Go back to 1979, or forward to 1981?
January 1980[]
- Wheel does not air on January 1 due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
- On at least one show this year, Chuck wears a tuxedo. This may be from a Brides Week.
- Sometime this year, a then-unknown Ron Jeremy appears as a contestant (under his real name of Ron Hyatt).
February 1980[]
March 1980[]
- March 10 is Super Wheel Bonus Round Week. Each day's winner plays a bonus puzzle (either Person, Place, or Thing) for a car, with 30 seconds to solve the puzzle.
- On March 17, contestant Becky puts money on account. According to comments the next day, this works to her advantage.
- On March 18 (Charlene/Becky/Les):
- The electric-guitar cue is used for all commercial breaks.
- Charlene gets two Free Spins in a row during Round 1.
- During Round 1, Chuck forgets on two separate occasions to ask if a contestant wants to use their Free Spin following an incorrect letter call.
- Les' microphone falls off during Round 2. He quickly retrieves it, and it is reattached during the commercial break.
- Becky puts $240 on account after Round 2, but loses it to Bankrupt on her only spin of Round 3.
- During Round 3, the contestants are shown turning their backs during the mid-round commercial outro. As Chuck throws to break, a female voice (possibly one of the contestants) is heard saying "That means there's no time for a [uncertain word]". As Chuck does the Final Spin right after the show returns from commercial, the voice may have been referring to there being no time for a fourth round.
- No music is played during the commercial outro after Round 3.
- By March 18, the $200 next to $1,500 is increased to $800.
- As of March 18:
- Charlie's intro still uses "extravagant".
- At least some shows still use themed puzzles (in this case: VINTAGE WINE, DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES, and SOBER AS A JUDGE).
- On March 25 (Mazel/Bob/Kevin):
- The "Temptation Eyes"-based commercial cue is used for all commercial breaks.
- The category displays are blue, matching Susan's outfit.
- During Round 3, Susan turns all four A's in the puzzle RAIN RAIN GO AWAY before they light up or their respective bells play.
- The buzzer does not sound on an incorrect letter in Round 4.
- Following Round 4, the camera suddenly shifts to the right as Kevin selects his first prize.
- In a rare event for the shopping era, five rounds are played. Chuck refers to it as being the "first time in a long time".
- Following the game, Chuck and Susan note that it is the last episode of unit manager Rob Keith, whom they say goodbye to. Rob is not present on the full credit roll and the only person listed as unit manager is Michael Koljan.
- Chuck and Susan's signoff is quite different from usual: "I'm Chuck Woolery," "And I'm Susan Stafford." "See you all tomorrow, bye-bye everybody." "Bye-bye, God bless!"
- Very strangely, the eligibility disclaimer misspells "FURNISHED" as "FURNISHD", and as a result "WITH" is one space further to the left than usual.
- By March 25, Charlie's intro reverts to using "luxurious".
- As of March 25, the money graphic still looks the same as it did on December 31, 1979.
- As of March 25, there is still a $150 next to $600 in Rounds 2+.
- March 31 is the third Teen Week, with the Super Wheel Bonus Round used.
- Likely during the above week, a then-unknown Bob Bergen is a contestant, and among his prizes is a Rolex watch. Only a single picture of his appearance is known to exist, posted by Bergen on his Facebook page in January 2014.
April 1980[]
May 1980[]
- On May 6, a champion retires undefeated.
- On May 7 (Paul/Diane/Cathy):
- All three contestants are left-handed.
- Contestant Cathy is from Paris, France.
- During Round 1, Diane lands on Free Spin and, after receiving a token, tries to call an S. After her next spin, she is credited with the S, which is in the puzzle.
- Early in Round 2, the trilon containing the P in STOP LOOK AND LISTEN is accidentally lit after T is called. The mistake is quickly corrected.
- In Round 3, the contestants are shown turning their backs during the mid-round outro.
- After the game, Chuck and Susan address rumors about the show's cancellation; while dispelling them, Susan notes that NBC's daytime schedule will be undergoing a few changes. Chuck replies with "In the meantime, we're gonna be doing this show until we get it right!"
- By May 7:
- The money graphic is again altered to center the dollar sign, as it was on March 2, 1979.
- The $150 next to $600 in Rounds 2+ is increased to $250.
- The show begins using both of the "new" commercial cues introduced in 1979: the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue after each round, and the electric-guitar cue for mid-round breaks.
- May 16-23 is the show's second Armed Forces Week, taped May 9-10. Members of the Coast Guard are now eligible to play, necessitating six shows (three contestants each from all five branches, plus an all-cash Friday finals).
June 1980[]
- On June 9 (Fred/Lu/Heidi):
- Heidi begins to call Z during Round 2, but stops herself and calls D instead. She is credited with the D, which is in the puzzle.
- Chuck's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn. His second attempt lands on $2,000.
- The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used for mid-round breaks (in this case, during Round 3), with the electric-guitar cue not used at all.
- By June 20 (Ken/Linda/Charlotte), the money graphic returns to its style from March 25.
- On June 20:
- Chuck makes an odd comment to Susan after her entrance, saying she looks like "a little Swedish girl".
- Charlie coughs briefly during the second prize plug, which Chuck brings up before Round 2.
- Following Round 2, Charlotte reluctantly says "[I'll] take the...candy dish", after which Chuck talks to her and the purchase is discarded. Following the prize plugs, Chuck remarks that the Marc Chagall print she bought is better than the other one the show had from him, that being "seventeen lizards sucking on an orange".
- The slide whistle does not sound when Bankrupt is first hit in Round 3.
- There is no inlaid contestant shot during the Round 3 shopping portion.
- Chuck's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
- After the game, Chuck and Susan discuss the waiting period for prize delivery (90 days). When asked by Chuck, an offstage staffer says they're shipped "whenever we get around to it".
- By June 20, the commercial outro cues are changed up again: the electric-guitar cue is used after Rounds 1 and 4, plus the break during Round 3; the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used after Rounds 2 and 3.
- Also on June 20, NBC airs a promo detailing the new schedule to begin the following Monday. The promo includes a Wheel clip of a female contestant right after solving CREPES SUZETTE (Things), and apparently screaming so loud that Chuck is seen with his hand up to his ear.
July 1980[]
- On July 11 (Gary/Virginia/Jan):
- Charlie's intro uses "extravagant".
- The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used for all commercial breaks.
- Following Round 1, Chuck points out that the contestants are standing on boxes behind their podiums.
- The camera focusing on the puzzle board shifts several times during Rounds 2 and 3.
- In Round 3, Gary mispronounces TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Landmark) as TUNE OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER. Against normal practice, Chuck allows him to correct himself.
- Round 4 is played for a gift certificate, despite not beginning as a Speed-Up.
- Unusually, a mid-round break is done during Round 4. This is further notable for being the only mid-round break of the game, with Chuck doing the Final Spin after coming back from break.
- Gary retires with $16,800.
- By July 11, the ticket/contestant plug begins to be done over the spinning Wheel, which leads more seamlessly into the sponsor list. The font of the plug is also thinner.
- Wheel does not air on July 14 due to NBC News coverage of the Republican National Convention.
August 1980[]
- August 1 is taped as the series finale, due to a cancellation order from NBC boss Fred Silverman that is overturned by the time it airs. The episode features an appearance by Chuck's then-wife, Jo Ann Pflug. It is also Charlie's last regular episode until 1989, as he leaves to announce The Toni Tennille Show.
- On August 4, the show moves back to 11:00 AM.
- Don Morrow fills in as announcer after Charlie's departure, likely announcing only the week of the 4th.
- The August 4 episode opens with Chuck joking about the show's demise.
- Jack Clark likely takes over as announcer on August 11.
- On an episode probably from the week of August 4 or 11 (though known not to be the 13th), Chuck urges viewers to call the number of the studio where Wheel tapes, giving it out on-air. The resulting 13,000+ calls cause blackouts in a few suburbs and a cutoff threat to be issued from the phone company; this results in the installation of a new, high-capacity phone line.
- On August 13 (Steve/Kathie/Grace):
- The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used for the prize descriptions after Round 1.
- Grace puts $24 on account following Round 2, but does not claim it.
- In Round 4, the buzzer sounds on the first wrong letter of the Speed-Up.
- Steve retires with $10,650.
- Jeff Goldstein directs, suggesting that he returned to the show part-time when Carson was unavailable.
- The Merv Griffin Productions graphic omits the "WHEEL OF FORTUNE Is Produced by" portion at the top.
- By August 13, the electric-guitar cue is again used when going to commercial in all segments.
- The August 13 show is partially pre-empted (on the West Coast, at least) by an NBC News Special Report from the Democratic National Convention. The show is joined-in-progress near the start of the contestant interviews.
- On August 22 (Carole/Mike/Nancy):
- Mike is originally from South Africa, but living in Canada.
- The ding fails to sound in Round 3 after the A's are purchased. Later, the buzzer sounds on a correct letter.
- Chuck's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
- The buzzer sounds on a wrong letter during the Speed-Up, and again over the puzzle-solve cue.
- Mike wins despite losing $3,750 to Bankrupt in Round 3.
- The Wheel does not spin during the credits, and the camera shot is zoomed out farther than usual.
- By August 22, the commercial outro cues are changed up once again: the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used when going to commercial during and after Round 3.
- As of August 22, the beginning of the sponsor list still looks the same as it did on March 15, 1978.
- Alex Trebek fills in for Chuck for a week of episodes believed to have aired sometime around this point. He later confirms this on a 1991 episode of To Tell the Truth, and again on the April Fool's Day 1997 nighttime episode of Wheel.
September 1980[]
- At least September 15-18 feature NBC soap opera stars: Josh Taylor (Days of Our Lives) appears on the 15th, Ben Thomas (The Doctors) on the 16th, Barbara Rucker (Texas) on the 17th, and Douglass Watson (Another World) on the 18th. It was likely similar to Game Show Hosts Week, mentioned below.
October 1980[]
- On October 8 (Sonny/Ruth/Janet):
- The opening logo is smaller than usual.
- The Round 1 puzzle THINGAMAJIG is the first known instance of a one-word Phrase. 11 incorrect letters are called in this round, including six in a row.
- Chuck's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn twice.
- Chuck and Susan do not sign off; rather, the final segment begins with the fee plugs.
- By October 8, the commercial outro cues are changed up again: the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue and the electric-guitar cue now alternate commercial spots (in this case, the former is used after Rounds 1, 2, and 4 while the latter is used during Round 2 and after Round 3).
- By October 8, the beginning of the sponsor list is altered again: only the first letter of each word remains upper-case, and "NBC" is replaced by "The Production Company", resulting in "To" being moved to the second line and "Promoting" to the fourth. The colon is removed, and the first line is left-justified (leaving a gap above "To").
- Sometime this month (probably the week of October 20), an NBC promo airs detailing the new lineup following Letterman's departure. The promo includes brief clips of a Wheel episode probably from around this point.
November 1980[]
- By around this point, the show generally stops using a common theme for all puzzles.
- November 3-6 is Game Show Hosts Week, with NBC emcees playing for members of the audience, who also determine what prizes to buy in shopping rounds. The host competes against two contestants who play normally, but other than making the curtain entrance with Susan is otherwise a normal player (including participation in drawing numbers before taping to determine position). The hosts are confirmed to be Wink Martindale (Las Vegas Gambit), Jim Perry (Card Sharks), Bill Cullen (Blockbusters), and Tom Kennedy (Password Plus). It is known that November 4 was taped October 18.
- On November 5:
- As many shows featuring Bill Cullen took measures to accommdate his limp, Bill and Susan likely entered from Chuck's left.
- According to comments the next day, Bill sweeps the game.
- On November 6:
- During the interviews, Chuck moves on to the next player (Monty) before being reminded about the audience member from offstage. A slightly echoed female voice is heard briefly during this, possibly Nancy Jones in her first known on-air appearance.
- Tom says "Is it..." before solving the Round 1 puzzle LITTLE BY LITTLE, but his answer is still accepted.
- By November 6, the electric-guitar commercial cue is moved to the mid-show consolation prize plug (although it is barely audible on the 6th). The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is now the only one used for commercial breaks.
- As of November 6, Jack's intro still uses "luxurious".
- November 7 begins the show's third Armed Forces "Week", plugged as such despite being stated on the previous show as beginning "tomorrow" (Friday).
- During this week, the puzzle board has red, white, and blue stars placed above the top row of trilons and below the bottom row. The rest of the set is almost certainly decorated as well.
- At least one episode of this week (not including the Friday show) is known to exist, held by contestant Bill Hammel. He posted a clip of Round 1 to his Facebook page in 2016.
- On November 14 (Mark {Marines}/Don {Army}/Jay {Air Force}):
- "The U.S. Air Force" (the song also known as "Wild Blue Yonder", the official song of the United States Air Force) is played during the opening, fee plugs, and credits.
- Jack's intro ends with "And now, here's your host and hostess: Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford!" They are escorted onstage by the honor guard from the 22nd combat support group at March Air Force Base (now March Joint Air Reserve Base). This is the second known time that the hosts are introduced together, and the second of only two known instances of such an intro in the Woolery era.
- Chuck does not do the opening spin.
- For the second known time, a full episode is played for cash. The prize platforms, which were used on Monday-Thursday and whose prizes were not split (assuming the 1978 format was used this week), are likely not present (as was the case during the 1978 week) or have the prizes replaced by Armed Forces logos and the like (and in the latter case, may be directly adjacent to support larger items such as banners).
- A strange incident occurs in Round 2: the puzzle is initially revealed as Quotation, but about halfway through the round Chuck announces that it is actually a Title (THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY). It is not known if the category display reflected the initial mistake.
- All three contestants hit Bankrupt consecutively in Round 4.
- The mid-show plug, for an Adam York gift certificate, is the only time Jack speaks during the game. He throws back to Chuck with "And now, the man with the money: Chuck Woolery!"
- Five rounds are played, with a $750/$750/$1,000/$1,000/$2,000 structure and the second Bankrupt added in Round 3.
- By the above episode, the electric-guitar cue returns to prominence: it is used after Rounds 2 and 4, during and after Round 5, and during the mid-show plug. It is not known what was used after Rounds 1 and 3, as the available copy of this episode (an audio recording) cuts directly from Rounds 1 to 2 and is missing the last portion of Round 3.
- The Monday following Armed Forces Week begins "Celebrity Night on the Town", with various daytime stars. Chuck and Susan plug this on the above episode, stating that they will be going to Las Vegas; based on the below [City] Weeks, the Vegas trip likely consisted of location footage with the games played in Burbank.
- Immediately following the Armed Forces episodes is Celebrity Week on the Town, possibly played like Game Show Hosts Week.
- Minnie, the returning champion from November 6, probably returns on the 24th.
- Wheel does not air on November 27 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
December 1980[]
- By December 18, and probably for the entire month, the set is decorated for Christmas in much the same way as 1979, albeit with a wreath on the curtain and thicker foliage behind the contestants.
- By December 18, Jack's intro reverts to using "extravagant".
- On December 18 (Laura/Joyce/Barbara):
- Chuck's cord gets caught on the nearby car as he makes his entrance.
- The contestant score displays are tinted yellow. They are normal on November 6 and December 24.
- The shopping cue begins in the wrong place after Round 2, then starts again from the beginning.
- After Round 3, the camera fails to switch to the first prize until Jack is halfway through describing it.
- Joyce retires with $17,550.
- As of December 18, the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is still the only one used for commercial breaks.
- By December 24, the commercial cues are changed up once again: for the first time in over a year, "Big Wheels" is used when going to commercial during Round 1 and after Round 3; the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used after Round 2, while the electric-guitar cue remains at the mid-show consolation prize plug.
- On December 24 (Vicki/Bud/Linda):
- The category displays are red, matching Susan's outfit.
- Vicki's first spin runs into an error which is not explained clearly on-air, primarily since the error and resolution happen while the camera is focused on the puzzle board; the Wheel is reset, and she spins again.
- During Vicki's first turn, both she and Bud have an "8" appearing on their On Account displays, for no apparent reason.
- For only the fourth known time, there is a commercial break during Round 1.
- Chuck mistakenly says that the top dollar amount in Round 2 is $2,000.
- The Round 2 puzzle SLEIGHBELLS RING ARE YOU LIST'NIN' is the first known instance of multiple punctuation marks to be used in a puzzle. It is also the longest known puzzle to be used on the original puzzle board in terms of overall spaces, as it uses 30 of the 39 spaces (28 letters and 2 apostrophes). In terms of letters used, it is tied as the second-longest known answer, as a puzzle with 29 letters and no punctuation marks appeared in July 1977. It is solved by Linda for a then-massive $6,700.
- After Linda buys a Mazda following Round 2, Susan is seen closing the driver's-side door from the inside. Once Jack gets to the car plug, Susan drives it around to stop in front of the prize displays, honks the horn, and gets out.
- The buzzer does not sound on an incorrect letter during Round 4.
- Bud finishes in second place with a then-high $4,300, and Chuck notes that this would normally be a winning score.
- No music is played during the commercial outro after Round 4.
- Chuck and Susan do not sign off; rather, the final segment begins with the fee plugs, although they are briefly shown with Linda from the host's position as Jack begins reading the fee plugs.