Wheel of Fortune timeline (network)/1982

Go back to 1981, or forward to 1983?

January 1982

• Wheel does not air on January 1 due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
• Claudia, the returning champion from Chuck's last episode, presumably returns on January 4.
• On an episode sometime this year, a contestant mis-solves the puzzle IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE as E.T. TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE with only the I missing.

February 1982

• Around this point, the light-up white trees are replaced by a single green-leaf tree to the left of the turntable.

March 1982

• March 1 is Hawaii Week. This week is known to have been promoted by Pat during his week on Password Plus in December 1981, with the location footage having been shot in late December or early January (based on Variety blurbs dated December 22, 1981 and January 8, 1982).
• The March 3 episode is submitted for the Daytime Emmy Awards in regard to a category applying to then-director Dick Carson. This may suggest that the episode, and any others submitted by Wheel, exist.
• March 29 is Bonus Week, where gold stars are on the prizes the day's winner can choose to play for in the Bonus Round. Pat's comments on the 29th suggest that the previous week was also Bonus Week, and the fact he brings this up at all indicates that the Bonus Round is still not a permanent part of the game.
• By March 29 (Mike/Ronda/Merielen):
  • The puzzle board is slightly altered: the N's now have a top-left serif, while the board itself adds four trilons for a total of 52. As the new trilons are in the corners, they are blocked by the frame and hence cannot be used.
  • A timpani roll is added to the start of the Bonus Round. The show's logo is projected onto the floor unless the contestant plays for a car, in which case the car is parked in front of the board.
  • The Bonus Round is now played from center stage.
• On March 29:
  • There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1-2 and the Bonus Round, and Person in Rounds 3-4.
  • The electric-guitar cue is used for the prize descriptions after Round 2.
  • The value of the bonus prize (a trip to Jamaica) is not given.
  • During the Bonus Round, an O briefly appears on the chyron when L is called.
• The March 30 episode is pre-empted by coverage of Space Shuttle Columbia's landing. Comments from the next day's episode indicate that Marielen won the Bonus Round.
• By March 31 (Sherry/Merielen/Chris), the opening is slightly altered: the money graphic becomes white, and the logo now slides off to the right as Pat is introduced.
• On March 31:
  • The value of the bonus prize (a Tiffany gift certificate) is not given.
  • Merielen retires undefeated with $18,169.

April 1982

• On April 26, the show moves back to 10:30 AM, replacing Blockbusters.

June 1982

• Sometime this month, contestant Debi Muchow competes for three shows, winning $15,000 in prizes including 300 square feet of floor tile. Debi is known to have copies of all three episodes in DVD format.
• According to a fan recollection, possibly during the Summer months, a champion plays for a washer and dryer as her Bonus Round prize for two days in a row, but fails to solve the puzzle each time. On the third day, the contestant wins a round and buys the washer and dryer. The price of the bonus prize, according to the recollection, is $991, which if correct might be one of the least expensive bonus prizes since the inception of the Bonus Round in its current incarnation.
• By June 18, the Bonus Round is permanently added to the game.
  • While the category displays are sometimes colored to match Susan's (later Vanna's) outfit during the main game, the Bonus Round displays remain white until new chyrons are introduced in January 1985.
• On June 18, 21, and 22, contestant Don Minyard wins a total of $11,671, including a trip to Jamaica. Don is known to have copies of all three episodes.
• On June 18:
  • At the start of the Bonus Round, an amount of $5,714 is displayed on the red sunburst backdrop. It is not certain whether this is Don's main-game total, as Pat states he has over $6,000 in prizes and (after the puzzle is solved) a total of $8,871.
  • The value of the bonus prize (a trip to Jamaica) is not given.
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used when going to commercial after the Bonus Round. The electric-guitar cue is used while Jack describes the Jamaica trip.
• On June 21 (Don/Laine/Renee):
  • Laine puts a three-digit amount ending in 75 on account (the specific amount is uncertain due to the available footage having her head directly blocking the hundreds digit). She ends up losing the game by $375.
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used for the mid-show car/catalog plugs. "Big Wheels" is used for the next commercial outro.
• As of June 21, the Final Spin directing is still the traditional style.

September 1982

• By September 1 (Pat/Nancy/Neal):
  • The opening is slightly altered: Jack now only mentions three prizes, and the money graphic now "flips" toward the camera.
  • "Big Wheels" returns to use for all commercial breaks and the mid-show car/catalog plug.
  • The directing for the Final Spin is slightly altered to have the camera start at an overhead shot of the Wheel and zoom in to the red contestant's arrow as the Wheel stops. An identical shot was used on some episodes between December 2003 and January 2004.
  • The beginning of the sponsor list is slightly altered to remove the upper-case letters from "or", "to", "the", and "for". A period is also added to the end.
  • The credits are slightly changed to show the Wheel spinning below Pat, Susan, and the day's champion.
• On September 1:
  • Three new contestants play, after a three-day champion is retired on the August 31 show.
  • A four-line puzzle is used for the first known time: DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS, in Round 2.
  • Despite not being a Speed-Up Round, Round 3 is played for a Tiffany gift certificate.
  • When Nancy lands on Bankrupt in Round 4, the buzzer sounds just before the slide whistle.
  • Round 4 has a shopping segment despite going to Speed-Up.
• On September 2 (Nancy/Beverly/Karen), the red arrow does not flash during the Final Spin.
• On September 3 (Beverly/Dorian/Bill):
  • After Susan makes her entrance, Pat makes a remark about her outfit: "Zontar called, he said the invasion of Neptune is off." He makes a few more comments during the post-game chat, then admits he likes the outfit.
  • Just before the first spin, Pat holds up a cue card with a 4 drawn on the back and says, "This is the number I drew, and that made me a loser." During the credits, Susan briefly holds up the card and appears to make a comment toward Pat.
  • During Round 1, Pat accidentally tells Bill that L has already been called. He corrects himself a few turns later, saying that the puzzle simply does not have an L in it.
  • Bill purchases 11 prizes after Round 2; with $1,103 remaining and nothing left to spend it on, he puts it on a gift certificate. The resulting prize copy runs for two minutes and ten seconds.
  • Round 3 begins as a Speed-Up for a Giorgio gift certificate. Pat jokingly blames Reggie Jackson for this, as REGGIE JACKSON was the first puzzle, and the segment ran for over nine minutes.
  • Bill sweeps the game and wins a bedroom set in the Bonus Round. The cue used for the bedroom set, "Hip Check", is somewhat more commonly known as the theme of fellow NBC game show Blank Check, which debuted the same day as Wheel but ran just 26 weeks.
  • Bill calls O in the Bonus Round, the first known instance of a player calling a vowel other than E under the five-and-a-vowel rules.
  • Susan forgets to turn the T in the bonus puzzle GILBERT AND SULLIVAN and is reminded from offstage.
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used when going to commercial after the Bonus Round.
• By September 3, Climax begins providing Susan's wardrobe. Considering the unusual outfits she wears on the 2nd and 3rd plus Pat's comments on the latter, this association was probably short-lived.
• In September or early October, the green-leaf tree is replaced by one which has brown leaves.
• On an episode from after the brown-leaf trees are introduced (Deanna/Chuck/Nancy):
  • The category displays are white, although Susan is wearing blue.
  • Round 3 begins as a Speed-Up for a Giorgio gift certificate.
  • Pat's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn; his second attempt lands on $2,000.
  • When Pat recaps the final scores after Round 3, there's no mention of a final total for a previous winner, likely meaning that an undefeated champ retired on the previous show.
  • The "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used when going to commercial after the Bonus Round.
• On the episode immediately following the above (Darlene/Chuck/Diana):
  • During the contestant interviews, Pat notes Chuck's one-day total of $16,849, and says "it's been a long time since we've given away that much in one day".
  • The category displays are white, although Susan is wearing red.
  • During the shopping portion of Round 1, a popping sound can be heard when Pat is speaking.
  • Likely connected to the above, during the throw to commercial after Round 1, Pat has to use Chuck's microphone, as his own has stopped working. It is replaced by the start of Round 2.
  • During the Speed-Up, the buzzer fails to sound when Diana's guessing time expires.
  • Darlene attempts to spin the wheel during her turn in the Speed-Up.
• On the episode immediately following the above (Dottie/Chuck/[unknown]), during the opening interviews, Pat mentions that Chuck's first-day total of $16,849 is the highest one-day total the show has ever had to this point. His two-day total was at least $21,499.
• As of Darlene/Chuck/Diana, the directing for the Final Spin is still the same as it was on September 2.

October 1982

Goodbye, Susan...

• According to a fan recollection, sometime during the Fall, one of the puzzles is PORKY'S, one of the shortest main-game puzzles ever and one of the few to this point to contain just one vowel.
• As of October 22, the money graphic and logo are still white.
• October 22 is Susan's last episode, as she leaves to pursue charity work. On this day:
  • To allocate time for Susan's farewell, all of the puzzles are two or three words long.
  • Contestant Kevin wins $2,600, followed by $900 the next Monday. His fiancée appears on the show around the same time, winning $4,400 in one round but not winning the game.
  • Susan's final bonus puzzle is PINCH OF SALT (Thing), played for a trip to the Bahamas. It is not solved.
  • During the final segment, Susan is presented with a bouquet of flowers by Nancy Jones and most of the crew says goodbye to her. The puzzle board shows GOOD-BYE SUSAN on the first three lines.
• Summer Bartholomew is the guest co-host for at least the weeks of October 25, November 1, and November 8.
• As of October 27, Wheel draws a 21 share on the Nielsen ratings system. The show following it at this point, Texas, is unable to keep that audience.
• Likely in late October, and definitely by December 13, the light-up white trees return.

November 1982

• Vicki McCarty and Vanna White (and possibly Summer as well) take turns as guest co-host between November 15 and December 10.
• November 14 may be Vanna's first taping as guest hostess, based on her comments during certain nighttime shows (namely "three weeks later, I was taping my first [permanent] show").
• November 18 is Episode #2,000.
• Wheel does not air on November 25 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

December 1982

...Hello, Vanna.

• On several, if not all, episodes this month, Jack announces during the credits that Wheel will be moving to a new time slot on January 3.
• December 13 is Philadelphia Week, which is the same as previous [City] Weeks. The opening shows Pat waving in front of a large fountain.
• By December 13 (#2016; Robin/Louis/Linda):
  • The money graphic and Wheel logo begin to be displayed in different colors.
  • The commercial cues are changed up once again: "Big Wheels" is used after Round 1, during the mid-show car plug, and after the Bonus Round; the "Temptation Eyes"-based cue is used during Round 2, after Round 2, and after Round 3.
  • The Final Spin directing returns to normal, although the red arrow is again not flashing.
• December 13 is Vanna's first permanent show, taped December 5. On this day:
  • The Wheel's light layers flash counterclockwise.
  • The category displays are purple, matching Vanna's outfit.
  • Vanna's first official puzzle is GENERAL HOSPITAL, and the first letter she turns is the T.
  • The Round 2 puzzle ONE LITTLE TWO LITTLE THREE LITTLE INDIANS has eight T's. As of 1987, according to the book Wheel of Fortune by David R. Sams and Robert L. Shook, this was still a record for the most instances of one letter in a puzzle. This record would likely stand until the late 1990s.
  • The camera mistakenly holds on a still shot of a curio cabinet after Round 2 while Jack describes it. Later, while he describes the final prize bought in that round, the prize cue runs to its end and begins again.
  • Amazingly, neither Bankrupt nor Lose a Turn is hit and no wrong letters are called; the Bonus Round is lost, however. This is believed to be the closest the show has ever come to a "perfect game".
  • Footage from Pat's trip to Philadelphia is shown just before the credits, and this is where Pat signs off.
• December 13 is the second of only three daytime episodes to be aired by GSN; the network reran it in 2007 as part of a special marathon following Merv's death. Per the network's standard at the time, any mid-show plugs were cut out and the credit crunch began right after Pat signed off.
• On December 15 (Lynn/Peter/Carol):
  • No vowels are bought in Rounds 1 or 3.
  • At the end of the game, the contestant backdrop accidentally displays the dollar sign between the second and third digits of Peter's cumulative total.
• On at least December 13 and 29, there is a large pot of flowers behind each player.
• December 27 is Teen Week, with the Friday Finals format. Despite this, the opening for the week (see below) shows 14 contestants; two were likely standby players.
  • For this week, the set is decorated for Christmas (including a large tree behind Pat) despite beginning two days after it. Also for this week, various Christmas-related songs are used as prize cues.
  • By December 27, the normal opening for Teen Week is introduced: three contestants model prizes, followed by all of the week's players sitting or standing in front of the puzzle board (reading TEEN WEEK on the middle two lines), after which Jack introduces Pat.
• On December 29 (Chris/Evangelina/Jonathan):
  • The money graphic (and Jack's associated spiel) is $26,000, well below the norm at this point.
  • The contestants stand on boxes, a fact which Pat points out after Round 1. (This may have been the case on other episodes this week, but this is uncertain.)
  • During Round 2, Vanna accidentally turns the O in the puzzle EASIER SAID THAN DONE after Evangelina calls D, but very quickly turns it back while she is still blocking the camera's view.
  • For the first known time, a four-line puzzle is used in the Speed-Up round: THE NINA THE PINTA AND THE SANTA MARIA.
  • There are also two rare instances of contestants losing their turns in the Speed-Up with only vowels remaining; with only the I's and A's unrevealed in the above puzzle, Jonathan calls O and Chris calls I but does not solve. Evangelina then calls the A's and solves.
  • Jonathan fails to claim $12,700 in Round 3.
• By December 29:
  • "Big Wheels" is again used for all commercial breaks (except after Round 2 on this episode, as it fades to black before any music can begin).
  • The red arrow again flashes during the Final Spin.
  • Pacino begins providing Vanna's wardrobe.