Wheel of Fortune History Wiki
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The immense popularity of Wheel of Fortune since its 1975 debut has caused the format to be sold in many countries around the world, albeit to varying amounts of success. These international versions tend to deviate from the normal American format and typically offer less (or more) money depending on the available budget, puzzle difficulty, and Wheel layouts.

Many of these versions also had home games, published by companies such as Waddington's and branches of Milton Bradley, which were usually localized versions of the American games (and most frequently those made by Pressman) with near-identical parts. Additionally, many of the European adaptions published by Milton Bradley (along with Mexico's adaption albeit with different colors) used France's 1987 Round 1 layout for the spinner unless noted below.

As of May 2024, twenty countries outside the United States are known to still be airing their own version of Wheel: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

(Note that with the exception of the British and Australian versions, none of these versions will have an article on this Wiki. If you know a lot about a particular version and want to make a Wikia site all about its history, hosts, etc., then feel free to do so.)

Argentina[]

Argentina's version was originally part of Tiempo Límite ATP, which ran on America TV in the mid-late 2000s.

It returned as its own show on September 13, 2021 titled La Ruleta de Tus Sueños, meaning "The Roulette of Your Dreams." Its aesthetics are strongly inspired by the Spanish version.

Australia[]

For a timeline, see Wheel of Fortune timeline (Australia).

Probably the most well-known iteration to those outside its home country, the Aussie Wheel was a Reg Grundy production which ran on the Seven Network from 21 July 1981 to 28 July 2006 for 5,093 episodes. The show began with Ernie Sigley and Adriana Xenides on a set that (per Grundy's standard) heavily resembled the then-current American one, down to the green-glitter backdrops behind the players. Around 1984, the contestant backdrops were replaced by a set of sunbursts nearly identical to the then-current American ones, which were in turn replaced in late 1992 by circles and quadrants. John Burgess replaced Sigley in June 1984, and he and Xenides became the faces of Wheel in Australia.

The contestant podiums for players 1 and 2 were always red and yellow, but player 3's podium was originally green. The podium changed to turquoise circa 1992's changes to the "circle-and-quadrant" style, and finally to blue by 1996.

The format was mostly the same as the American version. Contestants were also allowed to repeatedly grab the pegs while spinning in order to help elongate the spin, a rule that New Zealand's version (and possibly Turkey's) would use, as the wheel itself was relatively heavy like the original American version's wheel. There was also a different scoring system: amounts were not multiplied by how many times the letter was in the puzzle, but the contestant never had to solve to keep his/her bank for that round; as a result, vowels cost a mere $50. Other differences in the scoring system included securing earnings from a future Bankrupt after solving a puzzle and that the Bonus and Surprise wedges had no effect on scores. Until Burgess' departure, a player solving a puzzle spent their bank as well as any carryover money on prizes. In the case of a tie at the end of the game, a spin-off occurred, and the player who spun the highest value won the game. In addition, any values spun during the spin-off would be added to the players score and, during the shopping era, could be used to purchase prizes even if the player who solved the last puzzle did not win the spin-off. Early in the show's run, only the winner of the game was allowed to keep any prizes that s/he may have earned.

The Wheel had 96 pegs with each wedge being four pegs wide, compared to 72 pegs with three pegs per wedge in most other versions. The dollar values were all multiples of 5, instead of the 50 of most versions.

Originally, the Bonus Round, known in this version as the Major Prize Round, was played for a single prize announced at the beginning of the show. The puzzle itself gave the player two consonants and a vowel, then an additional consonant for every $2,000 the player had earned – up to $38,000 for all the consonants. Around 1987, the day's winner would spin a Golden Wheel to determine the prize they would play for, and one of the prizes was a car. From 2000-2004, one of the car spaces on the Golden Wheel featured two Jackpot sections. If the champion spun up one of those sections, the player played for the car as well as a cash jackpot worth $2,000 plus $100 a night until it was won. The largest jackpot ever won was $25,000.

At the beginning of 1996, the puzzle board was upgraded to have four rows and Burgess shaved off his mustache. A new scoring rule was added; any unsecured cash would still be carried over to the next round, but it would no longer count towards the final score unless the contestant solved the final main game puzzle.

Burgess was replaced by Tony Barber on 15 July of the same year, and the format and set were overhauled (among other things, no more shopping; a inclined Wheel; a "five envelopes" Bonus/Major Prize Round much like the American one; and a new theme song that incorporated lyrics). In addition, while still referred to as "dollars", the scoring system essentially became points, and the aforementioned final puzzle solve rule from the beginning of the year was dropped.

Burgess' departure was abrupt and, he since claimed, it was an accident that he even found out about it: the show had decided to move to Sydney, and Burgess' last episode on 12 July has him mentioning this with the pronoun "we", including himself. Viewers did not take to the changes, even after the Golden Wheel and classic theme were reinstated on August 19, and moreso when Adriana left in November due to suffering from depression (Kerrie Friend filled in for her). As a result, the old format (excluding shopping) returned later in the year, followed by Barber passing the torch to new host Rob Elliott in January 1997. Adriana returned in July, but left permanently in June 1999 and was replaced by Sophie Falkiner.

To celebrate its 22nd Anniversary, Wheel did a special three-week tournament from 11-29 August 2003: representatives from the Australian states competed in a series of heats, and the biggest winners from those played for the title of "State Champion" and go for a Renault Clio in the Bonus/Major Prize Round; home viewers were also awarded $10,000 each day, for a total of $150,000. These episodes were the first to air in high-definition, and also debuted a new set of graphics (including new opening/closing credits); Melanie Simon filled in for Falkiner for a few episodes during the tournament, including the finale.

Elliott left on 28 November, replaced by Steve Oemcke when the show returned in February 2004; this also saw the introduction of a new, touch-based puzzle board, and Flip-Up puzzles were also introduced. Wheel was shelved in December due to low ratings, although 20 episodes had been recorded (with Oemcke and a visibly-pregnant Falkiner) for the new year.

When the show returned on 30 January 2006, it had been freshened up with new hosts Larry Emdur and Laura Csortan. Gameplay was the same as in 2004, although the cash jackpot was no longer offered in the Major Prize Round.

21 March was both the 5,000th episode and a celebration of the show's 25th Anniversary, with special 5,000 wedges on the Wheel (two in Round 1, one on the yellow 110 and the other on the yellow 150; a third was added in Round 2, with the wedges moved to three yellow wedges: 450, 385, and 310; as a result, the Surprise Wedge was moved to the red 530); no clips were shown, however. The 5,000 was treated as a Prize wedge: 5,000 points were added to the player's score, but if the player solved the puzzle, they won $5,000 in cash. The 5,000 wedge was also placed on the top value in Round 4, along with two Mystery Wedges placed on blue wedges: 220 and 295 (between Bankrupt and 375).

While Wheel ended again on 28 July, the network still had some unfinished business: from 31 July-25 August, the 10:00 AM slot consisted of the 20 unaired Oemcke shows, the first of which had a "welcome back to 2005" message.

2008

MDW Australia


The programme returned briefly on the Nine Network from 26 May-27 June 2008 as Million-Dollar Wheel of Fortune, hosted by Tim Campbell and Kelly Landry. While the American version adopted the Million-Dollar Wedge almost immediately afterward, the Australian version only used it in Round 1 (on the yellow $110 between $200 and $165), greatly decreasing the already-small chance of awarding it. The gameplay and scoring system were the same as before, except contestants played for cash and only kept what was secured by solving puzzles.

Interestingly, the category strips continued to call the "decade" categories by their written form (i.e., "The Sixties") through at least part of 2006, and Fill In the Blank was still called "Blank" on Million-Dollar Wheel. Also, the Puzzler became exclusive to home viewers, not unlike the Preview Puzzle. A common occurrence on Australian versions was the use of infinitives as Phrase puzzles (e.g., TO SCARE THE PANTS OFF SOMEONE), perhaps one of the more notable departures from the American version in the show's writing.

As in early 1996, only secured cash from regular play counted towards the Major Prize Round, although the rule was applied inconsistently during this run. Normally, the Golden Wheel had a single $200,000 wedge, and another $200,000 wedge was added each time it was not won, Taking the Million-Dollar Wedge to the Bonus Round only replaced one of these wedges.

Gameplay Elements
Initially, the top amounts were $240 in Round 1, $460 in Round 2, and $1,200 in Rounds 3+; these were increased in 1985 to $360/$690/$1,800, followed by $400/$750/$2,000 beginning on the 2,000th episode in 1990. In 1995, the top values were upped to $500/$1,000/$2,000 (although from July 1996 until 1997, and again from 1999-2000, it used a 500/1,000/1,000/2,000 structure). On 13 March 2000, the values were increased for the last time to 750/1,500/1,500/2,500, and on the second week of Million-Dollar Wheel, the structure changed to $750/$1,500/$2,500/$2,500.

  • Bankrupt - from July 1996 to 1998, it had the further penalty of wiping out that player's score in the game up to that point. Originally, there was one Bankrupt in Round 1 and two for subsequent rounds; from July to October 1996, the second Bankrupt only appeared in Round 4, with its position being replaced by a blue 600. From 1997 to 2008, only the first two rounds featured only one Bankrupt on the wheel. Sometime in 2000, the second Bankrupt was moved to the green 210 between 600 and 165; at some point later on, it moved again to the purple 180, and in 2006 it was on the red (changed to red-violet in 2008) $180.
  • Lose A Turn - exactly like the American version. There was one wedge in Rounds 1-3 (Rounds 1-2 until July 1996 and again from 1997-98) and two in Round 4 (Round 3 in the aforementioned timeframes).
  • Free Spin - just like the American version, except it could also be used in Speed Up rounds. Originally, it was a green wedge (changed to blue in 1992), but in July 1996 it became a small golden (changed to silver in 2008) rectangular token on a blue 250 (which also allowed the player to add 250 to their score). In 1997, it was moved to the purple 135 (later 150 {the purple [$]150 was changed to light green in 2008}). The Free Spin was awarded before the contestant gave a letter, though as was the case before the change, more than one could be awarded and the space was only present in Round 1.
    • The Free Spin tokens given to the contestants also had several different appearances: gold, wide hexagon tokens that also stick on the podium (at least 1994); a light blue, curved rectangle for the Tony Barber era; a yellow curved rectangle for Rob Elliott's tenure; a blue piece shaped like the puzzle board from 2004-06; and a silver curved square with red lettering for the 2008 version.
  • Speed Up - also like the American version, except the arrow used to determine the value of each consonant was that of the player in control when Speed Up began and Free Spins could be used. In the event the host landed on the Prize wedge, the first player to call a correct letter picked up the prize and received the value underneath it, but had to solve the puzzle to claim the prize; the value underneath the Prize wedge then became the value for the rest of the round. The move to Speed Up was indicated by a ringing school bell (rather than a tugboat bell like in America) during the Seven Network run.
    • Possibly to adhere to a four round structure, a rule was introduced at some point that there could be more than one Speed Up in an episode. There have been several instances of Rounds 3 and 4 being played as full Speed Up rounds, and the bell has also sounded in Round 2 (with one instance being the 2006 premiere and another being on a 2003 "Stars & Cars" episode).
    • By August 1994, Speed Up rounds were split screened with the contestants at the top and the puzzle board on the bottom like the American version. This was swapped by 1999 until the original split screen was restored for Million-Dollar Wheel.
  • Bonus Wedge - worked like a Prize wedge, except that it's won right after a correct letter on the wedge. The wedge was blue for most of the run, originally gold with bold black writing from 1993-July 1996 and a small silver token during the Barber era. The wedge was placed where the Surprise had been; as the token, it was on the blue $390 in Rounds 2-3 (its Round 4 location is unknown). The wedge returned in mid-2006 on the orange $250 in Round 1, the green $180 in Rounds 2-3, and the orange $180 in Round 4.
  • Red Mystery Letter (1994-July 1996, 1997-2006) - if a letter revealed was red, the value spun was doubled and added to the contestant's score.
  • Goodie (1995-July 1996) - A prize that was automatically awarded regardless of outcome to whoever landed on it. Once landed on, the wedge was immediately removed and the cash value under it was played for.
  • Surprise Wedge (1995-96, 1999-2008) - just like the US version. Contestants had to call a correct letter and solve the puzzle to win the prize. In its first stint, it was placed on the yellow $180 in Round 1, the yellow $210 in Round 2, and the blue $200 in Round 3. From 1999-2002, it was placed on the red 165 in Rounds 2-3 and the blue 220 in Round 4; sometime after the retirement of the Car Wedge, it was placed in that spot. In 2006, it moved to the red 165 in Round 1 and the red 310 in Rounds 2-3 (it is unknown where it was placed in Round 4). In around July 2006, it moved to the red 120 in Round 1, to the blue 150 in Rounds 2-3, and to the green 295 in Round 4. In the 2008 version, the Surprise changed from red to gray and was on the red-violet $155 for Round 1 (and 2 during the first week) only.
  • Bonus Puzzle - worked like the "bonus" categories of the American version, with a $200 bonus.
  • First Top Dollar Prize - From November to December 1996, a small prize would be given to the first person to spin the top dollar value in the game. Similar to the Goodie wedge from 1995.
  • Car Wedge (13 Mar 2000-2002) - introduced on the same game that the top values were increased to 750/1,500/1,500/2,500. The player who landed on this had to call a correct letter, solve that puzzle, and then solve a later puzzle to win the car. It was placed on the blue 150 in Round 1. The wedge was removed from the Wheel if the game went into Speed-Up.
  • Car Token (13 Mar 2000-2002) - the player who won the Car Wedge from a previous round had to land on this, call a correct letter, and solve that puzzle to win the car. Placed on the green 180 in Rounds 2-3, then the blue 295 between Bankrupt and 375 or the yellow 640 in Round 4. While any contestant would earn the value underneath for calling a correct letter, only the contestant who claimed the Car Wedge could pick up the token. Like the Car Wedge, the token was removed if the game went into Speed-Up.
  • Mystery Wedge (2003-08) – worked like the American version, except the "bribe" was 500 (as both were placed on a blue {changed to light green in 2008} 500) and the Mystery prize was never cash. The 2008 version changed the wedges from blue with yellow numbers and an orange question mark in a purple circle to a red wedge with black numbers and a black question mark in a white circle. The Mystery prize was the only special space that did not award the value underneath after being picked up.
    • The Mystery Wedges had placements (excluding the blue 500s in Rounds 2-3) in mid-2006: red 375, green 385, orange 145, yellow 385, and orange 310 (Round 2); purple 610, yellow 230, orange 145, green 230 between 385 and 430, and orange 310, (Round 3); purple 220, orange 265, green 580, yellow 640, orange 375, yellow 385, and blue 295 between Bankrupt and 375 (Round 4).
    • On at least one show in the Emdur era, there were seven Mystery Wedges on the Wheel starting in Round 2.
    • Prior to Million-Dollar Wheel, the Mystery Wedge was also unique in that flipping over the Bankrupt wedge wiped out a contestant's entire score.
  • Flip-Up/Toss-Up (2004-08) - worked exactly like the Toss-Ups of the American version, albeit with no value. Two Flip-Ups were played, the second before Round 4. A third Flip-Up was played before Round 2 (or in some cases, before Round 3), albeit a Prize Puzzle; like the American version, whoever solved correctly won a prize related to the puzzle, often a small prize. The 2008 version called the Flip-Ups by their American name (Toss Up) and renamed the Prize Puzzle to "Cash Up" (as it now awarded a $500 bonus, though it did not count towards the player's final score). Unlike American Toss-Ups, the first revealed letter was determined at random, and the puzzle could still be solved even after the puzzle was completely revealed.

As an aside, the Australian version is probably the only version to be referenced by the American version outside a "Wheel Around the World" or similar week: the theme song was used as a music bed on April 12, 2004 for a description of a trip to Australia which was that day's Prize wedge.

Home Versions
Croner released at least four editions throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. The spinner layout was exactly the same as Pressman's American layout although the puzzle board display was modeled after the board Australia's version used at the time the first edition was released. As the puzzle cards on the first three editions had the same font Pressman used, the puzzle cards on Australia's fourth edition used the Exotica font. The boxart of the First, Second, and Third Editions featured John Burgess, although the later Third Edition prints had Tony Barber; the Fourth Edition game had Rob Elliot on the cover. A Junior Edition was also released, complete with the original American box art and puzzle board border but with the beige plastic parts of the other games.

In 2002, Crown & Andrews released a home adaption that greatly resembled Pressman's 1986 Deluxe Editions, including add-on wedges that were the same respective values and colors of the American counterparts, although in different fonts. The Wheel itself now resembled Australia's. Although the game's prototype had the same values as Australia's Round 1 Wheel at the time (albeit with silver 750 being recolored blue and the blue 150 next to Bankrupt becoming a Free Spin space), the game was ultimately released with the values rounded up to the nearest 50. Crown & Andrews also released the Simpsons Wheel of Fortune game in 2005 as Pressman's Australian distributor.

Belgium[]

Het Rad Der Fortuin aired on BRT and was hosted by Mike Verdrengh. It is also likely to be the first international adaptation, as it debuted in 1975 and contains elements of the early American episodes, including the Buy A Vowel wedge (and, interestingly, a four-line puzzle board). This version ended later in the decade.

Non-cash wedges were as follows:

  • "Bankroet" means "Bankrupt."
  • "Vrije Spin" means "Free Spin." Sometimes known as "VRIJE BUERT" (Free Turn)
  • "Beurt Verlies" means "Turn Loss." (Lose a Turn)
  • "Koop een Klinker" means "Buy A Vowel." This is the only known country outside the United States to have a "Buy A Vowel" wedge.

A revival, Het Rad Van Fortuin, ran on VTM from 1989-97, hosted at various times by Walter Capiau and Bart Kaell. Buying a vowel cost 10,000 fr. (€247.89), which was also the house minimum per round. The wheel layouts can be found on Deviant Art.

Non-cash wedges in this version were as follows:

  • Bankroet: Bankrupt
  • Verliesbeurt: Lose a Turn
  • Joker: Free Spin
  • Bonus: Bonus prize; this worked the same as the original prize wedges on the US version, in that they were automatically claimed, and then a letter was called or the amount under it. To win it, players had to solve the puzzle without hitting a Bankrupt.

The bonus round just had one designated bonus prize (usually a car), and the contestant picked their own five consonants and a vowel before being given 15 seconds to solve the puzzle.

The show returned on Canvas from 2004-06, hosted by Luc Appermont. This version ended due to new laws that banned any kind of "sweepstakes".

  • The price of vowels changed to €100.
  • The player who solved a €500 toss-up started the first round and a €1,000 toss-up determined who started the third round.

Non-cash wedges in this version are as follows:

  • Banrkoet: Bankrupt
  • Verlies: Lose a Turn (shortened form of "Verliesbeurt")
  • Joker: Free Spin; contestants now had to call a letter in the puzzle in order to claim it.
  • Extra Prijs: Extra Prize. Contestants had to call a letter in the puzzle to claim the prize, and then solve the puzzle without a Bankrupt in order to win it.
  • Molecule: Same as "Extra Prijs," but the prize was always an item from the show's sponsor, Molecule (such as a washer and dryer).
  • Jackpot: Available only in Round 2. The Jackpot began at €3,000, and increased with each wheel spin. Unlike the US version, it only increased if the letter called was in the puzzle. To win it, the player had to land on the space, call a correct letter (at no value), and immediately solve the puzzle.

The bonus round is played like the current US version with a bonus wheel, although with a larger variety of cash, merchandise, and holiday prizes. The player is given R, V, L, N, S, and A, and then picks 3 more consonants and a vowel before being given 10 seconds to solve the puzzle.

In the summer of 2020, Het Rad premiered on channel VIER (4) with Peter Van de Veire as presenter. There is no permanent assistant at the letter board, in each episode there is a BV guest as "typewriter". The first episode aired on August 3 and reached 650,000 viewers. At the end of December 2020, VIER broadcast a second series that scored significantly less than the first series with an average of 260,000 viewers. From January 2021, a special episode of Het Rad has been shown on screen every week and will be played with duos. The first episode of this weekly edition, with BV's playing for charity, reached almost 500,000 viewers.

The game begins with a toss-up puzzle worth €1,000 and the amounts on the wheel in the first two rounds range from €200-€1,000. Vowels cost €500. The wheel also features two mystery wedges, each worth €500 and one wedge hiding €2,000 in spendable money and the other one hiding Bankroet. Whomever wins the second round spends their winnings on prizes. After three more toss-ups, a second Bankroet, a bonus prize wedge and a "mispoes" wedge (gag prize and loss of turn) would be placed on the wheel. In the fifth round, the wheel features a Jackpot space, a Verdubbelaar (double) space, and the top amount increases to €2,000. The jackpot starts at 0 and each correct letter adds the amount earned to said jackpot. The bonus round would be played exactly as America's post-2001 format with a prize inside each of the 24 envelopes.

Brazil[]

One of the many Brazilian game shows hosted by Silvio Santos, Roletrando (a portmanteau of "Roleta" and "soletrando" which mean "Roulette" and "spelling" respectively) aired on SBT from 23 August 1981 to 26 September 1993 and appears to have been at least partly based on the American format. The puzzle board used just three rows, and even began looking similar to its 1974-81 American counterpart. By the 1990s, the shape was changed to that of the 1981-94 American puzzle board, still having three rows. Cláudia Barone served as hostess, although she turned the trilons opposite the way Vanna White turned them.

The Wheel used only one arrow; instead of being placed in front of the host or any of the contestants' podiums, it was placed on the other side of the Wheel.

Vowels were treated the same way as consonants, making spinning and solving the only choices. In addition, all letters were multiplied by the value spun.

Gameplay moved from right to left and each of the three (sometimes four) rounds had a time limit of seven minutes, later reduced to four. If the puzzle was not solved before time expired, the puzzle was revealed and no one won the round, making this one of the few versions to have a possibility to have a game with no winners. By the early 1990s, every player started each round with a bank of Cr$5,000 (cruzeiros). Perde Tudo (Bankrupt; literally Lose Everything) also reset the round score to that amount rather than zero.

By 1991, the Bonus Round began using an envelope holder not unlike the American one in use at the time, albeit larger and with seven envelopes.

By 1992, the contestant backdrops changed to a style similar to the diamond backdrops the American version was using at the time. All players now started each round with no money, and Perde Tudo now brought the scores back down to zero. The time limit for each of the rounds was decreased to four minutes. Additionally, if a turn was lost in any way, the next player had to call a correct letter (at no value) to obtain the turn.

The original theme tune used for Roletrando was the Percy Faith instrumental number Love Music, taken from his 1975 LP Disco Party. While the wheel was spinning, an excerpt of Do It With Your Body by 7th Wonder was played.

2003-present
The current version debuted on 13 October 2003 on SBT, hosted again by Silvio Santos with Patricia Salvador as hostess. It was renamed Roda a Roda ("Spin the Wheel") after the phrase Santos used during the Roletrando era. Note that while the word "Roda" means Wheel, it is also an imperative conjugation of the verb "rodar," meaning to spin, turn, or rotate.

It is also heavily based on the American version and now plays much more like its American counterpart. Gameplay now moves from left to right, but the color podiums are now, from left to right, yellow, green (previously blue), and red. Arrows are now in front of each of the contestants' podiums. The show was originally sponsored by Chevrolet from 2003 to 2005, then Johnson & Johnson in Summer 2005. Starting from Autumn 2005, the show was sponsored by host Silvio Santos under several trademarks from his holding Grupo Silvio Santos, such as Baú da Felicidade (2005 - 2006) and Jequiti (2008 - 2023). Since 2023, Brazilian businessman Sidney Oliveira become the new sponsor for the show.

By 2005 (when the show changed to the new studio similar to the syndication Season 21 studio in the American version), an animation of a witch on a broomstick flying across the screen was shown whenever a contestant landed on Passa a Vez or Perde Tudo, similar to the Whammy animations seen on Press Your Luck. This was later replaced by a computerised witch, used only when a Perde Tudo is hit. As of 2024, the witch is not always seen, but does still appear.[1]

On 4 April 2010, the show introduced three 1 Milhão wedges. As with the American version's Million-Dollar Wedge, a R$1,000,000 envelope was added in the Bonus Round. The differences were that each wedge was placed by the contestants before Round 1, the wedges were entirely green with no Bankrupts (which later adopted to the Million Dollar Wedge in Celebrity Wheel of Fortune), they were picked up before calling a letter (exactly like the American Prize wedges from 1983-90), and they could be lost to Passa A Vez (Lose A Turn) as well as Perde Tudo. To explain the latter rule, on 2 May 2010 the word "Devolve" ("return") was shown at the top of the penalty wedges.

The top prize was won at least four times: 24 October 2010, 8 May 2011, an episode around October 2011, and 29 April 2012. By 2013, however, the 1 Milhão wedges were removed.

Two interesting differences for the revival are that trilons were used until 2013 and, from at least 20 September 2009 through August 2011, Santos would switch places with Salvador partway through each round.

Vowels are still chosen in the same manner as consonants. Originally on this version, vowels awarded only the value spun at a flat rate, but by 2009 the value spun would be multiplied by the number of vowels in the puzzle.

In current normal rounds, each puzzle consists of three words related to the clue. When three letters remain, the player in control is given five seconds to immediately solve the puzzle, otherwise they lose the turn. The next contestant is given the opportunity to spin and solve, followed by the contestant after that. If all three fail to solve the puzzle, nobody wins the round, although Santos/Abravanel will prompt the audience for the correct answer.

The Bonus Round used a Wheel similar to the American one, but instead of the envelope being determined by an arrow (despite one being present), Santos spun the Wheel continuously until the contestant selected any envelope, similar to the American Bonus Round rules used from 1989-2001. The contestant then picked four consonants and a vowel, and after any letters were revealed was given ten seconds to think over what the answer could be before being prompted for a single guess at the puzzle solution. Since 2018, the Bonus Wheel was dismissed.

A weekly hour-long series, Roda a Roda Jequiti (later return to the simply name Roda a Roda since 2023), debuted on 6 September 2008. On 23 April 2012, Santos and Salvador were replaced for both versions by Patricia Abravanel and Liminha, although their run on Jequiti only lasted two episodes before being replaced on 13 May by a revival of Vamos Brincar de Forca ("Let's Play Hangman"), which had been Santos' first program back in 1961; the new version, hosted by Santos, was sponsored by Jequiti as the weekly Roda had been.

When Abravanel and Liminha hosted Roda a Roda, the Wheel's values were significantly decreased: the largest value was R$100 as opposed to R$1,000, although six wedges had this value; the smallest was R$20. All the two-digit values had a shiny star near the bottom of each wedge, similar to the black diamonds used early in the CBS run.

Beginning on 7 October 2012, Vamos began sharing some of the daily Roda set, including an all-new touch-screen puzzle board. Vamos ended on 31 March 2013, being replaced by the return of Roda a Roda Jequiti, now hosted by Santos and Abravanel. The Wheel currently used has one Perde Tudo, three Passa A Vez spaces, and every multiple of R$50 up to R$1,000 (in a pattern where values opposite each other had a difference of R$50), although before Fall 2013 a second R$650 space sat where the R$150 is now. Sometime in 2014, Abravanel was dismissed. Four of the values in the R$350-R$500 range were later replaced by four logo wedges: Baú da Felicidade, TeleSena, Jequiti, and SBT (the latter may be replaced with Sidney Oliveira); they all function as normal R$500 wedges. Initially, the host usually announced the value, while as of 2024, the audience shouts "Quinhentos reais!" (= "Five hundred reais!") every time.

Possibly the biggest change came on 24 September 2014, when the Bonus Round was overhauled into a luck-based game based on one used by some lottery game shows in the United States since 1994 (generally called "Grand Prix"): the winning contestant picks numbers off a board, each of which moves one of three vehicles (in this case a fire truck, an ambulance, and a police car) across a small track. If the contestant's choice crosses the finish line first, s/he wins R$30,000 in addition to their main-game winnings. This is the only known version of Wheel to use a Bonus Round which has no relation or connection to the rest of the game, and the new format is believed to have been introduced for budgetary reasons. Later, that Bonus Round was used in tandem with the normal format (4 consonants + 1 vowel).

In early 2016, the Wheel layout was slightly altered: the magenta R$150 and R$200 spaces are now a light pink color, and the R$50 space is now displayed as $050 instead of $50.

On 30 June 2024, the show finally have major upgrade after nearly 20 years, including new studio and graphic similar to the 2024 revival Italian version.

Bulgaria[]

Колелото на късмета (or Koleloto na kasmeta), hosted by Rumen Lukanov and Jasmina Toshkova, debuted January 18, 2010 on Nova TV.

The gameplay is as follows:

  • The Toss-Up is worth 300 лв (Bulgarian leva) and the right to introduce themselves.
  • After the contestant introduction, there is the first Speed-Up round starting with the player in the red position.
  • Round 1 starts with the winner of the first Speed-Up round. The top value is 500 лв.
  • Rounds 2 and 3 starts with the player in third place.
  • Following Round 3 is the second Toss-Up worth 100 лв.
  • Round 4 starts with the winner of the second Toss-Up. The top value is now 1,000 лв, increased from the purple 50 лв next to Bankrupt. In addition, the green 150 лв is increased to 600 лв, the red 250 лв is upped to 700 лв, and the second Bankrupt replaces the blue 350 лв.
  • After Round 4, there is the second Speed-Up round starting with the player in the yellow position, followed by the third Toss-Up worth 100 лв.
    BulgariaLoseEverything
  • Round 5 begins with the winner of the third Toss-Up. The "green 50 лв-Bankrupt" stretch is replaced by a six-peg 5,000 лв/Губиш всичко/2,000 лв wedge with each section two pegs wide. Губиш всичко (or Lose Everything) acts like Bankrupt, but also takes the contestant's winnings earned in previous rounds.
  • Throughout the game, vowels cost 100 лв.

In the Bonus Round, the envelopes on the bonus wheel conceal cash amounts from 5,000 to 100,000 leva. Λ, Р, С, Т, and А are given and the contestant chooses three consonants and a vowel. S/he then has 10 seconds to solve the puzzle. 

Cambodia[]

A version ostensibly for children aired around 2009 on CTN, as can be seen in this video. The Wheel on this version, clearly modeled after Russia's (read below), is short, with a stark black/white contrast on the wedges, very tall pegs, and a single arrow in the center. The theme resembles "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music.

Nothing is known about this version outside of the aforementioned video.

Canada[]

A French-Canadian version, La Roue Chanceuse, was hosted by Donald Lautrec and Lyne Sarrazin. This iteration, airing on TQS from May 1, 1989 to Spring 1992, borrowed and mixed various elements from the American series with and a set that could be best described as a "knockoff" of the 1986-89 daytime one. In 1990 or 1991, the set was altered: the host backdrop was replaced by a variation of the American version's Bonus Round chevrons, and the "knockoff" sunburst backdrops were replaced by a set of hexagons (which would sometimes have large stars placed over them).

For this version, "BANKRUPT" was known as "BANQUEROTE," Lose a Turn was known as "TOUR PERDU," and Free Spin "TOUR GRATUIT." The top values on the wheel started with 500$ in round one, 750$ added in round two, and 1,000$ added in round three. The Wheel layouts were heavily modeled after those used the American daytime version used from 1986 to 1989. Vowels cost 250$, but the player did not pay the fee if the vowel chosen was not in the puzzle, exactly like on France's version (read below). The way the Final Spin worked was the same way as Australia's version in which the value was determined by the arrow of the player in control. Also similar to Australia's version, there were times where there were two rounds each with a Final Spin.

By 1991, the "TOUR GRATUIT" space in Round 1 became a space worth 150$, but it was now covered by a token with a new name of "TOUR LIBRE."

Also present were a very similar opening sequence (complete with a theme very similar to "Changing Keys"), a version of the W-H-E-E-L envelopes (spelling L-A-R-O-U-E), and even a localized "I'm a Wheel Watcher".

It is known that the shopping format was used for at least part of the run, including after the aforementioned set changes.

Board Game Adaptions

Two board game adaptions were released by Playtoy Industries: a Standard Edition in 1989 and a Junior Edition in 1990. Many of the parts are the same as Pressman's versions released during this time. The boxart of the Standard Edition is a localized version of Pressman's 1988 Fourth Edition. The layout in the Standard Edition is based off of the show's Round 1 layout only with the values being 25$, 50$, $75, 125$, 200$, 300$, and 1,000$. As a result, 25$ bills are included. The Junior Edition's layout is similar to Pressman's 1987 counterpart only with the Lose A Turn and Free Spin spaces swapping positions. This edition's prototype layout (seen on the front and back of the boxart) used the same color scheme as Pressman's 1987 counterpart although the game was ultimately released with a scheme based on the one used in the Standard Edition.

Chile[]

La Rueda de la Fortuna, hosted by Rodolfo Torrealba, ran on Canal 13 from 1978-79 (one of only two versions known to have debuted in the 1970s). Each spin credited that player with that amount, but the player must choose a letter in the puzzle in order to continue his or her turn. On October 19, 2018, the show returned as La Rueda de la Suerte, hosted by Sergio Lagos and Diana Bolocco. The game began with four players and the first three to each solve a toss-up puzzle would become contestants. After two more toss-ups, one worth 300,000 and one worth 600,000, the winner of the 600,000 toss-up began the first round and the player who solved the 900,000 toss-up began the fourth round. The wheel featured amounts ranging from from 0 to 500,000 with the top amount of 500,000 pesos being one-third sized and sandwiched between two one-third sized Quiebra (bankrupt) spaces in addition to Dobla (double) and Pierde la Mitad (lose half) and vowels cost 50,000 pesos. The revival lasted for less than four months, airing its final episode on February 16, 2019.

The game was also occasionally featured as a recurring game on the popular variety show Sábado Gigante, hosted by Chilean TV star Mario Kreutzberger under the stage name of Don Francisco.

Colombia[]

La Rueda de La Suerte, hosted by Mauro Urquijo, aired on Canal Caracol from 1998-99. A revival for Canal RCN, renamed La Rueda de la Fortuna and helmed by Gonzalo Vivanco, debuted in 2012. On this version, Four contestants attempted to solve toss-up puzzles. The first three player to solve toss-ups became the three contestants The first toss-up won $1,000,000 (pesos) and the next toss-up won $500,000 and the third player to solve a toss-up simply became the third contestant. Vowels cost $250,000 (pesos) and many of the cash wedges had prizes on them. Whenever one of these wedges was landed on, the contestant had a choice of whether to go for the cash or the prize. In the bonus round, R, S, P, M, and A were given for free and the player chose three consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

Croatia[]

Kolo Sreće, hosted by Oliver Mlakar and Maja Vracaric, was another hit for the franchise, running on HRT1 from 1993-2002. Croatia is one of the few countries whose version of Wheel had a wedge ("aeiou" in small case letters) that worked like Shopper's Bazaar's Free Vowel wedge at one point, the same having been done on the Italian version of the show by way of its Vocale wedge. The cost of vowels increased during the original run but were usually twice Round 1's smallest value.

Around the same time Croatia introduced the "aeiou" wedge, they also introduced the Jackpot. As with the American version's nighttime Jackpot, the Jackpot started at 5,000 kuna and increased by every value hit. Unlike its American counterpart, the contestant had to solve the puzzle immediately upon landing on it. If s/he couldn't, s/he was allowed to spin again.

The show returned on RTL on May 18, 2015 and starred Boris Mirković and Iva Jerković. The gameplay and set are similar to that of the American version with a few differences: the puzzle board's border changes color to reflect whose turn it is, and the show airs for an hour with more rounds being played than the American version despite the noticeably slower pace. Toss-Ups are 250, 500, and 750 kunas; as with the American version if no one solves the 500-kuna Toss-Up, the red player starts Round 1.

The top value for Rounds 1 and 2 is 500 kunas, increased to 800 in Round 3 and 1,000 for Rounds 4+. There are two such 1,000 wedges, but one is a regular wedge while the other is styled like the Million-Dollar Wedge on the American version (1,000 section between two Bankrot sections). Also in Round 4, a zero-kuna space is added; in Rounds 1-3, 50 is the smallest value.

The Joker (Free Spin) space (sometimes spelled Jocker; previously known as Srećko on the original adaption) is available for the first three rounds until awarded. In order for the player to receive a Joker token, the player needs to call a letter. If successful, s/he receives the token but is awarded no extra money. The wedge is then removed from the Wheel revealing a green 200-kuna space. If a player lands on Bankrot (Bankrupt), s/he loses the token along with his/her turn and round score.

Originally in the bonus round, the player chose five consonants and a vowel and must solve the puzzle within 15 seconds won win the grand prize. By 1999, the player chose one of five envelopes and, after being given P, R, S, and T, chose two more consonants and a vowel with the time limit remaining the same.

On the 1,000th show in 1998, each of the first three rounds pitted three different contestants. The winner of each round played round 4 for a new car.

The show's theme tune was made up of the opening bars of the Level 42 song "Heaven in My Hands," which at one point also contributed to a puzzle solve cue.

On the RTL revival's bonus round, the player spins a wheel with envelopes containing different cash amounts and other prizes. After being given P, R, S, T, and A, the player chooses two consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

Czech Republic[]

Kolotoč ("Carousel") aired briefly on TV Nova in 1996, then returned for a modest five-year run from 1997-2002. Hosts included Pavel Poulicek, Dalibor Gondik, and Honza Musil.

Two notable variations are present on this show: the Wheel is actually the top of a carousel, and the board operates automatically without a hostess. Although a computerized board is shown to the home audience along with the scores and a game timer, the actual board is never seen by the home audience.

Puzzle solving never locked away a player's score (players' entire scores were always vulnerable to Bankrupts/Bankrots) but always awarded the solver a bonus of 5,000 points/korunas. When time ran out, the puzzle was immediately revealed, and whoever had the highest score at that point spun for a cash bonus (which eventually included a progressive jackpot that increased by 1,000 Kč every day it was not won). If there was a tie for the lead, a spin off determined the winner, which was the one who spun up the highest value.

On the 60-wedge Wheel (perhaps the largest number of wedges in the franchise), two spaces were marked Bankrot, seven were marked Stop (Lose A Turn), and three were marked Bonus, and one was worth 20 points/korunas. The the rest were valued from 50 to 2,000 points/korunas. Landing on Bonus meant the player spun again and whatever was spun was doubled. If the player's Bonus spin landed on a penalty wedge, s/he spun again and kept spinning until a value was landed on.

By 1999, the Wheel changed from a carousel lookalike to an electronic style. A small clear vertical Wheel was spun physically, although the values and colors were projected on a screen. The number of wedges decreased from 60 to 24, the Bonus and Stop spaces were retired, and the lowest value became 50. If time ran out, the incomplete puzzle would carry over into the next episode. In order to keep playing, however, contestants needed to keep solving puzzles. Those who were unable to solve the puzzle were replaced by two new challengers, but presumably kept whatever their score was at the time the puzzle was solved.

One major oddity for this era was that every time after the Wheel was spun, a musical performance was played and the player was asked a trivia question about the piece that was just played. The player had to answer correctly in order to choose a letter. Otherwise, the other two players were given a chance. If all three answered incorrectly, the first player still surrendered control to the player to his/her left. Similar to the British version's early years, this slowed the game to a snail's pace, sometimes having only one puzzle solved per episode.

Also sometime in 1999, the show was called Riskuj na Kolotoči. The rules were similar to the other 1999 version only trivia questions (grouped by the Wheel values) were asked. If a contestant answered correctly, s/he would receive the value spun and choose a letter that was in the puzzle. If not, the next contestant was given an opportunity to answer correctly, and then the third. The Wheel used on this version holds the record of being the smallest known Wheel in the franchise, being no more than a foot and a half in diameter. It was spun via a red knob (similar to Pressman's American Deluxe Edition board games) with two arms extending at opposite ends. There were no pegs dividing the wedges; rather an arrow hovering over the Wheel.

By 2000, the Wheel became physical again with a modern look. The number of wedges increased to 32 and the lowest value became 100. The rules were similar to the 1996 era but now, contestants were given four shaped tokens (red squares, blue triangles, and yellow circles), each placing one on the Wheel at the start of each puzzle. Should a token be landed on, its respective player received 2,000 points/korunas regardless of whose turn it was, and the player in control played for the value spun up.

At one point, a player who spun up an opponent's token surrendered control to the token's respective player, who received 2,000 points/korunas and played for the amount spun by the previous opponent.

It is unknown whether the Wheel offered points or korunas. It is also unknown if non-winners were given parting gifts whether or not they scored anything at the end of the game.

Denmark[]

Lykkehjulet debuted on 1 October 1988 and quickly brought success to TV2, which aired the show. The program originally used the shopping format, but switched to a points format in 2001 in which the player who solved a puzzle kept their points for that round and chose one of two prizes.

The show was originally helmed by Michael Meyerheim and Pia Dresner, but they were replaced in 1989 by Bengt Burg and Carina Jensen. Jensen was replaced by Maria Hirse in 1995, with Burg briefly replaced by Keld Heick from 1996-97. Although Burg returned in 1997, he left for good in 2000 and was replaced by Lars Herlow.

The podium colors were, from left to right, blue, red, and yellow. Originally, each podium had an arrow, but by 1995, only the red podium had an arrow (although the arrow would display the color of the player in control). This meant that if either the blue or yellow player spun up a token, the red player would pick the token up and give it to the player in control.

The Wheel was slightly smaller, using only 22 wedges. When the show began, the top amount was 1,500 Kroner in all rounds. By 1989, the top amount was 2,500 in the first round and 2,500 in each following round; from 1990-98, the top value was KR3,000 in Round 1 and KR5,000 in subsequent rounds. In 1999, the first two rounds featured a top value of KR5,000 and each succeeding round featured a Fallit/10,000/Fallit wedge with the 10,000 section being treated as a regular wedge. KR5,000 became top value in all rounds in 2000. By 1998, Tabt Tur was retired, making Denmark one of the few versions to have not used Lose A Turn for at least some period of time. Also by 1998, the number of pegs per wedge decreased from four to three. Vowels always cost 500 kroner.

In 2001, the top number increased from 2,500 in the first rounds to 7,500 in rounds two and three and 10,000 in the fourth round. The winner of each round kept their points and chose one of two prizes.

When a player solved a puzzle, that player spent their bank on prizes and any remaining money in that bank would carry over to the next round.

The special spaces are as follows.

  • Fallit: Bankrupt
  • Tabt Tur: Lose Turn
  • Joker: Free Spin (later became "Ekstra Tur" first starting out as a wedge and then a token)
  • Gevinst: Gift (worked the same way as a Prize wedge; later became a token as well)
  • Kvit Eller Dobbelt: Double or Nothing. This token was used from about 1993 to about 1998 and was placed on a KR500 space. The contestant chose whether to go for the KR500 face value or lift the token off the Wheel. If they chose to lift the token, this meant risking their round earnings for a chance to double them. Calling a correct letter doubled their earnings, but calling an incorrect letter had the same effects as Fallit.
  • Fallit/10,000/Fallit: Introduced in 1999, this wedge was similar to the $10,000 prize wedge used on the American version only the wedge was not removed and KR10,000 was multiplied by how many consonants appeared in the puzzle.

The bonus round was played exactly like the American version from the 1980s except that in later years the winner chose one of three envelopes.

The original series ended on December 31, 2001 after 3,599 episodes due to declining viewership and a failed attempt at "modernizing" the show for its final season. It is known that one of these alterations was the debut of a video screen similar to the one currently being used on the American version. Despite this, the puzzle board still used trilons.

In October 2018, the series returned on TV2. The set, though modernized and simplified, has a look that is somewhat reminiscent of the original 1988 set. The original theme and several of the original sound effects are also used, some of them with a few touch-ups. Interestingly, the puzzle board uses the same dimensions as the original puzzle board rather than the current American dimension, although it is now electronic.

The format is also similar to the original version. Vowels still cost KR500 and the shopping format has also returned. KR1,500 is the top value in Round 1, KR2,500 in Round 2, and Kr5,000 in Round 3. Another KR5,000 space is added in Round 4. A Gevinst token (represented by a picture of a star) is added in Round 2. The biggest difference from the original version, however, is that every round starts with the winner of the previous round, exactly like on all three of the American pilots.

Ecuador[]

La Rueda de la Fortuna has aired since 2004 on Ecuavisa, hosted by Pancho Cabanilla.

Egypt[]

دائرة الحياة (or Daeret Al Hayat), hosted by Kareem Kojak and Heba Sameer Goudah, began airing on Al Hayat TV on August 19, 2012. This version uses some sounds from the US one, such as the puzzle reveal chimes, but others (including the Prize Puzzle chimes and Final Spin bells) are unique to this version.

The game is confirmed to offer Egyptian pounds (E£), with the top values being E£1,000 in Round 1, E£2,000 for Rounds 2-3, and E£2,500 in Round 4 with the second Bankrupt added on the pink E£200 in Round 4. The Toss-Ups, done at the same spots as the US version, are worth E£1,000-E£1,000-E£2,000. Vowels cost E£150.

Round 1 is a normal round, Round 2 is the Prize Puzzle, and Round 3 places a E£10,000 Wedge on the purple E£700 (the only removable "extra" on the Wheel, although it does not carry over into Round 4 if it is not claimed). It appears that, much like the 1973-74 American pilots, the game is limited to four rounds and some games do not have a Final Spin; even if the Final Spin is used, nothing is added to the value the host lands on and "invalid" spins are edited out.

2EgyptFreeSpin

For a brief period, a Free Spin token was placed on the green E£200.

Solving a puzzle with a score of 0 awards E£1,000, even if it is the Prize Puzzle. However, there is no house minimum.

The Bonus Round is played somewhat the same as the US version: the winner spins a Bonus Wheel with cash amounts from E£15,000 to E£45,000 and a car (usually a Chevrolet worth approximately E£100,000). The player is given four consonants, then chooses another three-and-a-vowel before being given 10 seconds to solve. If the player does not land on the car, host Kojak shows where it is. It is known that the car has been won at least once.

Estonia[]

Õnneratas originally aired from 1999-2000 on TV3 with Emil Rutiku as host. A more recent run, part of a lottery show called Suur lotokolmapäev, hosted by Mart Sander, debuted in 2011 on Kanal 2.

On the original run, the amounts on the wheel ranged from 100 to 2,000 with two "jaad vah" (lose a turn) wedges opposite each other and two Pankrot (bankrupt) wedges also opposite each other and one 100 space also offering a free spin for choosing a right letter. Only one arrow would be used and vowels cost 300. The first player to land on Üllatus and choose a correct letter collected that wedge and could win a surprise by solving the puzzle. Each player who solved a puzzle would win a prize in addition to keeping their points (with a house minimum of 300 per round). Some puzzles would feature a partially-revealed follow-up puzzle which awarded an extra prize if the winner of that round could solve that puzzle as well.

The highest-scoring player chose one of three envelopes, each concealing a different name of a grand prize. After being given a fixed set of letters, the player chose additional letters and must solve within 10 seconds.

Finland[]

Finland had another popular version named Onnenpyörä, which ran on MTV3 (not related to the music-based cable network) from Spring 1993-2001. It was originally hosted by Kim Floor and Saija Palin; Floor was dismissed in June 1993 and replaced in August by Janne Porkka.

The Wheel's value layout somewhat resembled that of the nighttime 1986 Round 1 layout on America's version, albeit with 100 Mk (€16.82) replacing the 1,000, thus making 800 Mk (€134.55) the top value. For a short time in 1993 and/or 1994, the top value was 2,400 Mk (€403.65). Eventually, this was decreased to 1,500 Mk (€252.28) in 1994, dropped again to 1,350 Mk (€227.05) later that year, and then increased to 1,600 Mk (€269.10) which would be the top value for every round through the end of the run. Like the Russian and earlier Brazilian version, the Wheel used only one arrow that placed on the other side of the Wheel.

Free Spin and Lose A Turn used images of 3/4 rotations, the latter with a red X over it; Bankrupt was referred to as "robber". Early in the show's run, however, the Bankrupt was depicted with a skull-and-crossbones figure. By late 1993 or early 1994, Free Spins were no longer offered.

Unlike the US version, the cost of a vowel (which was usually if not always 300 Mk [€50.46]) was not deducted if it was not in the puzzle. Additionally, the show did not penalize for illegal moves such as calling a repeated letter (assuming the repeat was acknowledged) or a vowel after spinning.

One cited incident on the Finnish version is a contestant who filled in the entire puzzle PANDAT ASUVAT KIINASSA ("Pandas live in China") by himself, but mispronounced the last word as KILMASSA ("heat").

The bonus round gave three consonants and a vowel and the player chose two more consonants and another vowel and must solve within 30 seconds. Later, the player chose one of three envelopes and, after being given two consonants and a vowel, must choose another consonant and vowel.

The show returned on TV5 with host Jethro Rostedt and hostess Sara Sieppi on February 28, 2018. The wheel now features values from €50 to €800 with the cost of vowels being €250. The top winner would be given the letters A, I, T, N, and E in the bonus round and chose another consonant and another vowel and must solve the puzzle within 20 seconds.

France[]

France was among the more successful countries regarding Wheel, although it began much like the Italian franchise: as the first of five events on the show Pentathlon on the now-defunct channel La Cinq 5; Pentathlon itself had a short run, airing on Thursdays from 21 February through 18 June 1986.

The Wheel's pegs are taller than the current American version (about the same height as those in Wheel of Fortune - Live!) and therefore are easy to reach.

La Roue de la Fortune debuted on 5 January 1987 as a daily series on TF1 hosted by Michel Robbe and Annie Pujol, and was heavily based on the American format (complete with shopping and even a color scheme that was similar to America's 1986 Round 1 layout). The only difference was that vowels cost 2,000F (€304.90) and this was not deducted if the vowel was not in the puzzle. The cost of vowels decreased to 1,000F (€152.45) by 1994.

Robbe left in September 1987 and was replaced by Christian Morin, who was in turn replaced by Alexandre Debanne in January 1993. In January 1995, Debanne and Pujol were replaced by Olivier Chiabodo and Sandra Rossi, but Rossi apparently did not fit with the show and was replaced after a month by Frederique Calvez.

When Chiabodo was host, the red arrow determined the Final Spin value as usual, but if the Final Spin landed on the Surprise or Bonus, the contestant in control at the time of the Final spin was promptly awared the wedge.

Spaces in the original version

  • Relance/Joker: Free Spin. It was originally a yellow wedge, but starting around 1993 it was a fancy-colored 6 on the red 1,500F (€228.67) (12-wedge-colored Wheel over 750F (€114.34), later 800F (€121.96), in 1995) between the orange 2,000F and blue 1,000F (1,000F and 500F [€76.22] respectively in 1995); in at least 1996, players who landed on it received a Free Spin and played for the value shown on the wedge. They could immediately hand the Free Spin back if s/he called a wrong letter as well as any other time.
  • Bonus: From 1987 to 1992, it worked exactly like the rules for the Prize wedge of the American version from 1983 to 1990. During the Chiabodo era, however, contestants who landed on it presumably won the prize immediately although the value of the prize did not count toward the player's score.
  • Surprise: Introduced during the Chiabodo era and awarded the same way as the Bonus wedge at the time. At the end of the round the wedge was awarded, a large red box with gold ribbon was brought out. Inside was an envelope that had a card stating what the prize was. The contestant did not have to solve that round's puzzle to win the Surprise.
  • Jackpot: A white space with blue lettering used only in Round 4 from late 1996 to the end of the run. It worked almost the exact same way as the Jackpot used on the American daytime version. The Jackpot presumably started at 10,000F (€1,524.49) and increased by 1,000F each day it was not won. When won, it was awarded in cash, was not used to shop for prizes, and did not count toward scores. As a result, if contestants won the Jackpot with less than the house minimum of 1,000F, their score would still be bumped up to the house minimum.
  • Banqueroute/10,000F/Banqueroute: Debuted around the same time as the Jackpot and was used from Round 3 until the end of the game. It worked exactly like a regular 10,000F space despite the fact that such a space would be introduced the following round.

The top values on the Wheel were:

  • 1987: 3,000F (€457.35)/3,000F/4,000F (€609.80) (Note two spaces were worth 3,000F)
  • 1991: 7,000F (€1,067.14)/7,000F/10,000F (By this point, the smallest value increased from 500F to 1,500F. Also, a new template half, based on the one used in rounds 3 and 4 on the American nighttime version at the time, was introduced.)
  • 1993: 5,000F (€762.26)/7,500F (€1,143.38)/10,000F/15,000F (€2,286.74) (When Debanne became host, the Wheel's color scheme went back to fully resembling the American Round 1 layout. During this time, the shopping element was not used, the Wheel was inclined, and a second Banqueroute was added in Round 3.)
  • 1995: 2,500F (€381.12)/3,750F (€571.68)/5,000F/7,500F (The shopping element returned when Chiabodo became host. All of the values from the Debanne version were halved. As a result, the cost of vowels was also halved to 1,000F. Later that year, some of the values were rounded up and the 3,750₣ space was removed, making 3,000F the top value for the first two rounds and 10,000F the top value in Round 4. In 1996, the layout was reversed but was otherwise the same.

The show ended on March 28, 1997.

2006-12
La Roue de la Fortune returned on 7 August 2006, now hosted by Christophe Dechavanne and Victoria Silvstedt. As before, most of the format was copied from the American one, albeit using the Euro, introduced in 2002 replacing the franc. In fact, the placement of the Banqueroute (Bankrupt) and Passe (Lose A Turn) spaces was the same as that used on the U.S. version at the time. The normal top value on the Wheel was 500€ and vowels only cost 200€ if the chosen vowel appeared, although on the premiere episode, the fee was not returned if the vowel chosen was not in the puzzle. The 0€ space is the same as $0 on the 1973 Shopper's Bazaar pilot.

Like in America, the game began with a Toss-Up puzzle to see who would be introduced first. Furthermore, every round started with that puzzle worth 500€ and the right to start the round with that money; therefore, the contestant had to solve the puzzle without hitting Bankrupt to keep the money. As a result, this is one of the few adaptations (three others being Bulgaria's version via the "Lose Everything" wedge, Greece's current version, Spain's current version and Hungary's most recent version) where a contestant can solve a puzzle but still win nothing; it is also one of the few versions where it is possible for at least one contestant to not even be given a chance to play, the British, the current Spanish and Hungarian versions (as well as the format used in at least the 1973-74 American pilots) being others.

The gameplay was as follows:

  • Round 1's top value was 2.000€, along with 1.000€ and 1.500€. There was also a Filet Garni wedge, which offered a net believed to contain a small prize such as a cell phone or gift card. The net also contained some seemingly worthless accessories such as pre-filled inflatables.
  • A Caverne space was added in Round 2. Landing on it sent that player to a prize-filled cavern where s/he had 15 seconds to collect as many prizes as they could without exceeding 2.500€ (2.000€ in Round 3 before the Jackpot debuted).
  • A Banqueroute/10.000€/Banqueroute wedge was added in Round 3. It moved to the newly-added Round 4 around the time the Jackpot Round debuted.

Prior to 2007, the numbers were placed near the center of each wedge. By 2007, they moved near the rim, possibly to aid the cameramen with close overhead shots.

In 2008, TF1 Games released a board game adaption of this version, perhaps the most emulative out of all the board game adaptions of any version of the show ever released. Puzzles are grouped, with two of the groups being for Toss-Ups and Bonus Rounds. The puzzle board has two sides (one being for puzzles and the other being the used letter board) with 26 spaces each. Three Wheels, each with two layouts, are included and are spun via the rim. Interestingly, some of the layouts include Caverne spaces, although the rules state that the cash value shown is given automatically. One layout also has a 10,000-euro wedge included, but it and the two Bankrupts surrounding it are the equivalent of being two pegs wide as opposed to one. As a result, a yellow 150 just clockwise of them is removed. Another wedge included is one marked Voyage. When this is landed on, players repeatedly swap positions within a time limit. One of the Wheels is used for the Bonus Round only; using color-coded wedges, it is flipped to reveal what the player won or did not win.

​31 August 2009 added one more round and at least one new wedge: the Jackpot, in Round 3. Its value began at 0€ at the beginning of the game (before becoming available in Round 3) and increased with each amount landed on, with the wedge itself treated like a Prize wedge. The Hold-Up wedge, used in Round 4 (which allowed that player to steal an opponent's score for that round), debuted around the same time.

HalfAuto

Road Trip week - in France?

Around 2010, ½ Auto wedges were introduced, a forerunner to the ½ Car tags used on the American version. Interestingly, this is one of only two known elements used on the American version that were introduced in a foreign adaption, the first being the Million-Dollar Wedge (introduced for the 2008 Australian version).

The Bonus Round prizes were cash amounts of 5.000€, 7.500€, 10.000€, 15.000€, 20.000€, two cars, or the top prize of 100.000€.

Daytime Version
The show became a daytime series on 2 January 2012, changing its format and replacing Dechavanne and Silvstedt with Benjamin Castaldi and Valérie Bègue. 300€ was the normal top value on the Wheel, vowels cost 100€ which was only charged if the vowel appeared, and gameplay was as follows:

  • The game began with a Toss-Up, and whoever solved it correctly went first in Round 1.
  • Round 1 (Mystery): Played just like America, with a "bribe" of 50€ per letter and one wedge hiding €500. When one is revealed, the other one is also removed, unlike the US version. The two wedges were placed on €0 and the on the blue 50€ next to the normal top value.
  • Starting in Round 2, the yellow 150€ between two 100€s became a third Bankrupt space.
  • Round 2 (Caverne): Same as the pre-2012 version, except the time limit was increased to 30 seconds and the limit was decreased to 1.500€. After this, the contestant chose a consonant for 150€. This wedge was placed on the yellow 150€ between 50€ and 200€.
  • Round 3 (Flash Cash): if the Flash Cash wedge was landed on, that player had 10 seconds to solve the puzzle for 1.000€ minus 100€ for each second elapsed. This wedge was placed on the green 100€ two wedges apart from the normal top dollar value.
  • Round 4 had several wedges: Weekend (a weekend trip to a popular vacation spot), Hold-Up (same as before), and one similar to the Million-Dollar Wedge that offers 60.000€ in the Bonus Round. The Weekend Wedge was placed on the orange 200€ between 150€ and 100€, Hold-Up on 0€, and the Banqueroute/60.000€/Banqueroute wedge on the Banqueroute next to the normal top value.

The only removable wedge available throughout the game was the Half Gift Wedge. Whoever landed on it picked it up and then called a consonant for 50€ (played like the pre-1991 Prize wedge rules in the US version); whoever picked two of them and solved the puzzle won the prize. This wedge was placed on the blue 50€ three wedges from Lose A Turn.

In the Bonus Round, the winning contestant played for an electric car, 2.000€, 2.500€, 3.000€, 4.000€, 5.000€, 10.000€, or 30.000€ (60.000€ if that player had the aforementioned wedge). The gameplay was otherwise exactly like the American version.

This overhauled format only lasted for two months, and the series as a whole ended on 23 March. By the end, 100€ became the smallest value on the Wheel.

Georgia[]

იღბლიანი ბორბალი (or Igbliani Barbali), hosted by Duta Skhirtladze, has aired on Rustavi 2 since March 3, 2011. The hostess wore a bikini, and trilons were still used. After a hiatus that began sometime in 2015, it returned in September 2016.

Germany[]

Wheel also became popular in Germany as the long-running Glücksrad, debuting on Sat.1 on November 7, 1988. In a rare move, Frederic Meisner and Peter Bond alternated hosting duties from week to week, with Maren Gilzer as hostess. Notably, by around late 1991, the show ran daily, including weekends, and this schedule remained until 1997.

Germany's version is one of several to have used similar aspects of an American Wheel layout: when the show premiered, it used the 1985 nighttime Round 1 layout (albeit reversed) for all three rounds on a rainbow-esque Wheel, with shopping after each round. Vowels were DM 300 (€153.39).

  • In Round 2, the DM 150 (€76.69) by DM 900 (€460.16) was replaced by a Sonderpreis (special prize) wedge while the other DM 150 increased to DM 500 (€255.65). The Aussetzen (Lose A Turn, literally suspend) was replaced by a second Bankrott (Bankrupt).
  • In Round 3, the Extra Dreh (Extra Turn/Free Spin) was replaced by an Aussetzen, the adjacent DM 200 (€102.26) was increased to DM 2,000 (€1,022.58), the DM 200 next to DM 700 (€357.90) was increased to DM 1,500 (€766.94), and the Sonderpreis was replaced by DM 5,000 (€2,556.46).
  • The following year, the font and pegs changed from black to white, the colors were brightened, and DM 350 (€178.95) (and Bankrott swapped positions. This would be the basis for most of its layouts until around 2002, when Germany switched to the Euro.
  • By 2002, the show began using only one arrow, placed in front of the host. This would be the standard until the next version of the show ended in 2005.

From around 1989 until around the end of 2001, a Super Puzzle was played after round 3. Five words were arranged in a crossword-type fashion, each with a different category. The first two contestants each chose two consonants while the third chose one consonant and one vowel. The six letters chosen would appear, and the contestants had 90 seconds to solve all five words, 30 for each player (it is known that, on at least some episodes, even if it wasn't their turn to solve, players were allowed to help). If all five words were solved, the players won a cash jackpot, split equally among the three. The amount in the jackpot was originally determined by the total of what all three players won during the main game; later in the run (starting around 1995 or so), the jackpot started at DM 10,000 (€5,112.92) and grew by that much every episode until it was won.

In 1990, Parker Brothers released three board game adaptions (two regular editions and one Junior). All three editions, including the Junior, used the layout used in Pressman's regular and Deluxe editions in the 1980s.

In late 1991, the trio did a behind-the-scenes special while at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida about the American Wheel's "Around the World" tapings of Season 9, which had quite a few other international hosts and hostesses present as well.

Originally in the Bonus Round, contestants selected five consonants and a vowel. In 1997, RSTLNE was given automatically (displayed as ERNSTL, a common diminutive of the German name "Ernst"); unlike other versions, these letters were not revealed until after the contestant called two more consonants and another vowel. Until 1995, solving the puzzle won a set prize. From 1995 to 2002, the player played for one of three prizes by choosing one of three envelopes.

In mid-May 1998, the show moved to Kabel Eins, with production moving from Berlin to Munich (with the move came a new set and new wheel). Bond and Gilzer left when the show moved; at this point, Meisner took over presenting full-time, while Gilzer was replaced by Sonja Kraus. Around this time, shopping was also streamlined; instead of purchasing prizes shown in studio, the prizes available to purchase were now shown on a video wall at center stage. An in-studio audience, which had been shown on camera for most of the Sat.1 run, was added back to the show at the start of 2000, and for some time after this, one of the day's three contestants would be chosen from the audience. The puzzleboard was replaced by an electronic one on May 10, 2001.

Toward the end of 2001, significant changes were made to the show, partly as a result of Germany's change to the euro.

  • The cost of a vowel changed from DM 300 to €100.
  • The wheel's values were altered significantly to reflect the value of the new currency -- as a result, top values on each round's wheel were lowered to about half of what they had been under the old currency.
  • Shopping was abandoned entirely (in favor of an item being offered up for sale to home viewers during each day's program), with contestants now receiving their winnings in cash.
  • The winner of each round was given an additional question, which would award another €100 if answered correctly.
  • The Super Round was dropped entirely.
  • Most significantly, the show had a new host, Thomas Ohrner. In 2002, Kraus was replaced by Katrin Wrobel.

The show's ratings suffered during this period, and the show ended on October 31, 2002 with the final episode of a tournament bringing back the show's biggest winners of 2002.

The show returned on the call-in channel 9 Live from March 2004 to March 2005, with Meisner and Ramona Drews hosting. The puzzle board reverted back to using trilons, the only known adaption of Wheel to go this route. The winner of the most euro determined the bonus prize by spinning the bonus wheel which featured one "Auto" space for the car, five "Reise" spaces for a lesser bonus prize, and 18 "1000" spaces for €1,000. The player then chose four consonants and a vowel. This version ended after 100 episodes were produced, all of which were repeated afterward; this version's wheel would later be sold on eBay for €8,000.

The show was featured as part of Gameshow-Marathon in 2007.

The show returned on RTL Plus in the fall of 2016 with Jan Hahn and the Swedish-born Isabel Edvardsson. It used some sounds from the US one. The top values were €500, €1,000, and €1,500. In February 2018, the series was cancelled due to low ratings. It is known that Meisner expressed disappointment with this version.

A new version premiered on RTL2 on January 26, 2023 with Thomas Hermanns and Sonya Kraus. The set now has a look that was reminiscent of the 1989 to 1994 era although, just like the RTL Plus version, it uses the same sound effects as the American version. Despite the fact that the board uses trilons, the side of each trilon is a screen.

Kinder-Glücksrad
A children's version, hosted by Petra Hausberg, aired on Sat.1 from 1992-93 and used three teams of two players. In a rarity for the franchise, there was no letter-turner (the puzzle board was entirely electronic) or Bankrupt wedges. Only a single round was played (with values ranging from 50 to 1,000 marks, two Extra Dreh spaces each just three spaces away from the other, one Aussetzen, and one Sonderpreis), and the team who solved the puzzle went on to the Bonus Round. Eventually, the Wheel values became 1 to 9 points (with two Aussetzen spaces opposite each other, no Extra Dreh spaces, and one Sonderpreis space) and the number of rounds increased from one to three.

Glücksrad-Gala
A bigger-budget series aired on Sat.1 from 1993-96, presumably replacing Kinder-Glücksrad. The show aired about once a month for 100 minutes, all live; the hosts were the same as the regular series, with Gundis Zambo alternating with Gilzer at the puzzle board.

Greece[]

Ο τροχός της τύχης ran on ANT1 from January 1, 1990 to 1996, then revived as O trokós tis túkis on MEGA from 1997-98. It was hosted at various times by George Polychroniou, Paul Chaikalis, Danis Katranidis, and Yiannis Koutrakis.

For at least one point in time, if not through its entire run, Greece's Speed-Up Round had one major difference from most other versions. Instead of one letter per turn, contestants kept the turn as long as they continued to call correct letters.

From about 1993-94, to celebrate its 3rd Anniversary, the show changed its opening to a localized version of the 1992 American one, complete with that remix of "Changing Keys".

The wheel had no Lose a Turn wedges at a point; only Bankrupt. A Bankrupt, however, wiped out the entire score from the start, not just the current round score. Vowels cost ₯20,000 (€58.69) and the bonus for solving a puzzle from ₯50,000 (€146.74) to ₯100,000 (€293.47) by 1992.

In later years, Bankrupt only wiped out that player's bank for that round and the winner of each round also kept their winnings for that round in addition to ₯50,000. The second round featured a jackpot space and the jackpot started at ₯200,000 (€586.94) and increased with each amount spun. The winner chose one of six envelopes and then chose four consonants and a vowel before solving the puzzle within.

The bonus round was played the same as the 1980s American/UK bonus round. By 1993, the player chose one of three round envelopes.

The show returned on Star on March 23, 2015. This is the first version outside the United States to use the Express wedge (used in Round 3 only), although under a different name: All or Nothing. It also uses the Cavern wedge used on France's version under the name Gift (introduced in Round 2). The limit is 600€. To access the Cavern, the player must call a letter that is in the puzzle (45€ per occurrence, 10€ on the premiere). If the limit is not exceeded, the player must solve that round's puzzle without going Bankrupt in order to keep the prizes.

The gameplay structure is very similar to the American version only there is no house minimum and nothing is added to the final spin. The first and third Toss-Ups are worth 100€, while the second only determines who starts the first round. Vowels cost 100€. Bankrupts now act like their American counterparts. The Free Spin (all rounds), Wild (all rounds), and Mystery spaces (Round 2 only) each have a face value of 45€. Should the contestant flip over the Mystery Wedge that has 500€, that amount is added in spendable cash. Also, unlike the American Mystery Round, the contestant gets to keep the 45€ per letter.

The Wild Wedge is placed on the red 45€, the Gift Wedge is placed on the light purple 10€, two Mystery Wedges are placed on two indigo 45€ wedges, and the All or Nothing Wedge are placed on the indigo 45€ between 10€ and 20€.

Vowels cost 100€, but only if it appears in the puzzle.

Special wedges as of season 10
  • Χρεοκοπία: Bankrupt. As of season 10, it can appear only in one of the two Mystery wedges (Ερωτηματικό) in the first round.
  • Χάνεις Σειρά: Lose a Turn.
  • −50% (τα μισά): The player loses half of the money they had, and their turn ends. Other prizes (gifts) are not affected. Appears in the first two rounds.
  • BONUS 3000: Allows the player to win 3000€ extra for solving the puzzle in the final. This opportunity can be forfeited by not having the highest score after the bonus round or hitting a Bankrupt at any point. Appears only in the first round.
  • 2η ευκαιρία: Prevents the player from losing a turn once, but it does not prevent Bankrupts from ending the player's turn. Can be stacked.
  • Δύο σύμφωνα: The player must call two consonants. Only one of the consonants must appear in the puzzle for the player's turn to continue.
  • Δωρεάν φωνήεν: Allows the player to call a vowel for free. A turn is still lost if the vowel called does not appear in the puzzle.
  • Χρεοκοπία Plus: Along with the standard Χρεοκοπία, the player loses all prizes and money they accumulated throughout the game as well as the Wild Card. Disappears from play after use. Appears only in round 4.
  • Σύμφωνο και φωνήεν (ΣΦ): The player must call a consonant and a vowel. Appears only in round 4. Disappears from play after use.
  • Ντεντεκτίβ: Reveals a letter on the board; it is removed from play afterwards. Appears only in round 4.
  • ΦΠΤ 50%: The player can steal half of another player of their choice's banked money if they solve the puzzle. Appears only in round 4.
  • Ερωτηματικό (?): May contain 500€ or a Bankrupt. Appears only in the first round.
  • 100 Ερωτηματικό (100?): Only appears in the bonus round. The player can choose to risk to get another 200€ times the number of occurrences of the last letter the player called or a Bankrupt.
  • Θαυμαστικό (!): If the player chooses to risk the money they have now, they can get a Jackpot (τζάκποτ; doubles money won in the round for solving + 500€) or a Bankrupt. It would be wise to risk if the player is far behind.
  • Μπαλαντερ: Wild Card. Will not be lost to Χρεοκοπία, but can be lost to Χρεωκοπία Plus.
  • ×2: Doubles money obtained for solving the puzzle.
  • Ένας διπρόσωπος (two-faced person): The player risks their money and prizes in play to call three letters or solve the puzzle. If they lose a turn while Ένας διπρόσωπος is active, they get a Bankrupt. Appears only in round 5.
  • EXPRESS: The same rules as the American wedge except, they were forced to go on the express and pick up the wedge if they called a letter in the puzzle of landed on, and no Bankrupt occurred with a wrong letter. Only appears in the first two rounds.
  • ΕΤΑ 2: The player is forced to split half of their banked money with another player and their turn ends. Disappears from play after use. Other prizes (gifts) in the players bank are not affected. Only available in round 3.
  • PLUS 1000: There are 6 of these wedges, 1 in the first 6 rounds, the player needs to claim two of these before the bonus round starts for a chance to win 2000€ extra in the final. This can be forfeited by not getting at least two of these wedges, not having the highest score after the bonus round, or hitting a Bankrupt at any point. Available in the first 6 rounds.

Hungary[]

Another popular version was Szerencsekerék, originally running from 1993-97 on MTV1 before jumping to TV2 until 2001, then returning for its current series in 2011 on Story4TV. The original series' Wheel used 23 wedges, with three pegs each.

The series, in its three runs, has gone through several personnel changes. Also, the surname is listed first per customs of the Hungarian language.

  • In 1993, the hosts were Gajdos Tamás, Klausmann Viktor, and Prokopp Dóra.
  • In 1999, Tamás left and was replaced by Vízy András; Viktor left in 2000 and was not replaced.
  • When the show returned in 2011, Viktor returned as well and was joined by Árpa Attila and Rácz Zsuzsi.
  • In 2012, Viktor and Attila were replaced by Szulák Andrea.

In at least one 1994 episode, Hungary tried a unique concept by filling the entire puzzle board with what at first would look like a series of random letters. The objective was to choose letters that were not in the puzzle. The letters that were in the puzzle were presumably in order yet with spaces between them regardless of whether or not they were in the same word.

Vowels cost 500 forints.

For at least part of its run, the show used the same crossword game played on the German show; the three contestants chose 2 letters each, and after all were revealed they had 90 seconds to solve it. If successful, they split a cash jackpot.

Special wedges

  • Csőd: Bankrupt. The wheel did not have this space at all as a special feature during the show's 100th episode.
  • Kimarad: Lose a Turn. It was originally called "Passz" until around 2000.
  • Felező: The player loses half of their money and ends their turn.
  • Joker: Same as Free Spin. It was originally called "Újra" until around 2000.
  • Különdíj (Special Prize): When landed on, the host asks a trivial question and if the contestant answered it correctly, s/he must solve the puzzle to win the prize. In the original version, it behaved like the Jackpot Wedge in the US version and the Prize wedge in the Polish version. Around 2000, 5,000 forint per letter was awarded even if the contestant did not immediately solve the puzzle.
  • Dupla vagy Semmi (Double or Nothing): Used only on the original version, a player who landed on this wedge had to call a correct letter to double their money; otherwise, it acted as a Bankrupt.
  • Risiko (Risk): Wrong letters upon landing on it takes away money. It is only used around 2000.

The bonus round player chose 5 consonants and a vowel and must solve within 15 seconds.

The series returned in the summer of 2021.

Iceland[]

Svaraðu Strax (literally "Respond Immediately") aired on Stoð 2 with host and hostess Björn Karlsson and Bryndís Schram from 1988 to 1989.

India[]

Surf Wheel of Fortune (so called because it was sponsored by Surf, a brand of detergent) existed in India from 1995 to 1997. Their intro consisted of a shot of the puzzle board, a computerized slot machine and a computerized Wheel layout with the special spaces spelled out vertically in English.

Indonesia[]

Roda Impian, hosted by Charles Bonar Sirait, originally ran on SCTV from August 6, 2001 to August 2, 2002 for 260 episodes. The original hostess, "Vicky", was replaced on May 1 by "Ike".

Originally, the show aired daily at 17:30 (5:30 PM), but on November 5 moved to 17:00 until February 4, when it returned to 17:30. On May 6, the show moved to its final timeslot of 16:00, where it remained until its demise.

The series appears to have ended out of controversy; according to Sirait, some deception of the public was involved.

Revivals
The series was revived on antv from 2003 to July 29, 2005, followed by a very brief revival on Indosiar from January 2-March 3, 2006.

Another revival was planned for MBC 4 to begin in December 2011 or January 2012, although it appears that these plans fell through.

Iran[]

چرخ شانس (Charkhe Shans) premiered on April 3, 2022 on MBC Persia with Arash Estilaf and Nasim Arab as host and hostess.

Israel[]

גלגל המזל (or Galgal HaMazal) ran on Channel 2 from 1993-2000, hosted by Erez Tal (אֶרֶז טַל). A revival, מחזירים את הגלגל ("Return the Wheel") aired as part of שחקו אותה בגדול (the Israeli Gameshow Marathon) in 2010.

Strangely, at least the revival has the set reversed (Wheel at left, puzzle board at right). Even stranger is that the revival's Wheel has just one arrow, positioned in front of the host. The differs from the original set, which used the traditional three arrow podium setup, but with a color sequence of blue, red, yellow.

Italy[]

La Ruota Della Fortuna debuted in 1985 as one of several games played on Pentatlon, which aired on Canale 5 and was hosted by Mike Bongiorno. The Wheel used on this version had only 15 wedges. (France followed suit with their own version of Pentatlon, which aired for four months in 1986 as Pentathlon.)

The original pilot used an automated Wheel, with players stopping it via a button in front of them (similar to the Shopper's Bazaar pilot); these buttons were covered with boxes when the show went to series. Beginning in 1987 (specifically, on a "redemption episode"), each contestant was given one spin to begin the round.

1987-88
A revival aired on Odeon TV from September 1987 to 1988, using the shopping element and hosted by Augusto "Casti" Mondelli. This version was half gameplay, half something else (most likely a comedy show).

Parole d'oro
What could be best described as a knockoff, "Golden Words" aired on Sundays during the 1987-88 season at 4:00 PM, ending due to low ratings. The main difference was that the Wheel, rather than use money, had all letters of the alphabet (the Italian alphabet does not use J, K, W, X, or Y) plus one Perde Tutto (Bankrupt) and three Jolly (Wild). Players who landed on a letter could take the letter (for L.500,000 (€258.23) per appearance) or pass their turn, as a wrong letter cost that player L.500,000. Negative scoring is known to have occurred. Landing on a letter that was already attempted to be put in (whether in the puzzle or not) was an automatic pass unless the player had any Joker tokens (which were supplied at the beginning of the game) left.

Some letters on the Wheel were gold, and hence were worth L.1,000,000 (€516.46) per appearance. Landing on the Wild space or using a Joker token allowed that player to choose a letter. Choosing a letter that was golden still awarded L.1,000,000 per appearance. Once a puzzle was solved, all players won what was on their display, with the person who solved receiving an additional L.5,000,000 (€2,582.28).

The Bonus Round allowed the player to choose five letters, albeit picked at random from a bag. The player then had sixty seconds to solve the puzzle but was presumably allowed only one guess at the solution. Guessing correctly doubled his or her winnings.

Interestingly, audience coaching (similar to that on The Price Is Right) was allowed in the main round although it was not in the Bonus Round.

1989-2003
The more famous version debuted on Rete 4, with Bongiorno as host and Ylenia Carrasi as hostess, although Carrasi was quickly dismissed and replaced by Paola Barale.

On this version, the Free Spin was called "Jolly" and used a picture of a jester. Originally, the Jolly was a disc with a J on it, but this appears to have been changed because the wedge it was on said "JOO". By the end of the run, the Toss-Up awarded a Free Spin.

This version was one of the few to try Wheel in an hour-long format; unlike in America, the show played at least nine rounds. The "warm-up lap" used on Pentatlon was dropped after the first few seasons.

Round 3 was the Prize Puzzle, which was awarded only if the player could answer a "bonus" question. Round 8 added the "Golden Letter", which when called began a short minigame: Bongiorno named a category, after which the contestant had to name a certain number of things that both fit the category and began with the Golden Letter; success doubled that player's score, but failure was essentially Bankrupt.

The final round increased all cash values and added a Vowel wedge, which essentially acted like Free Vowel did in the Shopper's Bazaar pilot.

By the end of the run, the Bonus Round was played for a car.

Aside from Carrasi briefly returning in 1992, Ruota remained stable until Barale left in 1995. She was originally replaced by Roberta Capula, who in turn was quickly replaced by Antonella Elia, who herself was replaced in 1996 by Claudia Grego; after Grego departed in 1997, Ana Laura Ribas briefly held the role and was replaced by Miriana Trevisan. At this point, the show returned to stability until 2002, when Trevisan was replaced by Nancy Comelli until the show's demise.

In 1995, the trademark "Gira la Ruota (Spin the Wheel)" theme was introduced. Interestingly, the music shows some resemblance to the American "I'm a Wheel Watcher" song and in fact may have been inspired by it. Also, from 1995-96, unlike most other adaptions, a fourth arrow was seen in front of Bongiorno's hosting area, although this was presumably used only to determine the Speed-Up value. When not in use, it was rotated 90 degress counterclockwise.

By 1998, an electronic puzzle board was introduced. It was different from most others because in the case of multiple occurrences of a letter, the hostess only needed to touch one to reveal the others.

The show ran for 3,125 episodes, ending with a Tournament of Champions.

2007-09
This version aired on Italia 1, with Enrico Papi hosting and Victoria Silvstedt (from the French version) at the puzzle board. The theme music was a dance remix of the "Gira la Ruota" song.

The set and Wheel layout were similar to France's 2006-2011 version only the set was mirrored and the Wheel used a different font. The puzzle board also used a bold font and did not have a border that signified whose player's turn it was (the border was always a magenta-red color). Intially, contestants played for a top prize of 200.000€. Before 2008 came to an end, the top prize was halved.

Board Game Adaptions
Many board game adaptions were released throughout the years by Milton Bradley. The first, released in 1988, used the Round 1 layout in the 1987 Odeon version. The rest of Milton Bradley's releases used a layout with a similar style to that used on the show.

In 2008, Clementoni released a home adaption of the most recent version. It had a puzzle board which was designed to use custom puzzles as well as puzzles provided on cards and even had a cardboard cutout figure of Silvstedt that could be attached to the side. The Wheel was designed to be spun via the rim without pegs (although it replaced the Passe with a second 0€ wedge). The gameplay structure, however, was similar to Pressman's versions with the Wheel's top value being 400€ and vowels costing 200€.

Japan[]

Hoiru obu Fochon, hosted by Jyoji Shibue and Miyuu Sawai, aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System during the 1980s-90s. These two would later play Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba in Toei's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.

Kurdistan[]

There was a version, possibly a one-time special, sometime in the 2000s.

Lithuania[]

Laimės Ratas is confirmed to have existed in Lithuania, possibly during the late 1990s as their Wheel's patterned color scheme resembled that of Poland's (read below). It is also believed to have aired on TV3.

Macedonia[]

Тркало На Среќата (or Trkalo Na Srekata) premiered on A1 Channel in 2009, hosted by Igor Dzambazov and Natali Grubovic.

The first toss-up puzzle earned 1,000 denari, but the solver of the 2,000-denari puzzle started the first round and the solver of the 3,000-denari toss-up started round 4. Each vowel cost 250 denari.

After spinning a smaller wheel full of envelopes, the winner would be given six free letters and then chose four more letters and must solve within 10 seconds in order to win the prize described in the envelope.

Malaysia[]

Roda Impian was another success for the franchise, airing on Astro Ria from 1996-2006; original host Halim Othman was replaced by Hani Mohsin in 2002. Hostesses included Zalda Zainal, Abby Abadi, "Spell", "Liza AF1", and Irma Hasmie. This version uses some sounds from the US one, such as buzzer and Final Spin bells. The show ended out of respect for Mohsin, who had died suddenly of a heart attack in 2006.

The top values were RM200 for Round 1, RM500 for Round 2, RM700 for Round 3, and RM1000 for Round 4, with Bankrupt and Lose A Turn being called "Muflis" and "Hilang Giliran" respectively. RM 200 was placed counterclockwise of Hilang Giliran in Round 1 while the top values for Rounds 2 to 4 were placed counterclockwise of Muflis. A Prize wedge was added on the other side of the top value for Rounds 2 and 3. In Round 4, a second Prize wedge was added. Vowels cost 50 ringgit.

Spaces used in the original version

  • Mystery Wedges: Much like the American version, with two wedges and a face value of RM500. They hid either a prize or Lose A Turn. These were available in Round 4 only.
  • Selesaikan (Solve): Landing on this forced the contestant to solve the puzzle. Doing so doubled their money, but failing resulted in a Bankrupt.
  • Undur (Reverse): Same as Lose A Turn, except the turn order was temporarily reversed (for example, if the blue contestant landed on it, the yellow contestant gained control; once the yellow contestant lost his/her turn, the blue player got it back).
  • Putaran Percuma (Free Spin): Placed on the top value of each round.
  • Misteri (Surprise)

The bonus round featured four grand prizes in four envelopes represented by the letters R, O, D, and A. After being given N, K, R, M, G, and A, the player chose three consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

The show briefly returned in 2009 on TV3, hosted by "Kieran" and Fauziah Gaus.

Despite the program's demise in Malaysia, the original Roda Impian remains the longest-running and most-watched game show in the country.

Mexico[]

La Rueda de la Fortuna, hosted by Laura Flores and "Anastasia", aired on Televisa from 1995 to May 10, 1996. The opening was a localized version of the 1992 American one, and the show used two puzzle boards.

As opposed to 24, the Wheel had 25 wedges, each with three pegs. Originally, the top values were $850/$1,000/$1,500, but became $1,000/$2,000/$3,000 when peso values were increased (some of them, especially smaller ones, being doubled) not long into the show's run. The currency symbol seen on the Wheel throughout most of the run was N$, which meant new peso, as Mexico had replaced their old peso with a new one in 1993. Before the show's run ended, the N was omitted from the Wheel. After the N was ommitted, peso symbols on some of the Wheel values were noticably displayed upside-down.

As opposed to having a final spin of the game, a final spin of the round was done if a round was taking too long. The house minimum for a round was $500, but the minimum for the game was $2,000, meaning if anyone won less than $2,000 after three rounds, their score was bumped to that amount. Vowels cost $250.

In the bonus round, the player chose one of six envelopes and after being given the letters E, N, R, and S chose three more consonants and a vowel and must solve the puzzle within 10 seconds.

Moldova[]

Roata Norocului, hosted by Dan Negru, debuted on November 22, 2019 on Prime. The show is virtually identical to the modern Romanian show (see below). This version uses the new music cues just like the US version.

Mongolia[]

Agshin ("A Moment"), heavily modeled after the Russian version, premiered on TV MNB in April 1992 and eventually became the longest-running show on Mongolian television. Despite its longevity, it is unknown if the show still airs.

Special spaces on the wheel include:

  • Д (Дампуурал) = Bankrupt
  • 0 = Lose a Turn
  • + = Open any letter in the puzzle
  • Ш (Шагнал) = same as "Prize" in Russia (see below)
  • А (Аз) = When landed on it, the contestant has to throw a die. (S)he wins a gift corresponding to the number thrown.

Moreover, these special spaces are not announced by the host, but shown to the TV viewers as small stingers (animations).

Wheel round 2

Rad van Fortuin, Netherlands 2016

The Netherlands[]

Het Rad van Fortuin, originally hosted by Hans van der Togt, ran on RTL 4 from 1989-98 and at one point used a localized version of the 1989-92 American opening. For the first few years, this version was very similar to Belgium's version at the time, including similar Wheel layouts, and even the same music and sound effects. Each vowel cost ƒ500 (€226.89). In fact, the first few episodes were taped on Belgium's set. Hostesses included Leontine Borsato, Patricia Rietveld, and Cindy Pielstroom. This version used the shopping format. The winner chose five consonants and a vowel and must solve the bonus puzzle within 15 seconds to win a car or a kitchen. By 1997, the player chose one of three envelopes.

The show was briefly revived in 2009 for four episodes, with Carlo Boszhard (who also hosted that country's version of The Price Is Right) as host, and Borsato returning to the puzzle board. This version was played for cash using the Euro, with vowels costing €150, a house minimum of €250 per round and a top value of just €5.000 on the wheel with a €0 wedge to the right of it. Rounds one and two began with a toss-up which started the solver's bank at €100.

Bankrupt and Lose A Turn were named "Bankroet" and "Verliesbeurt", respectively.

  • Overval: Used in Rounds 1-2, placed on the €100 between €250 and €350, the wedge gave players a chance to steal their opponents' money (much like the Power Wedge in the Filipino version).
  • Mystery Wedges: Two were used beginning in Round 3 (one on the €100 between €250 and €350, the other on the light-purple €100). The wedges had a face value of €100 with one of the wedges hiding Bankroet and the other wedge hiding €5,000.
  • Bankroet/€5.000/Bankroet: Placed on the Bankroet next to €500, but it is not known if this was treated as a cash prize or spendable cash.

In the bonus round, the player spun a wheel with 12 envelopes. After being given R, S, T, and E, the player chose three more consonants and another vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

On August 22, 2016 Rad van Fortuin returned on SBS 6 with André Hazes Jr. as host. Hostesses alternate every week (female/male). As in 2009, each round began with a toss-up puzzle and the player who solved it began with 100€ in their bank. Buying a vowel now cost €500. The Wheel has a rainbow color scheme and top values of €500 in Round 1, €1.000 in Round 2, and €1.500 in subsequent rounds. Interestingly, the base layout has no non-cash spaces apart from one Bankroet (a second is added in Round 2). When the wheel spins, a melody plays along which the contestants can guess 'during the spin' of what song the melody plays to. Verliesbeurt wedge can be placed on any orange space except the 500-euro space. Some sources indicate that there can be one, two, or none of these at one time. A Joker (Free Spin) space can be placed on any yellow space. When landed on a Joker, the wedge is awarded and the contestant plays for the amount underneath (similar to the rules for Prize wedges and Free Spin on the American version until 1990). Finally, a Publieksprijs (Audience Award) can be placed on any blue space. When this is landed on, each member in the audience receives a prize to go home with. In the Bonus Round, the winning contestant can choose to double his or her money or play for the car/kitchen or €10.000 furnitures cheque. If she/he chooses to double his or her winnings, she/he receives D, N, R, T, and E as free letters and then chooses an additional two consonants and a vowel. If she/he chooses to play for the car/kitchen or the cheque, only T, N, and E are given for free and the contestant chooses only one each of a consonant and a vowel. Interestingly, only the positions of the free letters are provided before the contestant chooses his/her letters, after which the positions of the chosen letters are also shown. It is not until the timer starts that the letters themselves are revealed. After that, the contestant has only ten seconds to solve the puzzle correctly.

New Zealand[]

Wheel debuted on TV2 in February 1991, hosted by Phillip Leishman and Lana Coc-Kroft with Grant Walker as announcer. This version based itself heavily on the Australian one, with a very similar set and rules, and even the same logo and music.

Differences from the Australian version include the Wheel using 72 pegs like the American version, and the Red Mystery Letter applying to all instances of that letter reveal in a puzzle instead of just a single instance. The Major Prize Round's scoring system is also modified.

By 1993, the original "top dollar" amounts increased from $360/$690/$1,800 to $500/$1,000/$2,000.

The show began at 5:30 PM, then moved to TV ONE at 7:00 PM (previously held by $ale of the Century). In 1995, TV ONE expanded its newscast to a full hour and moved Wheel to TV2 at 6:00 PM, where it was unable to compete with the news broadcasts of TV ONE and TV3 and ended in 1996.

One infamous episode which appears from time to time in blooper specials was boxer David Tua's game on October 10, 1992: at one point, he asked for P when buying a vowel; at another, he tried to buy a "constonant". He was also believed to have tried to call "O for awesome", but in fact it was "O for Olsen" (a reference to Olsen Filipaina), although the main problem is that he was supposed to call a consonant.

Home Version

Croner released a board game that was the same as the games released in Australia with the sole difference (possibly apart from puzzles) being the boxart, which featured Leishman and New Zealand's puzzle board.

2008-09
The show returned on April 14, 2008, again on TV ONE, now based on the American version and hosted by Jason Gunn and Sonia Gray. A SPIN ID number was drawn during the show; in this case, it was an "aside" during one round and awarded $500. In addition to using categories (most of which appeared to be identical to the American and Australian versions), Sonia offered a clue pertaining to each puzzle at the start of every round (similarly to the 1974 American pilots).

In 2008, the top value on the wheel was $1,000 in the first two rounds and $2,000 in each additional round. Later, values ranged from $50-$500 in Round 1, $50-$900 in Round 2, and $100-$2,000/$150-$2,000 in Rounds 3+. Unlike the American version, consonants still rewarded the amount spun at a flat rate.

  • Toss-Ups were played like the US version prior to the first and fourth round, with a value of $100.
  • The Wheel's color scheme was the exact same as the barren Round 1 layout used on the American version from 2006 to 2008 save for the Bankrupt switching places with the green space (coincidentally valued at $300 on both versions) two wedges counterclockwise.
  • Placements of extras varied from episode to episode, unlike the American version where extras almost always had a default position.
  • A Free Spin was placed on a $50 space in Rounds 1 and 2.
  • Vowels cost $100. Interestingly, there was possibly no warning as to whether or not there were any vowels left. In at least one episode, Jason said that even if there was a vowel left to buy, it may not be in the puzzle.
  • A Prize wedge was placed in all rounds. The prize was always kitchen appliances.
  • $600, $700, $800, and $900 were placed on four of the $50 spaces beginning in Round 3. Later in 2008, they would be placed on the wheel in round 2.
  • $1,000 and $2,000 were added for Round 3. Also added were another Bankrupt wedge, and two Mystery Wedges. In 2008, a Bankrupt/$5,000/Bankrupt wedge would also be added. At first, $1,000 was the top amount in the first two rounds with all other amounts from $50-500.
  • The Mystery Wedges had a bribe of $300, with a Bankrupt or $2,500 on the reverse.
  • Each player would be guaranteed winnings of $250.
  • The Bonus Round used a 24-envelope and 48-peg Wheel like the American version, and the envelope was opened before the blanks were revealed on the puzzle board.
  • RSTLNE was given by default in the Bonus Round, but if a player accidentally called one of those letters, that pick was considered to have been wasted and was essentially held against the contestant.

Wheel ended in June 2009 due to low ratings, low advertiser revenue, and high production costs; an increased emphasis on the play-by-phone game "Speed Digits" (where Gray gave RSTLNE and Gunn gave a sixth consonant) is likely to have been a contributing factor, as it typically disrupted the game flow. The week of April 27, 2009 had firefighters playing the game; while not stated outright, all of them were male, likely in an attempt to draw a large female demographic.

Norway[]

Lykkehjulet aired from 13 March 1990 to 16 April 1993 on TV3 and is the same as the original Swedish Lyckohjulet, with one contestant from Norway and two from Sweden (or vice versa) playing against each other (and as a result of the dual-country airing, intros and promos used two logos). This is the only known version of Wheel to have contestants from different countries playing against each other as a regular part of the format (Canadians have played on the American version, and at least one American played on the Australian version).

For a while, the format was similar to the American 1975 hour-long version. The first set consisted of two Swedish players while the second consisted of two Norwegian players. For each set of players, two regular rounds were played. The top winner from each set played a duel round, which was similar to the Bonus Round only with two players. The winner of the duel round would play the Bonus Round. If neither player won the duel round, however, no Bonus Round was played. This is the only known time a version in the worldwide franchise to regularly depart from the standard three-player format.

Originally, the show was hosted by Ragnar Otnes and Ulrika Nilsson. Otnes was replaced by Knut Bjornsen on 31 December 1991, while Nilsson was replaced by Lise Nilsen on 1 September 1992.

Values on the Wheel ranged from 1000 to 4000 (with one Bankrupt/Bankrutt space and no Lose A Turns; a second Bankrutt would be placed opposite the first one by June of 1992), although vowels cost a mere 300 and the winner of each round kept their score and chose one of three prizes. During the two-player era, a Bonus token (which worked similar to the Prize wedge) was placed on the sole 1000 space in the second round of each set. The Wheel is believed to have offered both krones and kronas, which are the currencies of Norway and Sweden respectively, as both currencies are similar in name and value. During the Speed-Up, both consonants and vowels were awarded the amount spun times the number of occurrences. In addition, the answer usually doesn't have to be said out loud when the last letter in the puzzle is called as indicated on the January 15, 1992 episode.

Initially, a shopping-based turntable was at center stage, which appears to have been dropped when Knut became host.

A board game adaption was released in both countries, which was modeled after Waddington's British version. Damm released the game in Norway while Karnan released the game in Sweden. The main difference was the Wheel layout. As the British layout was the same as Pressman's American layout, values were raised in Norway's and Sweden's versions to reflect the Norwedgian/Swedish show's layout although values were multiples of 500 as opposed to the show's 50. Furthermore, one Lose A Turn and one Free Spin space were placed on the Wheel in the same respective positions as Pressman's and Waddington's Wheel layouts. Finally, some of the special spaces were named differently between both versions. For example, Sweden's uses the show's Bankrutt as the name for their Bankrupt wedge while Norway's uses the term Konkurs.

There also appears to have been a one-time special that aired in Norway only on February 26, 2007.

Panama[]

La Rueda de la Fortuna, hosted by Rassiel Rodriguez and Nadage Herrera, briefly ran on Telémetro in 2001. It was revived on Canal 13 on June 9, 2010, hosted by Jorge Ortega, but appears to have ended in 2011. Vowels cost $150.

Peru[]

La Ruleta de la Suerte premiered in late November 2011 on Frecuencia Latina, with host Cristian Rivero. It appears to have ended in 2012.

Philippines[]

Wheel originally aired on ABC-5 from November 19, 2001 to May 3, 2002, hosted by Rustom Padilla and Victoria London. This version used the Surprise wedge and Free Spin wedge (though treated like the token), along with the W-H-E-E-L envelopes and RSTLNE given automatically in the Bonus Round. The logo was the American one used from 1995-97.

The Wheel used on this version most likely holds the record as being the largest diameter Wheel in the franchise, around 12 feet in diameter. When the show premiered in 2001, the values were 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 (notably being between Lose A Turn and Bankrupt); by 2002, the amounts on the Wheel became 1,000, 1,200, 1,400, 1,600, 1,800, 2,000, 2,250, 2,500, 2,750, 3,000, 3,250, 3,500, 3,750, and 4,000 (still between Lose A Turn and Bankrupt although the penalty wedges around it swapped positions). Vowels cost 400 pesos.

Special wedges included:

  • Surprise (Rounds 1-2; later Round 1 only): Placed on the green 500 between 3,000 and 750; later on the 1,000 between 3,500 and 1,600.
  • Free Spin (All Rounds; later Rounds 1-2 only): Placed on the yellow 500 between 2,000 and 550; later on the green 1,000 between 1,400 and 2,250.
  • Goodie 1 (Round 2): A Prize wedge placed on the green 500 between 700 and 650; later on the orange 1,000.
  • Jackpot (Round 2): Started at 5,000 pesos, with the wedge placed on the teal 500 between Bankrupt and 850, later on the light-green 1,000 between 3,000 and Bankrupt.

The Speed-Up was played like the American version, with consonants worth the Final Spin's amount plus 1,000 pesos.

The Monday through Friday shows were daily shows looking for the top three scores; those three would go to the weekly final on Saturday to play for 100,000 pesos worth of prizes. The top three scores from the weekly scores would then go on to the monthly finals, where the eventual winner got a brand new car on top of everything else they won.

2008

Power Wedge


The show was revived on ABS-CBN from January 14-July 25, 2008 for 138 episodes, hosted by Kris Aquino with Zara Aldana and Jasmine Fitzgerald alternating at the puzzle board, making this one of only three known adaptions of Wheel of Fortune (the others being Mexico and South Africa) to have no male hosts whatsoever.

Strangely, promos and the like for this version made no mention of the Padilla series.

This version closely resembled the American format then in use, albeit with puzzles in both English and Tagalog, and K replacing R in the Bonus Round. The Bonus Round prizes were: cars and cash amounts ranging from 50,000 pesos to 1,000,000 pesos and a top prize of 2,000,000 pesos. The most notable difference was the Power wedge (known as "Hold Up" in other versions that use it) which, after calling a correct letter, allowed a player to steal all current round winnings from an opponent. If neither opponent had any money, the player still had to call a correct letter at no value. Another notable difference was the position of each of the player's arrows. Instead of being placed at the center of each player's podium, they were placed just clockwise of the center. The reason for this is unknown.

The peso amounts on the Wheel were 3,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, and 15,000. Vowels cost 2,500 pesos. A Free Spin token (styled just like the US version's only shaped like an oval) was usually present on the purple 6,000 (although in some episodes it was placed on the blue 6,000), and obtaining it also added 6,000 pesos per letter to that player's score. There was no house minimum, but it was implied that the contestants were given parting gifts. Interestingly, 5,000 was the value that was more often than not referred to by its native Tagalog language ("limang libo") by Aquino whereas all of the other values were usually announced by her in English.

  • Toss-Ups: Like the American version, three Toss-Ups were played for 5,000, 10,000, and 15,000 pesos respectively. Whoever solved a Toss-Up spun first in the next round (Rounds 1, 3, and 4 respectively). The person who won Round 1 also started Round 2, as was the case on the 1973-74 American pilots.
  • Bankrupt/100,000/Bankrupt: Used in Round 1. A correct letter on the center simply added 100,000 pesos to that player's score, which could be spent on vowels.
  • Jackpot (Round 2): Began at 100,000 pesos, but wrong letters did not add to it. Landing on the wedge itself added 3,000 to the Jackpot unless the player decided to solve for it.
  • Prize Puzzle: Also used in Round 2. After the puzzle was solved, a question was asked about it for the prize.
  • Mystery Wedge (Round 3): Unlike the American version, there was only one Mystery Wedge (placed on the blue 5,000 and with a face value of 5,000) that could be a Bankrupt or 200,000 pesos; the wedge was either yellow, red, or blue. Also in this round, Power moved to between 3,000 and 9,000, with its former spot becoming a green 3,000.
  • Bankrupt/200,000/Bankrupt: Used in Round 4 if there was time for one, replacing the blue 5,000, and working similarly to its 100,000-peso counterpart. This element was rarely used; only two episodes, one of them being the premiere, are known to have a fourth round.
  • Speed-Up: When the Speed-Up began, the amount landed on was the value of the round (if the Wheel landed on Power, the highest score earned by a contestant in this round would go to whoever solved the puzzle). Vowels originally had to be bought unless the contestant did not receive any money, but this was scrapped later on.

Unlike the original run, the 2008 series ended with a proper finale: a special game with adult-child teams.

Poland[]

Koło fortuny (sometimes spellt Koło Fortuny) is a TVP2 show which debuted on 2 October 1992, originally hosted by Wojciech Pijanowski and Magda Masny. Pijanowski left the show in 1995 and was replaced by Paweł Wawrzecki, Andrzej Kopiczyński and Jerzy Bończak, who were quickly replaced by Stanisław Mikulski until the show's end in 3Q of 1998.

The show debuted during Poland's period of złoty hyperinflation, resulting in the top amounts being PLZ 5,000,000 / PLZ 12,500,000 / PLZ 17,500,000 / PLZ 25,000,000 until 1995, when the "new złoty" was introduced and all the values were numerically divided by 10,000, with the top amounts becoming PLN 500 / PLN 1,250 / PLN 1,750 / PLN 2,500 (the change happened on January 1, 1995 – either before or during Wawrzecki's tenure). The use of a four-round structure was unusual, as this version also used the shopping format until sometime in 1994.

Numerically, Poland's top values from 1992-95 were 5,000 times as high as the American top dollar values at the time. From 1995-96, they were half as much as their American counterparts.

The contestant podiums were reversed in color to blue, yellow, and red from left to right. Behind the players were diamond backdrops similar to those of the American version, which were used until 1997 at the latest.

From 1992-96, the Wheel had 21 wedges with three pegs each; this was decreased to 20 wedges with two pegs each when the top amounts were changed to zł500/zł1,400/zł2,000 in 1996, when the Wheel also adopted a patterned color scheme. Bankrupt and Lose A Turn were called "Bankrut" and "Stop" respectively, although the latter was "Strata Kolejki" until sometime in 1993. From 1995 to 1997, there was a wedge marked "Premia" in Round 1. Although it translates to "Bonus," it was essentially Free Spin.

From 1992 to at least 1993, contestants who landed on a Prize wedge (introduced in Round 2 and placed on the red 500,000 space near Bankrut; a new prize was introduced whether or not the previous one was landed on) and called a letter presumably won the prize immediately although it likely did not count toward their score. If a player landed on this wedge after it was claimed, s/he simply spun again until something else was landed on. By late 1995, however, contestants who landed on the Prize (which was renamed "Nagroda" in 1993) after it was claimed lost their turn.

During a celebrity special for Christmas 1992, the Round 4 Wheel layout was used during the entire game. By Round 2, Niespodzianka (Surprise) was placed on the pink PLZ 500,000, Zestaw (a set of prizes) on Lose A Turn, and a blue PLZ 17,500,000 on Bankrupt.

Gameplay-wise, there were several large differences from the American version:

  • Only one arrow was used, located in front of the yellow player's podium.
  • Vowels cost PLZ 500,000 from 1992-94, amonuting to PLN 50 in 1995 when the "new złoty" debuted. In order for a contestant to buy a vowel, s/he needed to choose a consonant that was in the puzzle first. Beginning in 1997, vowels were treated the same way as consonants.
  • During the shopping era, the scores of players who failed to solve a puzzle were not affected, but as usual, contestants who solved a puzzle were allowed to shop with the winner being determined by how much money was spent on prizes. In addition, some prizes were allowed to be purchased more than once. Also during the shopping era, the winner of the previous round started the following round.
  • After the shopping element was dropped, the blue player started Rounds 1 and 4, the yellow player started Round 2, and the red player started Round 3. In addition, whenever a contestant solved a puzzle, their opponents were penalized half of their winnings. Players landing on Bankrut were penalized their entire score, regardless of whether s/he had solved a puzzle.
  • The Bonus Round was played for a car through 1996 and a PLN 10,000 prize package from 1997-98, but the seven envelopes (spelling out F-O-R-T-U-N-A on a pedestal much like the American one used from about 1990/91-92) only determined which five consonants and one vowel the player would receive at the outset, after which s/he then called for another three-and-a-vowel; if the contestant tried to give a letter already given in the chosen envelope, it was considered a wasted pick and held against the player. The time limit was 15 seconds, which started immediately after any picks were revealed; unlike most other known adaptations of the Bonus Round (apart from various American home console and computer game adaptations and possibly Denmark's version), the player had just one guess at the puzzle solution.

By 1993, the seven envelopes were reduced to four (now spelling K-O-Ł-O with a star between each) and gave just three-and-a-vowel. For a brief time, the graphics were altered to show the chosen envelope's letters and the contestant's picks at the same time along with the 15-second clock, although this was dropped by Spring 1994.

Sometime between Winter 1995 and Spring 1997, the time limit was reduced to 10 seconds; the envelope podium was shrunk to a short, domed style; and each envelope contained a number from 0 to 3 to add to the initial three-and-a-vowel.

2007-09
A revival aired on TVP2 from 29 October 2007 to 27 October 2009, helmed by Krzysztof Tyniec and Marta Lewandowska. The format used here more closely resembled the American format, including three arrows, the scoring system, and the ability to give unlimited answers in the Bonus Round. In 2007, the top values were PLN 1,500 in the first round, 2,000 zlotys in the second round, and 2,500 in the third round. The top value in all rounds was 2,500 in 2008 and 1,500 since March 2009, even though early 2009 saw top amounts of 5,000zl in the first round and 3,000z in rounds two and three. The contestant podiums were colored red, yellow, and green.

  • Toss-Ups were played for a dishwasher or a trip to a hotel in Poland. The puzzle board's border lit up depending on which player (red, yellow, or green) buzzed in.
  • Vowels cost PLN 200. It is unknown whether a player could start his/her turn by buying vowels.
  • Prize wedges behaved like the US nighttime Jackpot wedge: players had to call a correct letter on it and immediately solve the puzzle to win it.
  • The Bonus Round was played for cars, trips, and cash prizes up to PLN 50,000, using the Bonus Wheel. The player was given RSTLNE and selected the three-and-a-vowel, after which s/he had unlimited guesses. Just like before, if a player chose any of the already given letters, it was considered a wasted pick.

Special spaces

  • AGD: Home appliances worth PLN 5,000. This wedge was placed on the orange PLN 150 between PLN 200 and PLN 300 in Round 3.
  • Wycieczka: Represented trips.
  • Sklep Internetowy: A computer-related prize. Placed on the orange PLN 150 between PLN 200 and PLN 300 in Round 2.
  • Skuter: A scooter. Placed on the green PLN 100 between PLN 150 and the Mystery Wedge in Round 3.
  • Nagroda: Any other prize. Placed on the orange PLN 150 between PLN 100 and PLN 200 for Rounds 1-2 and the other orange PLN 150 (between PLN 200 and PLN 250) in Round 3.
  • Bankrut/10 000/Bankrut: Placed on the Bankrut between PLN 500 and PLN 400 in Round 2. The PLN 10,000 section awarded that much in spendable cash.
  • Mystery Wedges: Two were placed on the Wheel in Round 3 (one on the blue PLN 250 between PLN 350 and Skuter, the other on PLN 1,000), with an offer of PLN 500; these hid either a Bankrut or PLN 10,000. Unlike the US version, the player had to choose whether to flip the wedge before calling a letter:
    • If s/he opted not to flip, the wedge was treated as a regular PLN 500 space for that turn.
    • If the wedge was flipped and was the PLN 10,000 (treated like a Prize wedge), the contestant had to call a correct letter to actually get the cash, which could be spent on vowels. Regardless of what was on the reverse, the other Mystery Wedge was removed from the Wheel and Tyniec took both wedges back to his hosting area.

2017

The show returned on September 10, 2017 on TVP2 with Rafał Brzozowski as host.

The current contestant podium colors are pink, turquoise, and yellow.

Pat Sajak made a special cameo the second episode, congratulating the show and its host on making its comeback to Poland (the same country where Sajak traces his ancestry). The show also features a live house band (similar to the Romanian and Turkish versions of Wheel), and airs in a daytime slot instead of a primetime slot.

One toss-up puzzle is played, worth PLN 500, before the first round. Another one is played before the final round and is worth PLN 1,000. Strangely, the second toss-up puzzle is referred to as "Round 3," with the round following it being "Round 4," while the first toss-up puzzle is just a preliminary round ("runda startowa"). Until February 2019, Round 3 toss-up puzzles were song-related, prompting the band to start playing a song, and Brzozowski would usually sing while dancing with his co-host (a reference to the current Romanian version).

There is now a wedge that says "NIESPODZIANKA" ("Surprise"), which varies each time it is hit. The host always announces what the surprise is before the contestant is asked to choose a consonant. If the letter is in the puzzle, the host will then detach the wedge before replacing it with a cash wedge (usually a low value such as PLN 100). The traditional "NAGRODA" (prize) space remains, and is also detached. With both wedges, the player has to solve the puzzle without hitting a "BANKRUT" to win it.

The top values are: PLN 1,500 for the first regular round, PLN 1,500 for the second (PLN 2,000 in the beginning), and PLN 2,500 for the third.

There is only one mystery wedge (written as "500?") instead of two. It stays on the wheel from round two until it is hit. The player can either take 500 zloty per letter or flip the wedge; if he/she flips the wedge, it will either show a "BANKRUT" (bankrupt) or a larger cash prize.

The bonus round is played for cash prizes up to 50,000 zloty, or a new car, the trunk of which is also filled with chocolates from the program's primary sponsor (all contestants as a parting gift receive a box of said chocolates from the same company). It is played like the US version in which the player is given R, S, T, L, N, and E, picks 3 additional consonants and one additional vowel, and then has 10 seconds to solve the puzzle.

In 2019 Rafał Brzozowski was replaced by Norbert Dudziuk "Norbi".

Portugal[]

A Roda da Sorte originally ran on RTP1 from 1990 to December 31, 1993, hosted by Herman José. The Wheel values on this version ranged from 3,000$ (€14.96) to 50,000$ (€249.40), with a second 50,000$ appearing in later rounds. The top winner chose five consonants and a vowel before solving the bonus puzzle within 15 seconds.

The series ended in a rather strange way: Herman (who had from time to time dressed up unusually during the show's run) walked out at the top of the show dressed in leather, wearing sunglasses and holding a shotgun. As the game progressed, he destroyed the various prizes sitting at center stage with shotgun bullets and, at the beginning of the Bonus Round, destroyed a weight scale in the same way. After the bonus puzzle was solved, he gave the winner all three bonus prizes before shooting at several trilons, notably managing to blow out one's light. During the credits, José pretended to shoot the onstage staff before pretending to shoot himself.

The show returned in September 2008 on STC, again hosted by José. This time, two €100 toss-up puzzles preceded the first round and whomever solved the second toss-up began Round 1. Each following round would start with a toss-up and each player who solved a toss-up would start with that money in their bank for that round. Regular values ranged from €0-€200, vowels cost €50, and the first two rounds featured a Bancarrota/€250/Bancarrota wedge. Round 1 also featured a surprise gift awarded to the first player to land on Surpresa. In Round 2, whomever landed on "€1,000 Montra" chose from an array of prizes for 30 seconds and only kept those prizes if they totaled less than €1,000. In Round 3, a Bancarrota/€1,000/Bancarrota wedge would be placed on the Wheel. The top winner spun a wheel full of envelopes, each of which hid a cash amount up to €25,000 or a car. After being given three free consonants and a vowel, the player chose three other consonants and one other vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

Puerto Rico[]

¿Quién Sabe Más? was hosted by Daniela Droz, Carlos Esteban Fonseca, and Jose Juan, and it was aired on WIPR-TV (formerly Puerto Rico TV) from 2014 to 2016.

Romania[]

Roata Norocului originally aired briefly in March 1997 on TVR1, hosted by Doru Dumitrescu. Another version, hosted by Mihai Călin, aired on Pro TV from December 1997 to May 1999. The set and rules were similar to the French version at the time, including the Free Spin/Joker wedge. Unlike France's version, however, the player had to choose whether to play for the Joker token or 150,000 lei (also the cost of vowels) per consonant occurrence. Values were displayed in thousands of lei.

In Round 3, a Jackpot wedge was placed on the Wheel. It worked similar to a blend of both the daytime and nighttime Jackpots used on the American version: it started at 0 lei and increased by the cash amount spun only when a chosen letter was not in the puzzle. If the Jackpot was not claimed, the amount carried over subsequent episodes until claimed. The Jackpot worked just like a Prize wedge on the American. It is unknown if the Jackpot was reset to 0 at the beginning of the next episode if claimed yet not won.

In the bonus round, the letters R, S, T, L, N, E, and the player's choice of three consonants and one vowel would not be revealed until that player had chosen said letters.

A revival debuted June 20, 2012 on Kanal D, now helmed by Liviu Vârciu, airing two-hour-long episodes. The Wheel (which had a top value of 1,500) offered points instead of lei. After what appeared to be a two-year hiatus, the show returned on Sunday, August 23, 2015 with Adrian Cristea Bursucu as host.

Bankrupt and Lose A Turn are called Faliment and Stai o Tura respectively. On the Pro TV version, Lose A Turn was known as Stai un Tur. Vowels now cast 500 points.

The first Toss-Up is worth 1,500 points and the second is worth 800 points; the contestant has to solve the round's puzzle without hitting Faliment to keep the Toss-Up points.

There are four Prize wedges and one ½ Car wedge (or sometimes a 1/3 Car wedge) that is a full wedge. The color of the latter wedge varies in each episode.

Other spaces in the 2012 revival

  • Pedeapsa (Punishment): When this wedge is landed on, the player has to perform a stunt (many of which have been rather risqué) with the host and/or hostess. There is no effect on scoring or gameplay, the only known wedge or token in the Wheel franchise to have such a purpose.
  • Surpriza: Acts like the Surprise Wedge; if this was landed on and the correct letter is called, the host and the hostess open the treasure box and reveal the name of the prize.
  • Joker: Free Spin.
  • Faliment/20,000 lei/Faliment: Treated like the Bankrupt/$10,000/Bankrupt Wedge in the US version.
  • Power Play: Introduced in the early 2020's, a Power Play period starts that lasts one minute. During this time, the contestant continuously spins the Wheel and guesses consonants. If he or she chooses an incorrect letter or lands on a penalty wedge during this period, he or she will not lose their turn but rather spin on. If the contestant is able to solve the puzzle before there are five seconds left in the period, he or she will win a cash bonus of 3000 RON (code for new lei, which was introduced in 2005). If not, the contestant doesn't get the cash but still keeps the points. If the Wheel is still spinning when time expires, the contestant is allowed to choose a consonant and finish the Power Play period. Afterwards, gameplay continues as normal.

In the Bonus Round, NRTSCE is given by default followed by the contestant's three-and-a-vowel.

Russia[]

По́ле Чуде́с (or Póle Chudés, literally "The Field of Wonders") has been airing on Channel One (1TV) since 25 October 1990. The original host was Vladislav Listyev, who was replaced in October or November 1991 by Leonid Yakubovich and Rimma Agafoshina. Unlike all the other international versions, it is intended for mature audiences aged 16 and above.

The Wheel on this version is called "baraban" (literally drum, because it is spinning with drumkit-alike sounds in postproduction), and scores are kept in points (although they are not shown during the game). Unlike most versions, vowels are not bought by players, but treated equally like consonants. Three puzzles are played with three new contestants each, and the three winners play another puzzle to determine the champion. The drum is spun slowly so that the host could have conversations with the contestants.

Special spaces (wedges) found on the "drum" are:

  • Б (Bankrupt)
  • 0 (Zero) = Lose A Turn
  • + = The player is allowed to choose a letter's position in the puzzle to reveal it. If the letter is repeated, all of them are opened at the same time (unlike Vietnam).
  • x2 = double the score if a letter is correct
  • П (Prize) = The player may either refuse the host's offer and call a letter for 2,000 points, or take a prize, in that case brought out in a black case. The player and host then bargain over the case, with the latter offering money instead. The content of the black box can be anything from a vegetable or a toy to somethink much more valuable, such as car keys. If the box prize or money is accepted, the player has to leave the game.
  • Chance (Ш, then a telephone picture) = the player may either call a letter for 1,500 points or phone a random TV viewer and ask him/her for a revealable letter or solved puzzle. The player can also change the TV viewer's decision. If the TV viewer offers a correctly solved puzzle, (s)he won a prize. *Space removed after 3 April 2020, when audience was removed due to COVID-19, and has not been returned ever since.
  • Key = the player may either call a letter for 2,000 points or win the main prize of the show — a car. When accepted, the player has to choose one of six keys. If the player successfully opens the door, (s)he wins the car, or else, the turn is passed to the next player (no points are lost).
  • Sometimes there are different sponsor spaces present, all with different functions.

The Wheel always had only two colors. Originally, the colors were black and white. By around 2001, they became blue-gray and yellow. Currently, they are indigo and silver. The design of the Wheel from 2001 somewhat similar to the Wheel design in Chiếc nón kỳ diệu from 2001 to 2007.

First, second and third rounds are played by different groups. Winner of each group plays final round with other another ones in final group. If any player decides to solve the puzzle, the answer must be correct, or else the player must leave the game. Three correct letters in a row revealed by player give him a right to choose one of two cascets; one of them contains 5,000 roubles, while the other one is empty.

Until 2001 there was a toss-up round after third round called Playing with the Audience. It is played by the audience, not by players in groups. Any audience member who correctly solved a puzzle won a prize and had a right to declare a commercial break instead of host.

Pole Chudes is the only known iteration of Wheel currently on the air which uses the shopping format (although Romania's version may be another), done only by the final winner. The player then has the option to play or not to play a bonus round called Super Game for one of six additional prizes spun on the drum, with failure forfeiting all prizes already purchased. Since 2006, three words would be presented crossword-style with two of the words presented vertically. The player called out half as many letters as there are in the horizontal word and the had 60 seconds to solve the puzzle. Solving the horizontal word won the super prize plus a car for solving the entire puzzle.

The current logo and theme debuted on 29 December 2000, the same day the opening sequence was overhauled. The current opening sequence debuted sometime between 8 February and 8 March 2013.

An early tradition dating back to the first episodes of Pole Chudes involves the contestants bringing in gifts for the host. For example, a contestant that works at a factory would bring in that factory's most famous product, or a contestant from a far-away town would bring in some culturally-significant item to represent where they live. Eventually, the show's production company established a museum near their studio, where these gifts are now placed for public display. Nowadays, musical and other artistic performances are present in every single episode. Over the years Pole Chudes has been on air, focus has shifted from playing the game to showing off the gifts and songs.

Saudi Arabia[]

فالك طيب (Falak Tayeb) premiered on the Dubai Media City-based pan-Arab channel MBC1 on January 23, 2022. While much of the set is based on the American Season 39 set, the music package is the same as the American 2017-2021 package.

Serbia[]

Kolo Sreće premiered on Happy TV on December 21, 2015, with host Milorad "Manda" Mandić and hostess Soraja Vucelic. When the series first premiered, the Wheel contained dinar values (which had no currency symbols). Shortly after the premiere, however, the Wheel contained euro values and the euro symbol above each value.

Each game started with a €20 toss-up. However, a €30 toss-up decided who started the first round.

As the rounds progressed, a Bankrot (Bankrupt) space along with spaces containing larger values up to 100 euros were added to the Wheel. The placement of each of these spaces vary from show to show (one episode notably had the extra Bankrot placed to the immediate left of the Maler [Lose A Turn] space). Interestingly, there were two spaces worth 100 as the top euro value starting in Round 4; one 100-euro space was styled like a regular space while the other was styled like the Million Dollar Wedge on the American version.

Four Prize wedges were also available throughout the game until rewarded. Similar to the Prize Box on Wheel 2000, if a player landed on a Prize wedge and called a correct letter, the Prize was immediately his/hers although s/he did not get the value underneath the wedge.

Buying a vowel cost €15.

Additionally, some of the euro values are not multiples of 5 (3, 7, and 12), a rarity for the franchise as this happened only twice before, albeit with points instead of money. The 1992 German kids' version (read above) used 1 through 9 as point values while Russia's version used 999 as a value on two special episodes in the early 1990s.

In the bonus round, the player spun a wheel full of envelopes concealing different bonus prizes. After being given P, R, S, T, and A for free, the player chooses two consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds in order to win the prize in the envelope that had been landed on.

Singapore[]

Wheel of Fortune, hosted by Bernard Lim and Eunice Olsen, has aired on Mediacorp Channel 5 since May 8, 2002.

Channel 5 also currently airs episodes of the US version over a year after their original airdates (along with other American syndicated series). It is known that Season 25 aired from 2009-10, and the channel has gone as far back as Season 19. Season 33 began airing in December 2015.

Slovakia[]

Koleso šťastia ran on STV, then VTV, from 1994-97, hosted at various times by Jozef Pročko, Tibor Hlista, Roman Feder, Laco Híveš, Roman Pomajbo, and Peter Marcin. The shopping format was used for the entire run and each vowel cost 500 Sk (€16.60).

The show's set and opening titles shared elements with the German and Hungarian versions (as well as a few sound effects from the latter version), but used the theme of the Croatian version. The sound for Bankrot (Bankrupt) was the famous first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

The winner chose five consonants and a vowel in the bonus round.

Marcin's hosting duties appear to have been simply voiceovers, not unlike the "hosts" of 100%.

The show revived on July 25, 2016 on Markiza. This version used the music cues and sound effects from the US version. The game began with two toss-up puzzles worth €50 and €100 with the solver of the second toss-up starting the first round and the solver of the €150 toss-up starting the fourth round. Each vowel cost €20. The last round featured a five-word crossword puzzle with each of the first two players choosing two consonants and the last player choosing a consonant and a vowel. Each player would be given 20 seconds to guess the words in the puzzle and if the players completed the puzzle, they each won €100.

The winner spun a miniature wheel full of envelopes and, after being given a series of free letters chose three consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

Slovenia[]

Kolo sreče aired during the 1990s on TV SLO1. The version used the shopping format. The Lose A Turn wedge was called Počakaj, meaning "wait" in imperative form. In the bonus round, the consonant had to call five consonants and one vowel.

The show returned on February 13, 2023 on Planet TV. Although no full episodes are available in the Internet, pictures and clips show the wheel having Dvojno (Double), Na pol (Half), and Bankrot/600/Bankrot wedges.

South Africa[]

Wheel of Fortune: South Africa premiered on SABC3 on April 8, 2024, hosted by Rorisang Thandekiso. The show uses the 2017-2021 music package while using the Season 41 logo.

Spain[]

La Ruleta de la Fortuna originally ran from January 25, 1990 to 1997 on Telecinco, with the current version (La Ruleta de la Suerte) airing since April 17, 2006 on Antena 3. A children's version known as La Ruleta de la Fortuna Junior (based off of Wheel 2000) aired from 1998 to 1999. A bigger-budget version called La Ruleta de la Suerte Premium aired from April-July 2011.

The original host was Mayra Gómez Kemp; subsequent hosts include Ramón García, Irma Soriano, Bigote Arrocet, Mabel Lozano, Belén Rueda, Fernando Esteso, Jesús Vázquez, Andoni Ferreño, Goyo González, Carlos Lozano, and Diana Fernández. The hosts of the current version are Jorge Fernández and Laura Moure; Laura started on January 22, 2015, replacing Paloma López, who had been hostess since the very first show in 2006.

On the 1990s run, buying a vowel cost 50,000 Pt (€300.51) (25,000 Pt (€150.25) until fall in 1991) and a player solving the puzzle kept their bank for that round plus 100,000 Pt (€601.01). Until 1992, the solver spent their cash on prizes.

The Wheel values in the 1990s ranged from 5,000 Pt (€30.05) (10,000 Pt (€60.10) by 1993) to 100,000 Pt. Since 2006, following the adoption of the Euro, the values are €0, €25, €50, €75, €100, €150, €200 (although initially, €25 was the minimum, until the introduction of the €0 wedge on September 29, 2012. The maximum was €250 in the very early days) with vowels costing €50 (originally €100 in the very early days). The counterclockwise pattern of the wedges since 2008 was: green, red, purple, blue, yellow, penalty, but since 2014 not all the sections follow this pattern (red-green, blue-purple, purple-red and even blue-red in a single episode). The Premium values were originally €50, €75, €100, €150, €200, €300, and €500, with €50 replaced by €800 shortly into the run, €75 replaced by €600 near the end, and vowels costing €100. Since 2008, the layout changes every few months.

Since September 13, 2016, there is a house minimum of €100, but only for players who end with €0. There isn't house minimum for solving a round: in strange ocassions there have been players who had to solve the puzzle with €0.

Lose A Turn and Bankrupt were originally called Turno Pasa and Bancarrota respectively, but were renamed to Pierde Turno and Quiebra.

One notable difference between the 2006 version and other versions is how puzzles are solved: if a contestant guesses a word incorrectly at any point, they are stopped immediately without completing their answer. Conversely, contestants are allowed to solve a bonus puzzle one word at a time like the British version.

Spaces from the current version

  • ×2 and ½: Respectively double and halve the contestant's score (rounded down) when a correct letter is called. ×2 is green, while ½ is red (originally black). When these premiered around 1993, ½ was called ÷2 and the penalty (along with a lost turn) was immediately put on that player. They first appeared on the current version sometime between October and November 2009.
  • ?: A yellow wedge (originally silver) with a large white question mark (originally black) that acts like a Mystery Wedge but, rather than using a flat face value, the host tells to the player three options that can be under the wedge, a good one (usually cash, €100, €150, €200, €300, €400, €500) an intermediate one (×2, Comodín or Todas Las Vocales) or a bad one (Pierde Turno, Quiebra or ½). Before August 31, 2015, a "bribe" was made by the host with a maximum of €150, and it could hide €100, €200, €300, €500, Quiebra and ocasionally, Comodín, Me Lo Quedo, ×2 and ½). Premium had the wedge hide a Quiebra, €100, €200, €300, €500, or €600 with the host's maximum offer being €300. This wedge is usually placed to the right of either Pierde Turno or Quiebra. This wedge remains from the first episode of the 2006 version, and it's placed over a yellow cash wedge.
  • Bote: Used only in the Panel con Bote (the Jackpot round). This wedge remains from the first episode of the 2006 version.
  • Recuerda: Used only in the Panel Recuerda, it gives the players the original amount for what the puzzle played was solved. It was introduced on April 18, 2017.
  • Premio: A dark yellow Prize wedge (originally silver and later dark green) with the name and picture of the prize in reverse. It is usually placed to the right of Pierde Turno or Quiebra (a yellow cash wedge), and the value of the prizes are usually between €150 and €400 (although there have been some prizes valued under €150 and over €400 in the past). This wedge remains from the first episode of the 2006 version.
  • Quiebra/€1,000/Quiebra: Commonly appears in Round 4, but often removed for the final round, and acts like the former $10,000 Wedge of the American version with one difference – the red €1,000 section (€1,500 for the 1,500th show on June 11, 2012 and €2,000 for the 2,000th on September 12, 2014, and originally silver) is a cash wedge, and the money can be spent. It was introduced on April 17, 2008 as a permanent wedge on the Wheel, but was limited to the second half of the show starting that September.
  • Exprés: a red wedge that appears during Round 4. It was introduced on August 31, 2015, and it's the counterpart of the Express wedge of the American version. However, there are some differences: players have 45 seconds to solve the puzzle after accepting the challenge, and if they run out of time, they also go Bankrupt. Moreover, if a contestant decides to accept it, (s)he has to pick up the wedge, meaning that only one ride will take place in a show. Consonants award €50 for every appearance.
  • Comodín: A dark blue wedge (originally silver and later orange) that acts like Free Spin, and is usually placed over a blue cash wedge. The wedge was originally called Turno Extra, but changed to its current name by 1993. At one point on the original version, unused Comodin tokens had to be surrendered at the end of the round in which they were earned.
  • Doble Letra: A light green wedge that acts like the Wild Card (a player may turn it in to call another consonant on the amount previously spun), and is usually placed on ×2. It was introduced on September 14, 2011.
  • Ayuda Final: A red and blue wedge (originally red and silver) usually placed on ½ that, if taken to the Bonus Round, will give the player additional help for its puzzle. Before the player spins the Bonus Wheel, the hostess presents a tray with three colored envelopes (red, yellow, and blue) which contain an additional consonant, an additional vowel, or five extra seconds to solve the puzzle (before the five seconds were introduced, on August 31, 2015, an extra clue was offered). It was introduced on the 1,000th episode, aired April 26, 2010.
  • Gran Premio: A two-space blue and green Prize wedge (originally pink and orange), with the reverse being the same as Premio. Being introduced in Round 4 (before November 22, 2018, it was available all the game), players must solve the puzzle with the two pieces to win that prize during the round in which the second piece has been picked up. If only one wedge has been picked up, it's not lost with Bankrupt, but if the two pieces have been picked up, they are lost immediately, regardless the player has one or both wedges. If Me Lo Quedo hasn't been picked up nor used, the host doesn't take away the wedges, with this wedge being the only way to steal the other part to each other of the players, but if Me Lo Quedo has been used or the third player who has not a wedge of the Gran Premio has it, the host retires both wedges from both players. It was introduced on April 19, 2012, the show's 6th-Anniversary episode. The values of the current prizes are between €600 and €1,200.
  • Me Lo Quedo: A red wedge that allows players to steal an opponent's money and wedges. It was introduced on September 27, 2012.
  • Todas Las Vocales: An orange wedge introduced on April 17, 2015. It allows to the players to reveal all the vowels present in a puzzle, all of them for free. Players don't lose the turn if any of the five vowels doesn't appear in the puzzle.
  • Empiezo Yo: An blue wedge with the letters written in red-orange introduced on April 16, 2018. It allows players to start any round (including the Panel con Crono, which is not played with the wheel) while the host is giving the clue. Sometimes it is retired of the wheel for the last round.

On some occasions, wedges that represent companies are placed on either one round or throughout the game. If the contestant lands on either of them, s/he flips it over to reveal a prize or cash that represents a brand.

Due to an overabundance of special spaces on the Wheel, in 2013 some wedges began to be put onto other special spaces: normally, Doble Letra is placed on ×2 and Ayuda Final at ½, although Me lo Quedo has been placed at ½ sometimes and one time on ×2. For at least one 2012 episode, Comodín was placed on a Pierde Turno.

On November 27, 2013, wedges that represent other Spanish programs on Antena 3 hid cash amounts.

In some special programs since November 2013, they have used another Wheel with triangular envelopes with questions, each one with a different color. When a round finishes, the player who has won it has the right to choose one of them. If s/he answers correctly, he is awarded the quantity that is inside the envelope (normally between €150 and €400). 

Retired spaces

  • Pregunton (aprrox. 1993 - 1997): Used only on the original version, when landed on, the host asked a question and the player had to answer it correctly in order to keep the turn. If the player answered correctly, s/he would receive 50,000 Pt which was kept regardless of the game's outcome although this did not count toward scores. After this, s/he had the option to spin again, buy a vowel (at the cost of 50,000 Pt), or solve the puzzle.
  • Quiebra/Comodín (approx. November 2008 - September 27, 2012): The Free Spin version of the ? Wedge, hiding either a Comodín or Quiebra.
  • ×2 / ½ (April 17, 2008 - October or November 2009): A wedge hiding either an ×2 or ½, replaced by the ×2 and ½ wedges.
  • Desbloquear (November 2010 - May 13, 2013): Used only in the "Blocked Puzzle" round (see below).
  • €10,000/€30,000/€50,000: Used only on Premium, if this was landed on and a correct letter was called, the top prize in the Bonus Round was replaced by whatever section was landed on if the contestant won the game holding that wedge.

Puzzles from the current version

  • Prueba de Velocidad (Toss-Up; debuted April 18, 2006): Mostly the same as the American version, but worth €100 and contestants can have an unlimited number of guesses. Toss-Ups on this version are mostly song lyrics with the clue being the artist of the song (and the song is played by the house band), but sometimes it is strange or funny news (as a "Titular loco" or "Noticias amables").
  • Prueba de Velocidad Patrocinada (Sponsored Toss-Up; debuted April 21, 2014): another kind of Toss-Up that are played ocassionally and sponsored by a brand. The puzzle is related to that brand, and it is usually worth €300 instead of €100, although in one case (December 10, 2015) it gave €1,000 to the players.
  • Panel de la Palabra (Word Puzzle; debuted September 21, 2011): A one-word Toss-Up also worth €100, but the letters are randomly shown and hidden until it is solved.
  • Panel de la Letra Traducida (Translated Lyrics Puzzle; debuted September 11, 2013): A normal Toss-Up with song lyrics, but the original song is in English. Players must solve a translated version of the lyrics to win €100, after which the puzzle board will show the original lyrics and the house band will play it in its original version.
  • Canción con Pregunta (Song with Question; debuted August 31, 2015): another kind of Toss-Up. The puzzle is also a song lyric, but the clue of the puzzle is a question that, after solving the puzzle and the song being played by the band, players must answer correctly in order to win €200 more, so players can win up to €300 with this Toss-Up.
  • Prueba de Velocidad Decreciente (Decreasing Toss-Up; debuted April 16, 2018): It is played like a normal Toss-Up, with an initial prize of €2,000. The prize decreases with every letter revealed (and it is shown at the right of the clue), and the player who solves it wins the amount shown in that moment.
  • Panel Normal: Standard puzzles, although some use the general category and a more specific clue – for example, "Frases de cine" (Movie Quotes) is the category and the clue is the movie the puzzle solution is from.
  • Panel de la Letra Oculta (Hidden Letter Puzzle; debuted May 6, 2013): At the beginning of the round, the titular letter (always a consonant) is shown to the audience. If a player calls this letter, it will appear green in the puzzle and the host awards a Supercomodín that can only be claimed by solving the puzzle. Afterward, the contestant may use the Supercomodín as Comodín or Doble Letra; if that player wins the game without using it, it acts as an Ayuda Final.
  • Panel Recuerda (Remember Puzzle; debuted April 18, 2017): The players must solve a puzzle that was played in a past episode, and in the wheel a blue wedge called "Recuerda" with all the old logos of the show. If the players land in that wedge and solve the puzzle, they win the original amount for what the puzzle was solved back in the day. After solving the puzzle, a clip of the original solver is shown.
  • Panel con Crono (Counter-Clock Puzzle; debuted April 17, 2008): A Speed-Up round worth €300, played with a time limit of two minutes but without giving any money for consonants.
  • Panel con Pregunta (Question Puzzle; debuted September 7, 2011): Played like Clue of the American version, with the clue for the puzzle being a question and the puzzle being something related to the answer. Correctly answering the question awards an extra €200. On September 12, 2014, a new variation of this puzzle was introduced, where the question is "¿Verdadero o falso?" ("True or false?"). The contestants must tell if the statement of the puzzle is true or false in order to win the €200.
  • Panel "Tú eliges" ("You Choose" Puzzle; debuted August 31, 2015): this puzzle is played after a Toss-Up, and the player who won it (and who will start the next round) can choose between two topics for the next puzzle.
  • Panel con Bote (Jackpot Round; debuted April 17, 2006): Played like the American version, with two differences – the Jackpot starts at €1,000, and it does not go up by the wedge values but what the players earn from them; for example, landing on €50 and calling three of a consonant adds €150 to the Jackpot.

Retired puzzle types

  • Panel Desordenado (Disordered Puzzle; January 7, 2014 - early 2017): In this puzzle, all words were distributed randomly at the puzzle board, and they could be in horizontal or vertical and sharing letters with other words.
  • Panel Cruzado (Crossed Puzzle; April 16, 2013 - January 8, 2014): A crossword-style puzzle with three words, usually two horizontal and one vertical, although sometimes this was reversed. It was replaced by the Panel Desordenado due to a high number of contestants failing to solve it due to adding an "y" ("and" conjunction in Spanish) between the last two words.
  • Panel Bloqueado (Blocked Puzzle; November 2010 - May 13, 2013): This puzzle had a red-marked word on the puzzle board, where any letter were revealed although there was any instance (although the corresponding cash was added to the scoreboard if the letter was in that word). During this puzzle, a green Desbloquear wedge was placed on the Wheel; if a contestant landed on it and called a correct consonant, the blocked word was revealed and all instances of the letters of this word were also revealed.
  • Panel del Espectador (Viewer's Puzzle; September 2006 - January 31, 2013): Played like a normal round by the contestants, but home viewers could win €500 if they solved first via phone call.
  • Panel al Revés (Backwards Puzzle; approx. October 2008 - September 2011): A puzzle composed only of two words written backwards.
  • Panel Misterio (Mystery Puzzle; February 2007 - September 2011): Played like the Clue puzzles of the American version, but contestants had to answer the question to win the round.
  • Panel Crono Imagen (Counter-Clock Image Puzzle; April or May 2010 - September or October 2010): A different version of the Panel con Crono, where contestants had 45 seconds to answer a question (which was the clue of the puzzle) by identifying an image. The puzzle board initially showed a phrase which was a clue to answer the question, and contestants told consonants or vowels of this phrase to remove them from the puzzle board and try to identify the image. The winner earned €300.
    • This puzzle was played again on Premium, giving €500 to the winner with two differences: contestants had one minute, and the image was disordered.
  • Panel de Facebook/Panel de Twitter (Facebook/Twitter Puzzle; March 21, 2012 - August 2014): A puzzle not written by the show, but sent in by viewers through the show's official Facebook and Twitter pages.
  • Solo ante el panel (Alone to the Puzzle): Only used on Premium, it was played like the Puzzler and Bonus Round – after solving the puzzle, that contestant faced another puzzle worth an extra €500. The player was given PISTA (clue), then chose another three-and-a-vowel and had ten seconds to solve.
  • Panel Premium (Premium Puzzle; July 2011): Also only used on Premium, as the final puzzle beginning in the second half of July (before this, the final puzzle was Panel con Bote). It was played like a Prize Puzzle: contestants would earn an extra quantity of money when solving the puzzle, beginning at €1,000.

Bonus Round
The winner spins a Bonus Wheel containing a car and various cash amounts (€1,000, €1,500, €2,000, €2,500, €3,000, €3,500, €4,000, €4,500, €5,000, €6,000, €7,000 and €8,000). RSFYO are given by default (CLXGA before August 31, 2015), after which the contestant picks another three-and-a-vowel. The player then has 10 seconds to solve the puzzle, and the audience gives a standing ovation if the Bonus Round is won. In the 1990s, the player chose one of three envelopes, chose five consonants and a vowel, and must solve the puzzle in 15 seconds. Until 1992, the player chose six consonants and a vowel and must solve within 10 seconds.

Sweden[]

Lyckohjulet originally aired on TV3 during the 1990s, hosted by Ragnar Otnes and Ulrika Nilsson. This run was the same as Norway's Lykkehjulet, played in the same studio with one contestant from Sweden and one from Norway playing against each other.

On the original run, vowels cost 300 kronor. In the bonus round, the player would be given R, S, T, and N and then must choose three consonants and a vowel. The positions of the chosen letters would be lit but would not be revealed until after the player chose his or her letters. Solving the puzzle within 15 seconds allowed the player to choose one of five envelopes and win the described bonus prize.

A revival, Miljonlotteriet Lyckohjulet, has aired on TV8 since 18 January 2010. Hosted by Hans Wiklund and Hannah Graaf, the Wheel values range from 500-300,000 Kronor, then 300-2,000 Kroner, with vowels costing 200 kronor. Stå​ Över means Lose A Turn, Bankrutt means Bankrupt, and Frispel means Free Play.

Special spaces in the 2010 version

  • Kvitt/Dubbelt (Double or Nothing): Placed on both 1,000 spaces, when a contestant lands on either wedge with them and calls a correct consonant, s/he can take another turn or risk their current earnings for a chance of doubling their money or losing it all. They behave like the Mystery Wedges without face value.
  • Joker (Free Spin): Placed on 700.
  • Jackpot Wedge: Placed on the pink 600 between 300 and 400, although the starting Jackpot amount is unknown.

Taiwan[]

While Mahjong Fortune is not a licensed version of Wheel, it nonetheless heavily borrows from the franchise. One major difference is that the Wheel is replaced by a Pachinko machine, with the player in control rolling a Lucky Ball down to hopefully land on a money amount. The other major difference is to the puzzles: they are actually configurations of mahjong blocks, which may perhaps make the show purely based on luck.

This version also has several "variety show" elements, a typical staple of Taiwan programming.

Thailand[]

เกมปริศนา, hosted by Suttipong Thadpitakkul, debuted on November 2, 2000 on November 2, 2000, and ended on September 27, 2001.

Nothing is known about the gameplay of this version except this video, in which contestant must choose one out of five

Turkey[]

Çarkıfelek, hosted by Tarık Tarcan, debuted on June 1, 1992 as a Show TV program, then moved to FOX Turk a few years later, hosted by actor and comedian Mehmet Ali Erbil. The show, which aired live, ended on October 6, 2010 (a Wednesday) after Erbil made a derogatory reference to Alevism (a Turkish religion) that day, something he had been known for doing during his career on television.

The Turkish version became one of the odder incarnations of Wheel when Erbil became host: not only did some Wheel layouts have different sized wedges (as well as black wedges that were not always Bankrupts [İflas] but rather Lose A Turns [Pas] and even cash values), but some episodes (particularly in the early 2000s) had only one or two rounds played despite the show running for at least an hour; this was due to most of the show being taken up by contestants making musical performances and chatting with the host rather than playing the game. In one instance, the Bonus Round puzzle was set up only for the show to end without the Bonus Round even being played.

A spinoff, Cark 2000, was hosted by Ataman Erkel and aired on Kanal D in 2000. It is also one of only two known international adaptations of Wheel 2000, the other being Vietnam.

By 2008, rules of the Turkish version began to resemble those of the British version (read below). The Wheel was believed to offer points, and all the scores were banked and kept safe from Bankrupts (İflas) regardless of who solved the puzzle.

The show returned on the Turkish version of TNT in September 2011, hosted by Petek Dinçöz.

In Summer 2014, the show began airing on Kanal D with İlker Ayrık as host. One of the new features of Ayrık's version was the Kartıfelek, a small vertical Wheel spun by players after they win a round. As the players on the show were in credit card debt, this Wheel helped take away any, all, or none of that debt. The player had up to three tries to get 100% or as close to it as possible. After the second spin, the host offered the contestant to try one last time with three additional 100% tokens that could be placed anywhere on the Wheel. This version was cancelled by October 2014, after just three months on the air, although it returned on Star TV with Erbil on June 15, 2015 with some small visual changes. Interestingly, the shopping element is used although the Kartıfelek from Ayrık's version is not. Also, the puzzle board dimensions are much smaller. On Ayrık's version, they were the same as America's version. On Erbil's recent version, it had only 44 spaces after the removal of two columns. Although Erbil's recent version appeared to have ended in September 2015, new episodes started airing in June 2016 and was on and off the air since then until 2020.

The show returned on TV8 in January 2024 with host Cem Davran. Interestingly, the show is on for two hours. In addition, values on the Wheel range from just ten liras to ten thousand liras. Each round starts with a Toss-Up worth one thousand liras, but the contestant who solves it has to solve the main puzzle without hitting İflas in order to keep it. Vowels cost one thousand liras. The winner of each round goes on to shop for prizes using a tablet whose screen is shown on air. Starting in Round 4, the top value is increased to 25,000 liras, although it is in the style of the U.S. Million Dollar Wedge. After five rounds, the Bonus Round is played. The Wheel used in it contains only twelve numbered envelopes with the top prize being a car. After the category is shown, the contestant chooses three consonants and a vowel along with B, C, D, Y, Z, and İ. Only afterwards are any occurrences of all ten letters shown. As soon as they are shown, the contestant is promptly given fifteen seconds to solve. The prize spun up is shown whether or not the contestant wins it and the location of the car's envelope is shown if it wasn't spun up.

United Arab Emirates[]

عجلة الحظ debuted in 2003 on America Plus, moving to Al Yawm in 2005 and LBC Sat in 2007 before ending in 2011. A revival was planned for MBC 4 in 2013, but it is unknown if this version went to series.

United Kingdom[]

For a timeline, see Wheel of Fortune timeline (United Kingdom).

The British Wheel aired on ITV. debuting 19 July 1988 with Nicky Campbell and Angela Ekaette hosting. Ekaette was replaced by Carol Smillie at the beginning of Series 2, who in turn was replaced by Jenny Powell in late 1994. Bradley Walsh became host in January 1997, but his style (a cross between Pat Sajak and Edd Byrnes) proved unfitting for the show and he was replaced by John Leslie in mid-1998. Powell left after 2000, being replaced by Terri Seymour, and Leslie followed suit in 2001 (replaced by Paul Hendy).

The opening sequence originally used a unique logo, which changed in 1993 to a flashier one that more closely resembled the 1992 American logo. This changed from 1999-2000 to the American "marquee" intro from Season 16, after which the final two series in 2001 used another "original" sequence and a new logo.

For the first five Series, the Wheel had 72 pegs with three for each wedge. The Wheel's base and contestant rail resembled those used on the American version until mid-1990, as did the puzzle board which used a similar "sideways 3" shaped frame and the same 48-trilon layout. The contestant podiums were also red, yellow, and blue, although the scoreboards used "seven-segment" displays similar to Jeopardy! and could only display five digits.

The set was overhauled at the beginning of Series 6, including a new and shiny Wheel which had only 48 pegs with two for each wedge. The spaces were now arranged in anticlockwise order with three rainbow patterns followed by extra light blue spaces, meaning Bankrupt was no longer black. The three contestant backdrops were changed to flames, each the colour of their corresponding contestant podium, although the blue backdrop was changed to turquoise in Series 7. The puzzle board was also changed to use blue (later turquoise), yellow, and red frames from outside to inside, and a new font was used for the letters. During the intro, the words WHEEL OF FORTUNE were displayed on the first three rows of the puzzle board; they were originally left-justified, but they were centred starting in Series 7. From Series 8 onward, a contestant window in the shape of a quadrant was superimposed above the puzzle board so that the contestant or Wheel could also be seen. The contestant backdrop flames saw minor changes in Series 9, but the flames were removed entirely when the show moved to daytime.

The set was updated again for the last two Series. The puzzle board was reduced to 44 trilons with 11 in each row, and the font was changed again. The frames became red, white, and purple, while the outer spaces for the second and third rows were filled in. The Wheel layout was also updated and no longer used rainbow patterns, with Bankrupt becoming white and Lose A Turn changing its name to "Miss A Turn".

Gameplay was similar to the American version, albeit with points (making the show's title a misnomer). However, the format had one major problem for the first three Series: at the start of the round, and every time the Wheel changed hands, the player in control had to answer a 50/50 question to actually get control. A wrong answer meant the next player was asked a question for control, and the process continued until a correct answer was given. This slowed the show's pacing unnecessarily, especially so for more difficult puzzles. Starting in Series 4, this was replaced with an open-ended toss-up question at the beginning of each round.

In Round 1, there was one Bankrupt and one space worth 1,000 points. Round 2 added one of each, and for Round 3 a third 1,000 space was added. During Series 3 only, a third Bankrupt was also added. Starting in Series 4, point values were doubled for Rounds 3+. Until Series 6, if there was time for a fourth round, a fourth 1,000 space was added. Whenever a 1,000-point space was added, the camera would erroneously zoom in on a 1,000 space already on the Wheel instead of the newly-added one.

Unusually, the Free Spin wedge remained in play for the entire game, and this continued for the show's entire run. However, starting in Series 2, any earned tokens could not be carried over to subsequent rounds. It is unknown if tokens could be used after answering a 50/50 question wrong in the first three series.

When solving a puzzle, the players originally had a choice of three prizes to choose from (except the 19 July 1988 premiere, which had up to five prizes per round). When the show moved to daytime, this was changed to "any prize on the prize carousel", and players could pick the same prize more than once. In some instances, a contestant would make a request for an opponent who had not won a prize to select a prize to take home, and the host would uphold the request. Unlike the American version, there was no house minimum whatsoever, and all three players' scores are banked after a puzzle was solved, meaning that a contestant could win the game despite never solving a puzzle.

On the Series 8 premiere, a "cash pot" prize of £100 was introduced. A letter in one of the puzzles would appear in a yellow background instead of the normal white, and the contestant who revealed that letter would have to solve that puzzle immediately to win the cash prize. If a contestant spun the Wheel while the letters were still being revealed and the "cash pot" letter appeared mid-spin, the host would still ask if the contestant can solve the puzzle, only prompting for a consonant if they could not solve. Starting in Series 9, the prize became exclusive to Round 1, and the letter also changed from a yellow background to a red one, though the background changed again to gold on the 27th of May. It reverted to red in Series 10, and a "cash register" sound effect was added for when the letter is revealed.

After the show moved to daytime, the "puzzler" was introduced, also with a £100 prize. The Round 3 puzzle would generally use only the top two rows of the puzzle board, and after it is solved, the bottom rows are revealed as a separate puzzle with its own category. Only the contestant who solved the main puzzle could attempt to solve the additional puzzle within 5 seconds to win the bonus. If the contestant guessed incorrectly at any point, even without giving a full answer, then the bonus was lost.

For the entirety of 2001, a "500 Gamble" wedge was added. If a player landed on it, s/he had the option of going for 500 points per letter or gambling their round score. If they chose to gamble their points and called a correct letter, the 500 per letter (1,000 in Rounds 3+) would be added and then their current score would be doubled; an incorrect letter was the same as Bankrupt.

The "speed game" was played like the American Speed-Up, although the yellow arrow was used to determine the spin value (doubled starting in Series 4). For the first Series, Nicky would say that vowels are "not involved", implying that they could not be called during this round. Starting in Series 11, speed rounds were split screened with the contestants at the top and the puzzle board on the bottom like the American Speed-Up.

The Bonus Round originally used the "pick your prize" format, with the choices being a holiday, a car, and cash (originally £3,000, increased to £4,000 in 1989 and £5,000 in 1993). In 1994, this was replaced by a single package containing a car and £10,000. A two-envelope format was added in late 1995, splitting the two prizes and increasing the cash award to £20,000. In 1999, when the show moved to daytime, the envelopes were removed in favor of a flat £2,000. The contestant gave five consonants and a vowel, then had 15 seconds to solve the puzzle. Unlike many other versions, the contestant is allowed to solve the bonus puzzle one word at a time instead of being required to give the correct answer all at once. To aid in this, the host would sometimes indicate if the contestant had at least one word right.

Two board games were released by Waddington's in the late 1980s, with the gameplay being the exact same as Pressman's board games. One of the main differences was instead of having a wipe-off Used Letter Board, tiles containing each letter of the alphabet were used. A tile was simply flipped around after its respective letter was called. The other main difference was the spinner: instead of using a rotating arrow or a knob, a ball was used, much like a roulette wheel. The first edition came out in 1988 with the box cover showing a localized version of Pressman's first three editions (albeit with the in-game Wheel layout only in different colors). A revised edition was released a short time later with three differences: the boxart was now a photo of the show's set, the puzzle cards had red lettering (possibly to distinguish between editions), and cards with 50/50 trivia questions were included as an attempt to match the show's rules at the time.

On 6 January 2024, a new British version of Wheel of Fortune debuted on ITV, with Graham Norton hosting.

Venezuela[]

La Estrella de la Fortuna ("The Star of Fortune") aired on Venevisión from 1984-89, hosted at various times by Orlando Urdaneta, Corina Azopardo, Luis Velazco, and Juan Manuel Montesinos with Maru Winklemann as hostess.

Vietnam[]

Chiếc nón kỳ diệu (confirmed to mean "Lucky Hat") debuted on VTV3 on March 31, 2001, and from at least 2007 - 2009 was heavily based on Wheel 2000 (one of only two countries known to have done so, the other being Turkey). From 2009 to 2011, during the Toss-Ups, it plays the music from the US one. The format used since then appeared to be based on the regular nighttime version. Within the recent years having aired on Saturdays only, the show aired its final episode on December 24, 2016, for a total of 811 telecasts.

As the title of the show suggests, the Wheel was at times shaped like a cone in a way to resemble an Asian-style rice hat. From 2007 - 2009, then again in 2009 - 2011, and for a third time in 2014, the Wheel was flat like in most other versions (including the American one).

According to the first host of the show, Lại Văn Sâm, the first Wheel design used in the early 2001 episodes looked like a roulette Wheel used in casinos. This Wheel design earned the show controversy due to many Vietnamese viewers undesirably seeing the show as "casino-themed." Due to this, the show was temporarily put on hiatus until it returned with new studio and Wheel design. In a 2001 VTV Magazine that featured a picture about the first studio of the show, the first wheel was flat instead of cone-shaped[2].

Images (16)

The Wheel on Chiếc nón kỳ diệu 2004

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The Wheel on Chiếc nón kỳ diệu 2015

From the later episodes in 2001 to 2007, the Wheel's rim was entirely red with white numbers (from 2004 - 2006 and 2006 - 2007; in 2001 - 2003 the numbers were yellow). The large beige center was cone-shaped, hence the name of the show, until changed to flat wheel in late 2006. In 2007, the Wheel became multicolored and the numbers became white (red with a white outline beginning in 2009). From 2012 to 2013, the Wheel was changed back to cone-shaped wheel, which a shadow effect was added to the numbers. From Summer 2014, the wheel was changed back to flat wheel.

The Wheel was originally consist of 72 pegs, with three pegs per wedge, except for 2003 when there were two pegs per wedge. Starting from 2007 onwards, there was only one peg each.

The Vietnamese Wheel used points as values on their wedges, later to be converted in to money prizes (for instance, if a player landed on 800, they will gain 800 points which will be converted to 800,000 VND at the end of the game).

The Vietnamese Wheel also featured many spaces that similar to the Russian version along with several spaces from the American version, such as Nhân Đôi, Chia Đôi, May Mắn and Phần Thưởng.

Similar to the Finland, Russian and earlier Brazil versions, from 2001 to 2009, then from 2010 to 2016, the Wheel used only one arrow; instead of being placed in front of any of the contestants' podiums, it was placed on the left side of the Wheel (then in front of the host from 2010 to 2013, similar to the Germany version from 2002 to 2005). From 2009 to 2010, the Wheel used three arrows placed in front of any of the contestants' podiums (similar to the American version). Unlike all versions, the arrow design from 2001 to 2006 have the logo sponsor of the show (such as Omo, Clear, Pond's or Sunsilk, which were four branded products by the sponsor Unilever).

The player colors were in left-to-right order: red, blue, and yellow, although at times, they used the American sequence. This player colors was temporary removed from 2004 to 2009. From 2001 to 2009, the scoreboards used "seven-segment" displays similar to Jeopardy! and could only display four digits (previously five digits during early years). Since 2009, all three "seven-segment" displays scoreboards were replaced by three LCD screen scoreboards.

Exactly like in the Brazilian and Russian versions (read above), vowels were treated in the same manner as consonants.

In early 2012, Chiếc nón kỳ diệu changed to the new format based on the Russian version (see above). In this format, first, second and third round are played by different groups. Winner of each group plays final round with other another ones in final group, and the winner of the final round would be advanced to the Bonus Round. If no final round winner, the episode will be ended soon without Bonus Round. This format was scrapped later on.

Another feature of the Vietnamese Wheel was a limit of turns per player, the reason why Thêm Lượt (Free Spin; see below) existed as a space. A turn was forfeited when calling an incorrect letter. If all turns run out, nobody is declared winner, but the audience has the right to solve the puzzle and win a gift. This making that one of the few versions to have a possibility to have a game with no winners.

Between the third and bonus rounds, a round with the audience was played, in a similar fashion to USSR/Russia (1991-2003). A gift was awarded to the person who made a correct guess.

So far, the show

Toss-Up Puzzles (2009 - 2011, 2012 - 2016)

The game began with the first two Toss-Ups, each worth 200 in 2009 to 2010, 300 in 2010 to 2011, 500 and 1,000 points respectively since 2012.

During the Toss-up puzzles, no background music was played like the American version. Instead, after each letter appeared, a chain of chimes consist of 5 dings will be played (How Mess). It wasn't until 2012, and only that year when they started using the first 7 seconds of the American's Toss-up music, which loops with the "5 dings per letter".

Interestingly, a player could ring in during a Toss-Up after all the letters have been revealed. No penalties are given if the players guesses incorrectly, in fact, they may ring in again after their first ring. Both Toss-Ups, the three rounds, and the Bonus Round went into detail about the puzzle answers, just like Wheel 2000 and the Russian version did.

Recent spaces

  • Mất Điểm (Lose Points): Bankrupt. Unlike the US version, if this was landed on, contestant lost only all points instead of lost all points and prizes.
  • Mất Lượt (Lose Turn): Lose a Turn.
  • Thêm Lượt (Free Turn): Free Spin. If this was landed on, the contestant had to call a correct letter to earn a Free Spin. Calling an incorrect letter costed the player his/her turn.
  • Nhân Đôi (Double)/Chia Đôi (Halves): If a correct letter was given, Nhân Đôi doubles the contestant's score. Chia đổi splits his/her score in half, but s/he still had to call a correct letter to keep his/her turn. Nhân Đôi was also known as Gấp Đôi from around 2001 - 2011.
  • May Mắn (Lucky): Introduced most likely when the show debuted in 2001. If a contestant landed on it, s/he could choose a blank space to reveal a letter in it, with no change in score. In at least one episode (early 2012), this space was known to have been covered by a black-numbered 800. This space was very similar to the + space in the Russian version.
  • Ô Bí Mật (Secret Wedge/Mystery Wedge): They are basically Mystery Wedges that hid a Bankrupt or 3,000,000 dongs. Only used during Round 2. If a contestant landed on it, s/he had a choice of choosing a letter for 1,000,000 dongs or flipping it (like Poland's version). Even if a Bankrupt was revealed, the contestant still kept his/her turn.
  • Đổi hay Không Đổi (Change or No Change): If this was landed on and a correct letter was called, the contestants opened their chosen presents and revealed cash or prizes they would win. Only used during Round 3.
  • Phần Thưởng (Prize): Originally, when this was landed on, the contestant chose one of two boxes–one containing a white square, the other containing a black square. If they opened the box and found a white one, the player won a bonus. After a hiatus, it returned with new rules, in which contestant chose one of three prizes (formerly five prizes from 2001 to 2007).

Puzzle board

The Vietnamese Wheel's puzzle board was originally made from 52 cubes, which resembled the pre-1997 American trilon board. Each space had four sides: one blank blue side, one blank yellow side, one white letter side. A fourth additional side was only used for vowels with diacritical marks.

In 2003, it was replaced with a new board, now made from a giant 45-space LED screen.

The board was retired in 2007 when Chiếc nón kỳ diệu used the Wheel 2000 format. In 2009, a new puzzle board was made, now with 60 monitors, somewhat similar to the 2003 - 2022 American board.

It was replaced again in 2014, when a new board was introduced. The board was made of 8 television screens, each displaying 8 spaces. It is unknown that these television screens are touch-able, other suggests that the model touches the blue space until a technician reveals the letter. There were 4 rows in total with 3 rows in-play, the first row was used as a round-counter.

The puzzle board was placed in an odd space, it was placed sideways as for the players, but for the audience, it was placed directly in front of them.

Another fact about two curent puzzleboards of the show from 2009 to 2016, in which during the host entrance, the greeting words CHIẾC NÓN KỲ DIỆU - XIN KÍNH CHÀO QUÝ VỊ (literally WHEEL OF FORTUNE - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN) were displayed on the second and third rows of the puzzle board.

Retired Spaces:

  • Đổi Hay Không Đổi (Swap or No Swap): When this was landed on, the contestant chose one of four boxes, each containing a number. The number in the box was added to the player's score. Although this is no longer a space, the four boxes existed in 2012-16. The first person to choose a correct letter in Round 3 has the option to take a box or keep his/her turn. If the box is chosen, the player must solve the puzzle to be awarded what's in the box.
  • Gấp Đôi 500 Điểm (used from 2007-2009, based of Double Up 500 in Wheel 2000).

Bonus Round:

  • During the first three years, the bonus round contestant had 30 seconds to solve the puzzle. To choose the prize, contestant must spin the big wheel (similar to the Australian version) to choose one of four prizes, such as computer, washing machine, television and the motorbike (which was the biggest prize during this time, worth 24,500,000đ).
  • From 2004 to 2007, contestant had 30 seconds to study the puzzle before being asked for an answer, which must have been said within 30 seconds. Also, instead of spin the big wheel, contestant must choose one out of four envelopes, similar to the American Bonus Round rules used from 1989-2001. The biggest prize of Chiếc nón kỳ diệu during this time was the Matiz car (worth 180,550,000đ), which was appeared only in a 2004 special episode.
  • From 2007 to 2011, the rules was changed once again, in which contestant had only 10 seconds to study the puzzle before being asked for an answer, which must have been said within 10 seconds. To choose the prize:
    • From 2007 to 2009 (when the show was changed to the Wheel 2000 format), contestant still choose one out of five envelopes, similar to the 2004 - 2007 rule. In 2007, the show still use the prize for the Bonus Round, but since 2008, the prize was replaced by the cash. The biggest prize during this time was 40,000,000đ cash amounts.
    • Vietnamese Bonus Wheel 2009 - 2011
      From 2009 to 2011 (when the show changed back to the Wheel of Fortune format), the Bonus Round used a small wheel similar to the American one. But unlike the US version, the wheel use the white wedges instead of the envelopes. Contestant must spun this small wheel with cash amounts of 5,000,000đ, 10,000,000đ, 15,000,000đ, 20,000,000đ, 25,000,000đ and 30,000,000đ (which was still the biggest prize until the show ended in 2016).
  • Starting from 2012, the rules was changed once again, in which contestant have 30 seconds to study the puzzle before being asked for an answer, which must have been said within 10 seconds. Similar to the bonus round during the first three years, contestant must spin the big wheel to choose the prize. The bonus wheel have only four cash amounts, due to 15,000,000đ and 25,000,000đ was gone from this bonus wheel.
  • If no correct answer is given by the contestant, any member from the audience may solve the puzzle and win a small gift is solved correctly.
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