The Prize Puzzle is one of the gameplay elements on Wheel of Fortune.
History[]
The Prize Puzzle awards a prize, usually a trip, to the contestant who solves the puzzle.
Original Version[]
The first incarnation of the Prize Puzzle lasted from September 19, 1997 to November 28, 1997. The Prize Puzzle was first used during Season 15 for Friday Finals, in Round 1. It was likely added as a "bonus" for such players; in turn, these episodes did not offer a second Wheel Prize in Round 3. This version of the Prize Puzzle only used three categories (not counting plurals): Event, Place, and Thing. Despite this, all but one was Event; the only exception was SUN-DRENCHED BEACHES OF MEXICO on September 26, in the category of Places.
On its first episode, Pat explained the new element by noting that the puzzle described the prize, giving the example puzzle of EXCITING AFRICAN SAFARI. The actual first puzzle was EXPLORING MODERN CHINA (Event), for a trip to Shanghai. Starting October 3, the text "Prize Puzzle" began appearing in small-caps on the category strip. It was not used during the weeks of November 3-17, 1997, due to the former week being a Celebrity Week and the latter two being road shows taped in Denver.
This incarnation was one of the shortest-lived elements in the show's history, being used for only eight episodes.
Regular Version[]
The Prize Puzzle returned on September 11, 2003 (the start of Season 21) with modified rules, becoming a permanent fixture of the game.
This version introduced a number of changes from the previous incarnation. It was no longer limited to Friday episodes, instead occurring one to three times (four times during Season 22) a week until Season 23, when it began occurring daily. Also, any category except for "bonus" ones could now be used. However, Before & After was only used five times and Same Name only twice. In addition, the only uses of a Crossword Round as a Prize Puzzle were five in Season 34 and one in Season 35. The latter was most likely dropped due to an incident where a contestant gave a wrong answer to the puzzle and tried to argue with Pat about it (although this was edited from the broadcast).
Since its return, Prize Puzzles have always been indicated by a higher-pitched version of the puzzle chimes following the usual chime, and a bug reading "Prize Puzzle". From Seasons 22-29, a wipe (which generally changed with each season) was added as well.
Originally, a Prize Puzzle could be in any of the first three rounds. Round 1 was dropped in September 2010, followed by Round 2 on October 17, 2011 (excluding the weeks of October 24 and December 26, both taped before the change). It is not known why this change was made, but it may have been to lessen the chance of a contestant building an early runaway lead.
Unlike its use in Season 15, the answer itself typically has a thematic connection to the prize offered, or more broadly to celebration or positivity. This deviated only five times: GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM on January 12, 2006; SHOOTING ON LOCATION on November 27, 2007; WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE? on April 1, 2011 (itself part of an April Fools' Day joke where every puzzle had a form of the word "fool" in it); I WAS HOPING YOU MIGHT SAY THAT on December 11, 2018; and I'M TICKLED PINK on January 25, 2019. This theming was criticized by a large portion of the fandom (and sometimes even Pat himself) as it often resulted in contrived or overly-specific answers. Likely in response to this criticism, the concept of matching the puzzle's answer to the prize was dropped in Season 41, although it was reinstated for Season 42.
The Prize Puzzle has offered trips on all but five occasions:
- September 16, 2003: Sony plasma television
- November 14, 2003: luxury suite at a New York Rangers game
- December 24, 2003: home entertainment package from Crutchfield
- May 17, 2004: $3,500 credit to ticketsnow.com (also the least-expensive item ever offered through the Prize Puzzle)
- January 28, 2010: $5,000 credit to HomeGoods
It also offered a trip and a mountain bike on May 18, 2004, and a trip to New York City and a gift certificate to Michael C. Fina on November 29, 2005, the only two times it has offered more than one item.
Trips come with $1,000 cash, which was mentioned several times during the prize copy in Season 22. Since March 15, 2004, the prize has also been offered to a home viewer randomly selected via SPIN ID.
Variants[]
During XL Week in Season 40 (a commemorative week to honor the show's 40th anniversary), the Prize Puzzle also awarded a $5,000 cash bonus.
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune also placed a Prize Puzzle in the third round of the first match starting with the third season. In this case, a random home viewer may win a trip sponsored by Disney by entering the name of the celebrity who won that round in a form on the show's website. As was the case on the nighttime show, the puzzles were themed to the prize in Season 3, but dropped this in Season 4.