is returning, and if the picture you saw is this one the wedge in question is definitely $700. (Also, just saying this: if it were the 70s again on the show, it'd have an actual variety of prizes and no sucky puzzles like NO SHOES NO SHIRT NO PROBLEM or I LOVE MY PASSPORT PHOTO. Infusing the main game with more money is a step in the right direction, though.) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 16:12, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, that was the image. It just seemed difficult for me to make out that dollar amount with Free Play jutting over part of the wedge. I just don't think they ever should have retired $700 in the first place. I doubt that there would have been anything wrong with having one car tag on $700 and another on $500. 99.141.165.131 16:57, August 16, 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm guessing it's for consistency. Having the car tags on two $500 wedges makes more sense logically, since the tags also award $500/letter. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 08:06, August 17, 2012 (UTC)

Awarding money for correct vowels on "Free Play"
I'm pretty sure they got $500 for each correct vowel as well..I would often hear Pat say that. But then again, I may be just seeing things. Correct me if I'm wrong. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 20:58, August 15, 2012 (UTC)


 * You're wrong. Vowels are free, but do not provide any extra money. NoWhammies11 (talk) 22:30, September 13, 2012 (UTC)

Configurations Page
Since the new season is rolling around, it is time to update the Configurations page. In addition to next seasons updates, I have updated everything with more accurate colors.

The whole page will have to be re-done. How do you want to do this? Because the last time I tried to redo it, it didn't work very well.

I'm going to email you the whole document first and then we can discuss it. W. Austin Higgins (talk) 01:30, August 16, 2012 (UTC)

Pictures
Hey, I think you'd better take a look at the Misconceptions and Myths page. There appears to have been a great deal of vandalism done with many images. Example: there's a photograph of Masquerade Party in the position of the Wheel template from July 17 1989. 99.141.165.131 15:59, August 22, 2012 (UTC)
 * Where, hm? Either the mistakes were corrected within the past seven hours, or you're cruising for a banhammer (which I honestly don't want to do). -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:02, August 23, 2012 (UTC)
 * The images have been fixed. Somebody else fixed them. I just thought it was the right thing to do to inform somebody about this. I guess you never got the chance to check it out. 75.63.63.66 12:30, August 24, 2012 (UTC)
 * Ah. Good thing, then. :) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 13:22, August 24, 2012 (UTC)

How to download from rutube?
Do you know how to download the videos from rutube.ru? I've tried RealPlayer Downloader, and while that works like a charm with youtube vids, no luck on rutube... any suggestions? BryceLozier (talk) 03:45, August 26, 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I don't. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 04:11, August 26, 2012 (UTC)

Wii avatars of Pat and Vanna
Weren't those used in the DS game as well (which has the same cover art as the Wii version)? Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 04:39, August 26, 2012 (UTC)

Merv's Executive Producer credit
The reason I moved that up to December, is because you put that it began somewhere between December 4 and January 10. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 00:36, August 27, 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, but 1) you put it above December 4 (which I checked when you made the edit; still begins with Nancy's credit) and 2) Merv's credit isn't on any of the other December shows that are available. With things like that, the divider goes above the first episode known to have the change, in this case January 10. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 10:01, August 27, 2012 (UTC)

Grammar
"They reran" or "They were rerun", not "They were reran". TenPoundHammer (talk) 13:12, August 27, 2012 (UTC)

2002 clip
You're good at this kind of thing. Do you know if the clip of the lady solving KELSEY GRAMMER AS DR. FRASIER CRANE with just the R's and S's is still on YouTube? I can't find it. TenPoundHammer (talk) 04:59, August 31, 2012 (UTC)

New RuTube episodes
I added in the ones from Seasons 7 and 14, but since I'm going to be simply horrid at trying to date the Season 2 and 6 shows, I figured I'd put 'em up here.
 * http://rutube.ru/video/b51328d9139e51dfe66cf93cda4910f7/
 * http://rutube.ru/video/06075ff27a0dd5ce023f53fbaf91c28c/
 * http://rutube.ru/video/81851315fff1403561ff6587b51a2204/ (Premiere of Before & After, but I'm too lazy to put it up there :P)
 * http://rutube.ru/video/792dc2e2d818de789e93c24abfcedac2/
 * http://rutube.ru/video/fe8c3df312c3e28ab216aec54c1c8493/

Guint (talk) 21:27, September 7, 2012 (UTC)

Many thanks to you, sir. :) In order, mostly for my own sanity [all are GSN airings]: I'll sort these out later. :P -Daniel Benfield (talk) 04:47, September 7, 2012 (UTC)
 * Diane/Linda/Ronda (May 2, 1985)
 * Rita/Lynn/Jonas (January 1985, pre-graphic changes)
 * Michelle/Bettye/Andy with debut of Before & After (February 27, 1989)
 * Ken/Chris/Eugene (February 13-16, 1989 {Wipeout Week II})
 * Lynne/Carol/Eugene (February 14-17, 1989 {Wipeout Week II})

Season 30
I found out some more changes from Fox19.com.

- The prize wedge also is awarding the $500 per consonant.

- The decades category is returning.

- Any Wheel Watchers club member who logs onto the website within 24 hours also gets $5,000 in cash with their prize.99.135.95.201 21:55, September 13, 2012 (UTC)

- The tossup cue is still the same one used since Februay 2007, but hopefully the main theme and puzzle solve cues will be changed, and then the tossup cues bonus round music and speed up music get changed midway into this season. (CubsRule939 (talk) 04:18, September 17, 2012 (UTC))

And where exactly is the "discussions" tab?

The Season 30 section doesn't say anything about a new version of the theme. Does this mean they're still using the 2006 Happy Wheels and the John Hoke theme from Season 25? (CubsRule939 (talk) 00:18, September 18, 2012 (UTC))

Prize Puzzles
I don't understand how Wheel of Fortune could do such a thing as to stop using Prize Puzzle graphics or take away home viewers being able to win the prizes. Over the years since the Prize Puzzle was introduced, SPIN ID's have been given to members so they could win the same prizes? Why would they stop doing this? 76.202.227.173 02:04, September 18, 2012 (UTC)
 * I guess I'll answer the question. First off, forgive me, but I think the Prize Puzzle is a crappy idea, and should never have been an idea period. Now to the questions. First, the Prize Puzzle graphics are absolutely pointless now that the Puzzle is crippled to one round (which was an equally bad move). Also, the SPIN ID thing was most likely removed for Prize Puzzles because of all the other crap Wheel is doing this season, meaning they had to do something for time. Besides, Wheel is now doing that $5K a day deal, so I guess that makes up for it. Guint (talk) 21:43, September 18, 2012 (UTC)
 * Agreed on the crappiness of it and redundancy of the graphics, but the fact it's limited to one round means that each round has something special about it. Besides, I'd rather have $5,000 cash than some trip (actually, I'd rather have a practical prize, but Wheel doesn't like offering those). -Daniel Benfield (talk) 22:07, September 18, 2012 (UTC)
 * While I agree on the each round being theme (which I like), they could've done at least something like $10K/Jackpot/Mystery. :P Guint (talk) 00:22, September 19, 2012 (UTC)
 * My take on this is that the $5K is better than the trip, mainly because of the amount of taxes on it. Let's face it--you'll have to pay more in taxes on your prize winnings than on your cash winnings. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 02:55, September 19, 2012 (UTC)
 * Think about this for a moment. First, they got rid of cars in 2009. Then they brought them back, but would no longer be eligible for Wheel Watchers Club members. They then scrapped the $50,000 SonyCard last season, and now they dropped SPIN IDs for the Prize Puzzles. Aren't Wheel Watchers Club members upset about this? Some probably had SPIN IDs ready on the Season 30 premiere only to find out that they could no longer win the Prize Puzzle. Might there be backlash on this? 76.202.227.173 14:21, September 20, 2012 (UTC)
 * Honestly, dropping the $50,000 SonyCard bonus was a great idea, namely because it offered more than most episodes gave away. As for the backlash, I don't think so, mainly because they're still awarding something (namely, $5,000 cash) to SPIN ID holders. If a bunch of people tune out solely because they can't win trips anymore, the problem's with them. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 16:54, September 20, 2012 (UTC)
 * Why would they have introduced the $50,000 SonyCard bonus or draw SPIN ID numbers for home viewers in the first place if they were going to eventually scrap them? 99.141.137.164 20:56, September 22, 2012 (UTC)

No shoes no shirt etc.
The phrase dates back a long time. Kenny Chesney had a song of that name in 2002 (actually "problems", but close enough), Jeff Foxworthy named his biography that in the 90s, and I'm sure it goes back much further. TenPoundHammer (talk) 21:10, September 18, 2012 (UTC)

$700
Is the season 30 template the first one to have more than one $700, or were there others? 99.141.137.164 20:55, September 22, 2012 (UTC)