Go back to 1985, or forward to 1987?
January 1986[]
- Wheel does not air on January 1 due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
- On January 2 (Joseph/Nikki/Eric), during the final segment, Pat and Vanna mention that teens can send a postcard to the show if they want to be on Teen Week, some of whom may be called if the show is going to be coming to their area for auditions.
- On January 3 (Eric/Jason/Sandy):
- The game is played for savings bonds, with no shopping.
- No vowels are bought in Round 2.
- Five rounds are played.
- Round 4 (HOMEWORK) is shorter than ten letters.
- Twelve turns are lost in Round 4, ten of which are wrong letters.
- Round 5 (COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU) is the longest puzzle.
- The puzzle board reads LEECH during the credits, a result of Pat rearranging the letters in the bonus puzzle CHEERLEADER.
- Sometime this month, on an episode known not to be a Friday, a champion retires undefeated.
- On an episode from sometime this month (Nick/Rebecca/Corky), known to be the day after the above:
- Nick mentions his wife is expecting a baby "at the end of February".
- In Round 2, the contestants are shown turning their backs during the mid-round outro.
- By the above episode, the Enterprises card is again using the Peignot font.
- On January 28, after airing on the East Coast, Wheel is pre-empted in all other time zones due to coverage of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
February 1986[]
- On February 3 or 10, the Winter decorations are again removed from the walls (assuming they were added in the first place).
- February 10 is Couples Week, with the Friday Finals format. The opening is the same as it was in November 1983.
- On February 14 (Randy & Melissa/Matt & Lori/Morton & Patti):
- During the final segment, Vanna gives Pat a Valentine's Day heart. In response, Pat gives her "a couple of bucks" to buy herself a gift.
- During the fee plugs, Pat turns most of the trilons in the bonus puzzle NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS to their green mosaic tile sides. The remaining trilons spell out NEW GLAND, with three spaces in-between.
- The sponsor list is not done over the spinning Wheel.
- On February 20:
- No vowels are bought in Round 1.
- The "only vowels remain" beeps do not sound in Round 1.
- Contestant Renee puts $163 on account after Round 1, which goes unclaimed.
- Rounds 1, 2, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
- None of the puzzles have T in them.
- On February 21:
- Rounds 1 and 2 are Phrase, while Round 4 is Things and the Bonus Round is Thing.
- Round 2, TO COIN A PHRASE, is a very rare instance of the category also being part of the answer.
- The original Round 2 is thrown out due to a letter being accidentally revealed, as stated by Jack during his sign-off.
- The bonus puzzle RIO GRANDE RIVER is both a redundant answer, and inexplicably categorized as Thing instead of Place.
- On February 24:
- Contestant Shelley puts $99 on account after Round 1, which goes unclaimed.
- Rounds 2 and 3 are Phrase.
- Contestant Terrie retires undefeated with $19,650.
March 1986[]
- Wheel likely becomes closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired on March 6, the same day the nighttime version does so, but this is uncertain.
April 1986[]
May 1986[]
- Sometime around this point, there is a College Week. It is known to have involved students from Princeton University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Hawaii, and University of California, Berkeley.
- On an episode from the above week, the puzzle PICKY PICKY PICKY has only one vowel and none of the five most common consonants.
- On a Monday episode from sometime around May or early June (Naomi/Dennis/Faye), known to have been taped around April 21-23:
- After the second turn of Round 1, Pat notes that the puzzle (PAJAMA PARTY) is a Title but could also be considered an Event. This is only the third known instance of the host stating that a puzzle falls under more than one category, although only "Title" is displayed on the chyron.
- For the first known time, a Wheel home game is offered as a prize: specifically, the Second Edition as part of a $300 collection of Pressman titles.
- Following Round 4, after Dennis' totals are shown, Naomi's display briefly shows $6 before being erased.
- The mid-show bumper logo and shot are not used.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 2 and 3, Thing in Round 4, and Things in the Bonus Round.
- The sponsor list is not done over the spinning Wheel.
June 1986[]
- June 16 is Teen Week.
- Susan Stafford returns for this week, filling in for Vanna (who is absent due to a then-recent plane crash which killed her fiancée, John Gibson).
- By June 20, the regular Friday Finals opening for Teen Week is introduced: after the opening chant, Jack says "It's Teen Week on Wheel of Fortune!" The day's contestants then introduce themselves from left to right, followed by all three simultaneously introducing the host and hostess.
- On June 20 (Peter/Aurora/Wendy):
- The game is played for savings bonds, with no shopping.
- Both Rounds 2 and 3 have $1,000 as the top value on the Wheel, with Round 4 introducing the $1,500 and $2,000 spaces.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Round 1 and the Bonus Round, Things in Round 3, and Thing in Round 4.
- No credit is given for Susan's wardrobe. This may have been the case on the other shows this week, but this is uncertain.
- As of June 20 (or Naomi/Dennis/Faye, whichever is later), $175 is still present on the Wheel and $1,500 is still on the right-hand side of Bankrupt.
- On June 23, Vanna tells Pat at the end of the show that she went on a vacation, after which she gives him several gifts that she found for him.
July 1986[]
- Wheel does not air on July 4 due to the celebration of the Statue of Liberty's renovation.
- On July 16 (Ray/Randy/Gary), the bonus puzzle EQUATOR is inexplicably categorized as Thing instead of Place.
August 1986[]
- On an episode during the Summer, according to one recollection:
- The yellow contestant acquires five Free Spins and uses all five in Round 2.
- Round 3 starts as a Speed-Up and, thanks to a $2,000 Final Spin, the blue contestant ends up winning despite having not touched the Wheel at all.
September 1986[]
- Around this point, Pat generally stops saying "For [amount], [solve/identify/what's] this [category]" when a contestant asks to solve a puzzle.
- By about mid-September, the Wheel layouts are overhauled as follows:
- In Round 1, the blue $175 is raised to $500, the orange $200 becomes peach, the yellow $100 becomes pink, the tan $500 becomes yellow, the red $400 becomes purple, the yellow $200 becomes red, the brown Free Spin wedge becomes peach, the tan $100 becomes pink, the yellow $200 becomes peach, the red $150 becomes blue, and the brown $450 is changed to red. The blue $400 is changed to a purple $200, the orange $250 becomes a peach $400, the brown $200 is changed to a pink $250, the yellow $600 darkens to peach, the tan $250 is changed to purple, and the blue $350 becomes orange.
- In Round 2, $1,000 changes from blue to yellow. Going clockwise from there, the red $200 becomes light blue, then the order is as follows: pink $600, second Bankrupt, red $300, peach $200, purple $550, orange $400, pink $200, yellow $900, light blue $250, red $300, peach $200, first Bankrupt. Then: the blue $250 becomes purple, the yellow $400 is changed to blue, the red $500 becomes pink, Lose a Turn and $150 swap positions (the latter also changing from orange to purple), the tan $800 becomes red, the brown $700 is lightened to peach, the red $300 becomes pink, and the tan $100 becomes red.
- In Round 3, the $1,500-Bankrupt-$700-$500 stretch is reversed. Also, $1,500 changes from orange to yellow, the red $350 becomes pink, the blue $700 becomes purple, the brown $500 becomes blue, the yellow $300 becomes pink, the yellow-orange $2,000 is changed to yellow, and the brown $350 becomes purple.
- These changes also result in the Wheel wedges being recolored, most noticeably replacing most of the tan and gold with pink and purple, and the Wheel's center changes from dark green to lime green (the same shade as the Prize wedges on the nighttime show at this point).
- September 15 is believed to be the debut of the Jackpot wedge, which begins at $1,000 and increases by $1,000 each day until claimed. It is treated as a Prize wedge, and hence cannot be spent on vowels or in shopping rounds. This may be the first time cash is offered on the daytime version as a regular element since the hour-long shows ended in January 1976.
- If the Jackpot is not won at $1,000, Jack's opening spiel is altered to begin with "Look at this studio, filled with glamorous prizes! Fabulous and exciting merchandise, including a(n) $x,000 cash jackpot!" The opening money graphic for the Jackpot simply zooms in, then flashes.
- The Jackpot amount is promoted at the start of Round 3, accompanied by various graphics, drawings, or props. These presentations do not seem to have had any set pattern of usage, however.
- The wedge is not used during "special" weeks (Teen, College, Battle of the Sexes, etc.), most likely due to the Friday Finals.
- From this point until its retirement, at least some dates that mention a Jackpot win without an amount are guesses.
October 1986[]
- October 3 is Episode #3,000, taped around September 19. The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows: Volume 2 includes a photo of Pat and Vanna at the puzzle board, which reads WHEEL OF FORTUNE'S 3000TH SHOW (with the numbers in a different font than the letters).
- October 7 has a Jackpot win.
- On October 10 (Paula/Sheri/Bill):
- All four puzzles are Phrase, resulting in the second of two known instances of only one category being used in a game.
- All three main-game puzzles are very short, with Round 1 being the longest at only 17 letters.
- Fifteen wrong letters are called in the Round 3 puzzle SQUEAKING BY (including seven in a row), a likely record. This is also the only known instance of every consonant in the alphabet being called during a single round.
- During the Speed-Up segment of Round 3, Bill tries to call a letter before Sheri's time has run out.
- Following Round 3, Pat inadvertently says the Jackpot will be $4,000 "tomorrow", but quickly corrects himself to say "Monday" (as October 10 was a Friday).
- Paula retires with $25,672.
- The Wheel can be heard starting its automation as Pat and Vanna sign off.
- As of mid-October, the contestant backdrops still look the same as they did around October 1984. Sometime between then and November 13, they are altered to streamline the "jagged" edges; the resulting appearance closely resembles a sunflower.
- As of mid-October, the walls introduced in early 1984 are still present. Sometime between then and November 13, they are replaced by a set of lights and a more colorful background.
- On a Monday episode from the Fall (Dean/Kathy/Karen), after the third sunburst backdrops are introduced and the walls are replaced:
- Only one prize is bought after Round 1: a $350 collection of Pressman board games, including Deluxe Wheel of Fortune.
- The Jackpot graphic is a collection of gold coins and a gold bracelet; the money graphic, which resembles that from the opening, is red and flashes.
- The bonus prize, a $4,200 cabinet, is presented next to the puzzle board.
- By the above episode, Gucci begins providing Vanna's wardrobe.
- An episode sometime in late October or early November (after the aforementioned set changes) has a Jackpot win. The contestant who wins it, Bernice, ends the game with $16,050 and wins a car in the Bonus Round.
November 1986[]
- November 10 has a Jackpot win.
- On November 13 (Mike/Jill/Dawn):
- The players are shown turning their backs as Pat throws to commercial during Round 2.
- The Jackpot graphic is a gold cornucopia with various coins around it; the money graphic is gold and stationary.
- The game ends in a tie. As a result, no Bonus Round is played, and all three players continue on the 14th. The returning champion, who is not one of the tied contestants, is told that the next day's game will be a "continuation of [her] second appearance".
- In place of the Bonus Round, Pat and Vanna talk, and Pat shows the device from which contestants draw numbers to determine who starts the game.
- Climax provides Vanna's wardrobe.
- As of November 13, the Enterprises logo still looks the same as it did on September 9, 1985.
- November 17 is College Week (known to be promoted on November 13), taped on October 18 & 19. It is known that students from DePaul University, the University of Virginia, the Claremont Colleges, and Howard University participated.
A master at work.
- Around this point, Jack still does his announcing work in an offstage utility room.
- Wheel does not air on November 27 or 28; the former due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the latter due to a special showing of an NBC Saturday morning cartoon.
December 1986[]
- On December 11, contestant Stanton Keeney retires with $49,633, solving all but one main-game puzzle and winning all three Bonus Rounds. The book Wheel of Fortune by David R. Sams and Robert L. Shook refers to this as the daytime record as of August 1, 1987, noting that Judy Bongarzone's $64,461 total was achieved partly through playing in NBC's All Star Dream Machine Championship (and hence not under the normal five-/three-day limit).
- As of December 11, the Used Letter Board is still a chalkboard.
- December 22 is Teen Week, using the Friday Finals format, taped November 22. During this week:
- The opening, using the same structure as previous Teen Weeks, shows 13 players in front of the puzzle board (Guru does not play at all this week). The participants are seen "modeling" the prizes at the top of the show.
- As it is also the week of Christmas, a large bow is present on the puzzle board's frame and each of the pillars flanking the turntable. The contestant area also has a small decoration behind each player.
- The animated Wheel logo is not used.
- Pat Richards provides Vanna's wardrobe on the 22nd, and Climax on the 23rd and 24th. It would appear that by this point, there are several rotating sponsors for her outfits.
- On December 22 (Chrissy/Tom/Danny):
- Pat mentions debuting a new video by him and Vanna "later in the week".
- "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" is played during the Round 2 prize descriptions.
- The Bonus Round timer continues to play for about two seconds after the time's-up buzzer.
- The top winner has only $1,900, and all three players combined have only $2,700.
- The Wheel can be heard loudly spinning as Pat and Vanna sign off.
- By December 22, the Enterprises logo adds "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company" between the Enterprises logo and copyright date. The December 22 shot begins with a closeup of this text before zooming out, suggesting that this is an early appearance of said credit.
- The December 23 show (Jim/Tracey/Carol) is mostly pre-empted on the East Coast by an NBC News report (the Voyager successfully returning to its base after a nine-day nonstop flight around the world), rejoining just before Jack begins the Round 3 prize descriptions. West Coast viewers see the entire episode. Among the known events:
- During the Bonus Round, Tracey's call of M is misheard as N, and the N is briefly put on the chyron.
- Afterward, one of Tracey's relatives accidentally gets herself caught on the player's microphone.
- The opening logo-on-Wheel shot accidentally appears very briefly before the camera switches to the Enterprises logo.
- On December 24 (Kathy/Leslie/Victor):
- The opening Wheel shot suddenly jumps backward when the transition appears.
- During Round 2, Pat forgets to ask Leslie if she wants to use her Free Spin. He does this again in Round 3, but she turns it in herself.
- The players are shown turning their backs at the break during Round 3.
- On December 25 (Valerie/Ian/Paula):
- None of the puzzles have an A in them.
- After Pat and Vanna's sign-off, the puzzle board is shown with the words MERRY CHRISTMAS on the middle two lines. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is played from here through the end of the credits.
- On at least December 25, and probably for the entire week, the mid-show bumper is a shot of the TEEN WEEK board and players; the logo animation is much faster and has green lettering.
- The December 26 show appears to have been pre-empted by most of the network in favor of either sports programming or, on at least one affiliate (WXIA in Atlanta, Georgia), a soap opera. The soap is likely the series finale of Search for Tomorrow, which had been airing at 12:30 since it moved from CBS in March 1982.
- On December 26, according to Pat's comments, the game is played for savings bonds, with no shopping.
- December 29 is Teen Week, using the Friday Finals format. This week only has four episodes (see January 1987).