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 2012, see User talk:Daniel Benfield/2011 Archive and User talk:Daniel Benfield/2012 Archive.)

I checked the May 1991 episodes of Goen's Wheel
And they happen to have $1,000 for Round 2 and $1,250 for Rounds 3 and up, so that's how I figured that out when I made that edit. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 01:41, January 7, 2013 (UTC)
 * That's odd. As far as I could tell, that wasn't the case on May 23, and I'm pretty sure it isn't on the June or August episodes... -Daniel Benfield (talk) 02:51, January 7, 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, if it's not the May, June or August episodes; then that narrows it down to the Cashpot shows. (The only June show available was during the Summer Vacation Bonanza; and IIRC, usually sweepstakes shows cut the minimum # of rounds down to 3; like the Cash and Splash episodes from Season 7 on nighttime). Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 05:47, January 7, 2013 (UTC)
 * If you're talking about Suanne's episodes (May 23-24, and 27), they all follow the normal round/top dollar value structure ($500 for the first two rounds, $1,000 in R3, and $1,250 for R4+). The Summer Vacation Bonanza episode guess-dated as June 28 (the one supposedly reran on September 20) follows the three-round structure you're talking about ($500 in R1, $1,000 in R2, and $1,250 for R3). I'm pretty sure the Teen Week finale from August 9 (long believed to be from February) follows the "normal" round structure as well. Otter Mii-kun (talk) 00:55, January 8, 2013 (UTC)

1974 pilots
Hey, I thought I'd let you know, in case you haven't already, Youtube user GameLover1949 has posted the complete first 1974 pilot of Wheel of Fortune online. 99.139.124.69 02:05, January 20, 2013 (UTC)
 * It's been common knowledge for months. :) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:10, January 20, 2013 (UTC)

Season 30
I'm watching tonight's episode from January 21, but they didn't show a partially filled Bonus Round puzzle. I thought they're supposed to on every single episode.75.5.65.146 00:41, January 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * If the game runs overtime, they have to cut something. There was a Military week show a couple of months ago that had to remove the retro Bonus Round and chop down the intro because the game really ran overtime. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 02:40, January 22, 2013 (UTC)

Cash Values
Since $650 and $700 returned in Season 30, do you think that it's possible that one day $750 and $850 could return, or that maybe even $950 could become a playable value? I mean, I never expected $650 to return and was surprised and happy when it did. 75.5.65.146 15:47, January 22, 2013 (UTC)

Board games
hey, Daniel is it ok if I can upload all the board games pictures?, asuming if that's cool with you of course(Gameshowsareforever (talk) 18:22, February 4, 2013 (UTC)).
 * You know, it's fun to see that you asked after uploading 41 damn pictures, almost none of which are properly named. It's also fun to see that you swiped almost all of them from eBay; know how I can tell? I've seen most of those shots on eBay, and some of your uploads had the same naming scheme. Three things:
 * 1) This isn't my Wiki. It's TenPoundHammer's.
 * 2) We have a Manual of Style for a reason. I suggest you read it.
 * 3) What in the living hell was the point of asking me six hours after uploading a crapton of pictures and three hours after adding them to the damn page?!
 * No. You failed at common sense. You're banned for three days. Maybe then you'll learn something. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:12, February 5, 2013 (UTC)

Nancy/Beverly/Karen and Beverly/Dorian/Bill
The sentence, "the voiceover that plugs Gimme a Break! also plugs the Fame episode originally aired March 25; according to the New York Times historical database, both episodes in question were rerun on September 2," baffles me. It sounds like this sentence is stating that the Nancy/Beverly/Karen and Beverly/Dorian/Bill episodes actually did originally air on March 11 and 12 1982 and were rerun on September 2 and 3, hence the stated commercial about "The National Enquirer." I mean, think about this. When GSN airs a rerun from an old Wheel of Fortune episode, you don't expect to see the commercials that were used on the original airdate in that rerun, do you? No, so I think that the Gimme a Break! promo and NFL preseason confirm March 11 and 12 and the National Enquirer was a commercial seen in the rerun of it. I mean, it is that sentence about the Fame episode. It sounds like "both episodes in question were rerun on September 2" makes it sound like you are referring to these two Wheel of Fortune episodes. Can you help me out here, please?76.217.110.133 02:16, February 7, 2013 (UTC)
 * Answer:
 * The voiceover plugs the Gimme a Break! episode of March 11 and the Fame episode of March 25. As such, it can't be March 11. I've received confirmation that both of said episodes were reshown on September 2, hence why both are plugged.
 * The NFL preseason promo on "March 12" is of a game held in early September.
 * The National Enquirer "Fall Preview" promo is in one of the aforementioned shows, which creates a conflict.
 * Basically, there's no evidence whatsoever that the episodes originally aired on March 11-12. The only reason that myth's there is because they were misdated for about 15 years. I hope that clears it up. :) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:46, February 7, 2013 (UTC)

Double Play
Where'd you find out that information? I thought it would never be figured out, that landing on a prize or Surprise after using Double Play would result in an option to take the token back or apply it to the next spin. I thought the value of a prize or surprise would be doubled. 75.4.131.191 13:19, February 11, 2013 (UTC)
 * The info came from the quarterly newsletter "Off Camera", which Wheel published from the beginning of 1993 through Fall 1996 (15 issues). Someone put the series on eBay along with the letter of cancellation (sent over a year after the last issue, strangely), the envelope it was in, and the cool-looking keychain that was included; it was won by our own StrangerCoug (the only one who bid on the lot), who posted info from it here – among other things, it's how we discovered that a supposed one-week discrepancy in the 1995 portion of Season 12 wasn't actually there.
 * Since the Double Play info came from an official source, it was added. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 00:38, February 12, 2013 (UTC)
 * Why would Double Play double the $10,000 cash prize, but not the value of a Surprise or Prize wedge? 75.5.78.218 13:45, February 12, 2013 (UTC)
 * Because it was just easier, I guess. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 23:32, February 12, 2013 (UTC)

My "Budget Mode" edit
You don't think it makes any sense? I know they use it on other game shows like Price Is Right (daytime mostly), so I'd thought it would apply here as well. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 15:43, February 12, 2013 (UTC)
 * "Budget Mode" isn't a term used on the show itself, nor is it something that can really be accurately measured on 1980s episodes. The term does apply to the show, certainly, but I don't see how it assists in research and identifying episodes, hence it was removed. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 23:32, February 12, 2013 (UTC)

1974 pilot
I'm watching the first 1974 pilot and something odd has come to my attention. In overhead shots when the Wheel is spinning, all three contestants' arrows appear blue, yet they are shown in other shots to be red for Player 1, yellow for Player 2 and blue for Player 3. Why do all three appear to be blue when the camera is overhead the Wheel?75.63.58.230 01:40, February 20, 2013 (UTC)

Miscellaneous merchandise
Should we start up a page for miscellaneous merchandise? There's a section for such on the Game Shows Wiki, and that was my inspiration for such a page here. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 18:48, February 24, 2013 (UTC)
 * I say go for it. "Board games and other merchandise" will have to be renamed, and I suppose it could just go back to "Board games" with stuff like the calendars and Penny Press books put into "Miscellaneous merchandise" (or some name along those lines). -Daniel Benfield (talk) 13:59, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * (The Price Is Right has a Wiki now?)
 * The Price Is Right has had a Wiki, priceisright.wikia.com BryceLozier (talk) 15:09, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * I just thought about it--we could leave the title as is ("Board games and other merchandise"), and separate it into two sub-sections (one for board games, one for other merchandise). Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 16:23, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * don't mean to "butt-in" to your conversation, but I wouldn't be suprised if in the future their's a "Family Feud Wiki" or a "Jeopardy! Wiki" etc. (LOL!)(Gameshowsareforever (talk) 18:04, February 26, 2013 (UTC))

Speed-up category
I don't recall seeing it on any nighttime episodes before BMOC. TenPoundHammer (talk) 21:30, February 25, 2013 (UTC)

Moving comments
thanks for the moving comments thing and once again I'm sorry for the tracker bar with the Wheel DVD pics, I wish that I could find those same pictures (minus the tracker Bar) but I can't, also the clips according to some sources are from lawrenceeverson.com when you got to it's website and click on "DIRECTING" for the video.(Gameshowsareforever (talk) 22:15, February 25, 2013 (UTC))

I thought the "five-and-a-vowel" Bonus Round was used from 1981-88...
The timeline mentions that tonight's Retro Bonus Round puzzle predates that (1984). The only Bonus Round that predates the "five and a vowel" Bonus Round that I know of was the Star Bonus in 1978. Am I right or am I wrong? Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 05:26, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I saw that too. I changed it to say "three-and-a-vowel". -Daniel Benfield (talk) 12:35, February 26, 2013 (UTC)

"Wheel of Fortune" (Goen) Rochelle/Tammy/Hury (summer, 1990)
I did some checking on the aforementioned Monday episode; I've pinpointed its airdate as July 23, 1990.

I came about this by looking at all the TV Guide issues from the given date range (July 16-August 27); I looked at the listing for each Tuesday's CBS This Morning (mentioned in the show's voiceover promo); it was on the morning of Tuesday, July 24, that supermodel Cheryl Tiegs appeared on CBSTM.

68.106.243.64 05:37, February 26, 2013 (UTC)R.J.S.
 * Hey, thanks! :) I'll update the appropriate pages shortly. By the way, I'm not sure if you have these issues, but is there anything in any July 1989-June 1990 TV Guide issues about a daytime week with soap stars? -Daniel Benfield (talk) 12:35, February 26, 2013 (UTC)

Semicircle Jackpot Readout
I've got a bunch of Season 14 episodes up right now and I don't understand what is with the Jackpot readout. The College Week shows in San Francisco in November 1996 use the normal style with the thick font, but December 3, 1996 shows the thinner font as does January 9, 1997 with the readout being much smaller. This is something that should be checked because the thinner font was apparently used on and off.75.63.57.104 18:03, February 26, 2013 (UTC)

About the Classic Press Your Luck Big Board...
You said they didn't really randomize the light patterns after Larsen? I've heard from a bunch of game show fans that they did. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 00:49, March 13, 2013 (UTC)
 * Full explanation here. Put simply, they used a different set of five patterns beginning shortly (seven episodes) after Larson's run, which lasted just over a month before being changed to a different set of five...which themselves only got a little over two weeks before being replaced by a set of 32 patterns that were used for the rest of the run.
 * And because I'm curious: where did you hear that the light patterns were randomized? -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:39, March 13, 2013 (UTC)

The show has never used kids as contestants?
Not even the My Favorite Teacher weeks? (I can't even recall the grade levels of some of those players, but it definitely wasn't HS) Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 22:54, March 21, 2013 (UTC)

The trapezoid N logo
You sure that was used in '87? From what I know the only logo NBC has been using since 1986 is the current one. (Though I do know that they used both a logo with a peacock *and* and N together) Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 19:34, March 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * Some affiliates, plus the network's movie-of-the-week presentations, still used the N logo. And honestly, I don't think the page needs all that info. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 20:36, March 27, 2013 (UTC)

Inaccuracies on Francini's site
So you don't believe that part about Terri being able to buy every prize with the $70K+ she would've won (as he had it)?

Only other section of the site that I know that has been called into question about accuracy is the TPIR Pricing Game Directory, but that's about it. His PYL site is pretty much 100% accurate. Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 04:41, April 8, 2013 (UTC)
 * About Terri: $63,000 would've bought quite a lot, yes, but I don't think it could've been more than one side of the turntable (pretty sure those were the rules, anyway) and it definitely wasn't going to be everything given the high-value bonus prizes.
 * Francini's Pricing Game Directory is definitely outdated and inaccurate: no pictures of updated sets, no shots from the Carey era, and no page on Finish Line. The Press Your Luck section is okay, but some of the links are dead (such as the one to Curt King's PC game and the one to the TVRules message board) and...well, I don't quite know. The site as a whole hasn't been updated in a very long time, so there's nothing on the many finds of 2012 (for example). It was a good base for the History Wiki, and it has some good "hidden" Wheel pictures if you follow the numbering system for the photos, but this has superseded it many times over. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 20:55, April 8, 2013 (UTC)

Looking for a 1989 episode...
Hello. My name is Jen and I am looking for the episode of Wheel of Fortune my mom was on. Her name was Candace Rodriguez. She was on in 1989. I checked your site and could not find it. We had a copy but it was destroyed in a flood. I would love to give her a copy for her birthday in July. It would make her day! If you can help me please let me know. My e-mail is [removed]. 04:54, April 17, 2013 (UTC)68.102.130.89Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerly, Jen
 * See your talk page. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 17:53, April 17, 2013 (UTC)

Changing Keys
How do we know for a fact that it was August 8, 1983 that "Changing Keys" and the Wheel chant were introduced? The only show of 1983 I've ever seen before the nighttime debut was a May 1983 episode with the '10,000th Wheel check-up joke' and that used "Big Wheels" and no chant. Obviously given what I've seen, it appears the changes could have been made anytime between that May episode and the nighttime debut.99.139.124.135 00:28, April 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * First of all, "the nighttime debut" differed depending on the market, so the change had to occur no later than the date of the first nighttime taping, and since both versions tended to change on the same day... Regardless, the info comes from those who actually watched Wheel back then. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:30, April 22, 2013 (UTC)
 * Okay, thanks. Some websites that I was on claiming it was on the nighttime debut just left me baffled.68.255.6.42 11:52, April 22, 2013 (UTC)

My "PlayMania" edit on the Parodies and Appearances page
So you and/or TPH decided not to include games that play similarly to Wheel (like PlayMania's AlphaBuck$ or the $1M Chance of a Lifetime. Any reason for this? Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 02:33, April 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * Because they aren't parodies or appearances – they're copies. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:02, April 27, 2013 (UTC)

E! True Hollywood
Where did you got the episode of WoF in E! -Carlandre5000 (talk) 01:16, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * I got a partial copy (about the first 30 minutes) from a user on the Buy A Vowel boards. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 17:26, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * Would you be able to contact E! about obtaining a complete copy of it? I know some networks, like the Discovery Channel networks, release home videos/DVD's of their shows, couldn't remember if E! was one of the ones that did. BryceLozier (talk) 18:33, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * Some THS episodes have been released to DVD, but not always where applicable (the Married With Children one, for instance, was never on that show's DVD sets) and generally not to anyone except for Emmy consideration. I'm pretty sure it isn't as easy as just asking them for a copy, mainly because it'd likely cost money for said copy and I'm not likely to have that much money to spare for such a thing. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 18:40, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, it was an idea. BryceLozier (talk) 18:51, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * It's a good idea, Bryce, and I'm not saying otherwise. If someone wants to try it, I'd love to hear how it turns out, but I'm just not the guy who'd have the funds to pay for a copy. (I hope that makes sense.) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 19:22, April 28, 2013 (UTC)
 * Just sent an email to the network in my name (didn't mention this Wiki at all, so we're good there), seeing if they offer episodes on DVD, and specifically referenced the Wheel episode. I'll let you know what I find out. BryceLozier (talk) 19:48, April 28, 2013 (UTC)

Celebrities
Can you please try to find any of the following?


 * Any celeb weeks (Seasons 13-19)
 * Any prerecorded celeb messages, Season 25
 * Tennis players who did the intros, week of May 30, 2011
 * Anyone I missed in Season 30 (NBA?)

And any others we've missed so far. TenPoundHammer (talk) 00:33, May 19, 2013 (UTC)
 * I've already scanned through the timelines several times trying to find entries for that page, and I'm afraid that things have just gotten way too monotonous for me at the moment. (Besides, you've been editing the page so much I've rarely got a word in. :P) -Daniel Benfield (talk) 00:58, May 19, 2013 (UTC)
 * And I've also noticed that one or perhaps both of you have removed Hot Potato from Bill Cullen's entry as well as the fact that his version wasn't to be confused with Dick Clark's version (as both did share the same title and each was a guest on their respective version). Were either or both of those irrelevant? Gameshowguy2000 (talk) 23:40, May 19, 2013 (UTC)
 * Regarding The $25,000 Pyramid, the years are listed to avoid ambiguity. Also, it says "among his most successful were" – Hot Potato ran just six months, so I replaced it with two shows that were pretty successful. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:06, May 20, 2013 (UTC)

Season 31
I've been on a couple of sources which claim that Wheel of Fortune will premiere its 31st season on September 9, 2013 and I just want to know if this is true, because I've been desperately praying for the premiere to be on September 2.99.135.90.179 02:56, May 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * Two things: 1) I don't know if that's true (citing your sources would really help) and 2) if you're praying for a specific start date for a game show (or for that matter, praying about any TV show), you should probably find something more important to pray about. -Daniel Benfield (talk) 03:13, May 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * http://www.tv.com/shows/wheel-of-fortune/ Hope this helps. 99.135.90.179 14:45, May 25, 2013 (UTC)

Font names
Where'd you find out about the Shopper's Bazaar font being the Hopkins font, and Fortune being another name for Chesterfield? Good work on that, now all I can see missing is the name of the 'monospaced' font for the 1978-1985 category strips. BryceLozier (talk) 17:25, May 25, 2013 (UTC)