Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 26

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A timeline for Season 26 of Wheel of Fortune, which aired in first-run from September 8, 2008 through May 29, 2009, with another week of shows from July 13-17, 2009.

Season Changes[]

For this season only, mics are provided for any supporters that Bonus Round contestants have in the audience.
The Prize Puzzle bug is now a globe on a blue background, with only the word "Prize!" written on it in red Brush Script text.
The Wheel changes considerably:
- The Big Money Wedge and 25 Wedge are retired.
- The $10,000 Wedge is replaced by the identically-structured Million-Dollar Wedge, taking the former's place on the orange $800.
- One of the Mystery Wedges moves from the blue $500 (between $900 and $300) to the blue $300 next to Lose a Turn.
- For the first time since Season 17, individual dollar amounts on the Wheel are altered: the green $500 becomes blue, the blue $600 becomes a yellow $500, and the yellow $300 becomes a green $600.
- The second Bankrupt is moved back to the purple $600 next to the top dollar value.
  
  The last Jackpot wedge.
- The Jackpot wedge moves to the red $300 and changes to its final design, which recycles the housing of the former Big Money Wedge. Since it snaps into the Wheel, the red $300 is also redesigned to snap into place.
- The Wild Card is now removed after Round 3.
- The yellow arrow is now preset to the Million-Dollar Wedge in Round 1, the Jackpot wedge in Round 2, the Mystery Wedge next to Lose a Turn in Round 3, and $5,000 in Round 4.
The show does a promo for the new cash prize with Don LaFontaine, who dies before the season begins. There is an additional promo where a man is dressed as the new wedge, in a similar manner to "$5K".
- The LaFontaine promo uses the Season 22 Prize Puzzle graphic of the spinning Wheel, while the other promo uses a jazzy arrangement of the original "Happy Wheels".
Sixth-episode weeks are now themed as America's Game.
The opening consists of the Wheel wedges (including the Million-Dollar Wedge's reverse) falling into place. Once the graphic of the Wheel is complete, it wipes to a silver two-row logo on a blue-and-white city skyline background with 4 spotlight beams. The blue-and-white background is also used for the Final Spin graphic and the post-game chat. The window for the chat is much smaller, and has 13 lights underneath flashing from left to right.
The category strips are changed to the design used through Season 38, with white text in Gotham on a spotted background that cycles from purple to blue to green. These strips extend the length of the screen, and incorporate the golden logo bug.
Wheel and Jeopardy! begin airing on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Canadian airings edit out the Jackpot sponsors, and the SPIN ID graphic is covered with a red rectangle reading "Open to U.S. residents only" in white text.
Only one car is now used in the Bonus Round.
The Bonus Wheel wedges now spell out "AMERICA'S GAME SPIN&WIN", with a one-star space after "America's", a two-star space after "GAME", and a three-star space after "WIN". The font is also changed from Impact to Frankfurter.
The prize values and post-Bonus Round totals become silver and the font is changed to Chesterfield Bold.
Two noticeable changes occur with the construction of Bonus Round puzzles:
- One-word answers become increasingly rare; the few that are used are almost always compound words or individual words ending in -ING.
- As was the case prior to Season 19, Bonus Rounds revert to mostly being Thing or Phrase. While this trend does reverse slightly over the intervening seasons, it does not fully overturn until Season 35.
The Round 3 "drop down" graphic changes to shiny rectangles whose edges fade, with white lines on the top and bottom, and a white star between each rectangle.
This season sets a new record for the most top prize hits in the Bonus Round, with 14 instances of either $100,000 or the Million being landed on.
Road shows now use either the standard opening theme or incidental music.
From this point until Season 39, the answer to the $1,000 Toss-Up is almost always related to the week's theme (including America's Game weeks).

September 2008[]

For the first two weeks of the season, there is a cold open where Charlie says, "This season on Wheel of Fortune, big money just got bigger. One spin, one solve, one million dollars!" A shot of contestant Jamie winning $100,000 on March 24 appears during the first sentence before freeze-framing and turning to black-and-white. As Charlie says "big money just got bigger", the latter three words appear in silver text on a black background. The wipe used for Prize Puzzle footage reveals the words "one spin", which rotates to reveal the words "one solve" as the puzzle chimes sound, followed by the words "one million dollars" flying on-screen at an angle. All of the text is silver on a black background, with the O in the word "one" being a graphic of the Wheel with beams of light in its center, and graphics of dollar bills flying out of the O in "million".
For the first three weeks of the season, Pat mentions the Million-Dollar Wedge, followed by a post-production close-up of it on the Wheel. During the week of September 8, he does so before the $1,000 Toss-Up, and during the week of September 15 and 22, he does so after the $2,000 Toss-Up. On September 8, he also holds it up as he describes it.
September 8 is Endless Summer. During this week, V8 sponsors the Mystery Round cash.
On September 8, Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Food & Drink.
On September 9, during the closing chat, Pat and Vanna discuss the Million-Dollar Wedge and show where the $100,000 was on the Bonus Wheel that day.
On September 11, contestant Jeremy sweeps the game and wins $30,000 in the Bonus Round.
September 15 is Nothing but the Best.
During the weeks of September 15 and 22, the Mystery Round cash is sponsored by Gold Bond.
On September 15, the category strip in Round 4 disappears after the round goes to Speed-Up.
On September 16, the Million-Dollar Wedge is picked up for the first time, in Round 2; however, it is lost to Bankrupt later in the round.
On September 17, the third line of Round 2's Where Are We? puzzle EIFFEL TOWER SIDEWALK CAFES HIGH FASHION (Paris) is indented by one space.
On September 19, nobody solves the $1,000 Toss-Up FINE WINE.
September 22 is Teen Best Friends. For no particular reason, Pat and Vanna enter from stage right instead of stage left on Tuesday and Thursday.
On September 24:
- Round 4 goes to Speed-Up with only one consonant remaining (the P's in WE'RE COMPLETE OPPOSITES).
- Contestants Kelsey and Christina solve the bonus puzzle BUNK BEDS before the timer can start.
On September 25:
- The Prize is a $10,440 trip to New York City with tickets to Hairspray.
- There are two sets of duplicate categories: the $1,000 Toss-Up and Round 2 are Phrase, while Round 1 and the Bonus Round are Thing. This may suggest that a round was thrown out and replaced.
On September 26:
- The Prize is $6,000 credit to razorgator.com.
- Bankrupt is hit eleven times, very likely a record.
- The bonus puzzle initially fails to reveal after the round is lost, leading to a jump cut to the winning team and an offstage voice saying "reveal it" before the answer fills in.
September 29 is Great Escapes. During this week, the Mystery Round cash is sponsored by Meineke.
On September 29, the Round 1 puzzle RARE-BOOK COLLECTION is improperly hyphenated.
On September 30, for the only time betweens Seasons 20 and 42, Round 4 (DOG OBEDIENCE SCHOOL) uses three rows.

October 2008[]

On October 1, after contestant Matt solves the Round 1 puzzle HILTON HEAD SOUTH CAROLINA, Pat asks Vanna if she is familiar with Hilton Head, followed by a shot of Vanna nodding. After this, Pat explains that the shot was a "pickup" and added in post-production, after which there is a second cut to Vanna nodding with the caption "Sorry Pat, this is real." After a cut back to Matt, there is another cut back to Vanna clapping with the caption "Real also."
On October 2:
- Rounds 2, 4, and 5 are played entirely by the contestants who began them, although the Free Spin is used in Round 4.
- Before Round 2, Pat mentions the Million-Dollar Wedge, followed by a post-production shot zooming in on it.
- Six rounds are played.
On October 3:
- Round 2 (THICK PLUSH BEACH TOWELS) is the first Prize Puzzle to be repeated, as it was previously used on March 31, 2004.
- Contestant Mandi becomes the first contestant to take the Million-Dollar Wedge to the Bonus Round. She loses $25,000 and is only two envelopes from the $1,000,000.
October 6 is Ultimate Adventures.
On October 6:
- Contestant Scott says that he has wanted to host the show ever since Chuck Woolery was hosting, to which Pat comments that Chuck is on the "longest vacation ever".
- The Mystery Round sponsor switches to Campbell's.
- The Round 2 puzzle TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM is incorrectly categorized as Quotation instead of Song Lyrics.
- There is a $100,000 loss.
On October 7, the $3,000 Toss-Up and Bonus Round are Place; additionally, their answers (THE FAST LANE and EXIT RAMP) are thematically tied to each other but not to the week.
On October 8, the shot of Pat revealing the $1,000,000 envelope is done in post-production.
On October 10, Proper Name is used in the Bonus Round for the last time.
October 13 is Canada Week, taped August 8. This week is intended to honor the show's airing on CBC, and probably also celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving which falls on October 13. During this week:
- All of the Wheel Prizes are trips to Canada.
- One of the Gift Tags is $1,000 credit to Tim Hortons, which at the time had no American locations closer than Lansing, Michigan (over 2,000 miles from Culver City), and no Canadian ones closer than Abbotsford, British Columbia (over 1,200 miles away).
- After Round 1, Alex Trebek gives a fact about Canada in a pre-recorded segment in front of the Jeopardy! board. The Canadian flag and Wheel of Fortune logo are on the monitors, then in the respective spots for the Final Jeopardy! category and clue.
- The Canadian flag forms the contestant window in the Bonus Round.
On October 13, for the first time since November 1999, RSTLNE reveals more than half of a bonus puzzle (JEAN SHORTS).
On October 14:
- A "good" turn is edited out of Round 3. Contestant Jennifer spins with $9,000 and calls an incorrect D, after which a U is showing in the puzzle TORONTO'S SPECTACULAR SKYLINE despite not being present before she called the D. Also, her scoreboard can be seen displaying $9,650 when control passes to Pete.
- Around the House makes its last appearance in the Bonus Round until January 2012.
- Michelle Loewenstein becomes the show's first $1,000,000 winner, setting a new winnings record of $1,026,080. She hits the Million-Dollar Wedge on her first spin and solves her bonus puzzle LEAKY FAUCET before the timer can start.
- The $1,000,000 graphic is shiny gold numbers with four spotlights shining on them.
- According to the credits, Michelle could choose between a 20-year payment of $1,000,000 or a one-time payment of $660,000.
- Near the end of the credits, there is a shot of the Used Letter Board's scoreboard displaying Michelle's total, followed by a slow-motion replay of Michelle's reaction, and finally, a shot of Michelle exclaiming "I won one million dollars!"
On October 15:
- Charlie's intro from the first two weeks of the season is re-used for the rest of the week, albeit with a clip of Michelle's $1,000,000 win edited in at the end.
- Contestant Josh has his friend Shawn spin the Wheel for him.
- Round 3 is a Before & After puzzle of NOBEL PEACE PRIZE PUZZLE.
- Contestant Katie finishes second with $24,000, won entirely in Round 4, and Josh wins by only $100. Additionally, contestant Mindy fails to claim $24,000 in the Speed-Up.
On October 16:
- Round 1 is JEOPARDY! HOST ALEX TREBEK.
- The Prize Puzzle bug is accidentally put up during the Jackpot round (whose puzzle is a Same Name).
- Contestants Steven, Dawn, and Erica give eight incorrect answers to the Speed-Up puzzle WOOD-BURNING STOVE over five turns, with all three repeating the others' previous answers. A clip of this was seen in Season 30.
On October 17, contestant Dana solves the bonus puzzle FOOTPATH with 0.3 seconds left. After she solves, the timer on the Used Letter Board is shown on-camera.
On Saturday, October 18, the weekend repeat is the prior Tuesday's episode instead of an episode from Season 25. This airing begins with a clip of Pat and Vanna standing at the contestant area, mentioning the $1,000,000 win "last Tuesday" and introducing the episode as an "encore presentation". This is the first known time where a weekend repeat is from the current season instead of the previous one.
The week of October 20 is America's Game.
On October 20:
- Round 4 (CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY) is the longest puzzle.
- Contestant Jazmyne (who does not solve the bonus puzzle) misses the $1,000,000 by one envelope.
On October 22:
- As it is the sixth episode of Teen Best Friends week, three teams of teenagers play.
- There is a $100,000 loss.
On October 24:
- Two contestants buy a repeated I in Round 1.
- There is a $100,000 win. A pan across the back of the audience is used when Charlie announces the amount.
October 27 is Halloween Week. During this week, for the only time since Christmas Week in Season 21, the projector is used for decorative purposes; specifically, to project a jack-o'-lantern into the center of the Wheel. However, the projector returns in Season 28 as a turn indicator.
On October 27:
- No vowels are bought in Round 2.
- Round 5 (ESTATE SALE) has only three unique consonants.
- During the closing chat, Pat and Vanna hand out Halloween candy to the children of the show's staff.
On October 30:
- The Prize copy includes a trailer for The Incredible Hulk.
- Contestant Lea solves the bonus puzzle VISIONARY before the timer can start.
On October 31, contestant Andrea loses $12,350 and the Prize (a $5,113 trip to Las Vegas) to a wrong letter in Round 2, and $20,450 and the Million-Dollar Wedge to Bankrupt in Round 3.

November 2008[]

November 3 and 4 are the first two episodes of Wheel Across America. For the entirety of this theme, Vanna does a cold open from various venues.
On November 3:
- The Prize is a trip to New York City with tickets to Rock of Ages.
- The Mystery Wedges and the Bankrupt on the reverse both change: the color is lightened, and the outlines on the sides are removed. This design remains through Season 31.
- The bonus puzzle HYPHENS & DASHES is a rare instance of an ampersand in the Bonus Round.
On November 4:
- Wheel is pre-empted in most of the country due to coverage of President Barack Obama's election.
- The Wheel is preset before Round 1 so that the yellow podium's flipper is on $2,500 (which becomes normal in Season 27) instead of the Million-Dollar Wedge.
- While Charlie announces the Rock On! category in Round 2, he does it in his normal voice and not the deep "rock DJ" voice.
- For only the third known time, a contestant calls Z in the Bonus Round. However, it is not in the puzzle.
October 31, November 3, and November 4 all have puzzles themed to Election Day, with November 3 having three such puzzles (CAMPAIGN MANAGER, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, and LANDSLIDE VICTORY).
November 5-25 are taped outdoors in front of the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii. The Hawaii episodes start on a Wednesday, most likely to prevent the string of episodes from being interrupted by the aforementioned Presidential coverage.
- As a result, the remaining three episodes of Wheel Across America Week are not aired until November 26-28.
- During all the Hawaii episodes, Vanna does a cold open.
- During November 5-11 only, the video wall is used behind the contestants. According to one account, this is not used for the rest of the tapings due to it getting damaged by rain after the first week.
- As with the last set of Hawaiian episodes, Pat wears Hawaiian-themed short-sleeved shirts.
- The board has an extra frame around it which resembles a lei.
- The puzzle board's steps are green instead of black.
November 5 is Hawaii's Big Island.
On November 5:
- As Pat and Vanna walk out, two Hawaiian dancers place leis on them.
- The Prize copy includes a trailer for Quantum of Solace.
- Coincidentally, one of winning contestant Mark's family members flashes him a thumbs-up, and he ends up solving the bonus puzzle THUMBS UP.
On November 6, the $1,000 Toss-Up is a factually incorrect answer of THE HAWAII WARRIORS (they are known as the Rainbow Warriors).
On November 7:
- Some audience members start yelling in the middle of the $1,000 Toss-Up.
- The Prize copy includes a trailer for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
During the week of November 10, there is a popup during the contestant interviews for the upcoming "$5K Every Day" contest.
On November 10:
- The Mystery Round sponsor changes back to IHOP.
- Contestant Nathan finishes second with $22,650.
- Contestant Loni's post-Bonus Round total is never announced on-air. After Pat and Vanna sign off, Loni is shown next to the car she just won, at which point the winning total is displayed.
On November 11:
- During the second shot of the board in Round 3, the category strip displays Proper Names instead of Proper Name.
- For the first time, two "null" cycles are edited out of the Speed-Up.
November 12-18 is Best Friends Week. Except on November 12, the Prize is over $10,000 due to it being a trip for two.
On November 12, the Prize is $6,000 credit to razorgator.com.
On November 14:
- Contestants Shelley and Kay solve the bonus puzzle MILK JUG before the timer can start.
- The same exceeds $100,000 without hitting that amount: after winning a pair of Ford Flexes in the Bonus Round, they leave with $107,340.
From November 17 through May 29, the show holds a "$5K Every Day" contest. During the contestant interviews, a SPIN ID is shown at the bottom of the screen. Home viewers who claim their SPIN IDs via the show's website win $5,000.
During the week of November 17, the Mystery Round cash is sponsored by gsn.com, then the website of Game Show Network. The copy specifically mentions the website's Wheel of Fortune game.
On November 17:
- Pat forgets to ask contestants Jackie and Lorna for their extra consonant from the Wild Card and has to be reminded from offstage.
- There is a $100,000 win by a team who picked up the Million-Dollar Wedge in Round 3 but did not solve that round's puzzle.
November 19-25 is Wheel Goes Waikoloa.
On November 19:
- Contestant Tiffany finishes second with $20,000.
- Contestant Kainoa wins despite failing to claim $36,000 in the Speed-Up.
On November 20:
- The Prize is a $5,000 shopping spree at Royal Hawaiian Center.
- The second Bankrupt and $3,500 are accidentally placed one space clockwise from their normal positions in Rounds 2 and 3, putting the wedges over the normal top dollar value spot and the green $600, respectively. While contestant Paul hits the incorrectly-placed Bankrupt in Round 3, then turns in his Free Spin to land on Lose a Turn, this ultimately does not affect the outcome as he wins anyway.
On November 21, nobody solves the $1,000 Toss-Up STARGAZER LILIES.
On November 24:
- Contestant Peach adds an S to the end of the $2,000 Toss-Up BEVELED MIRROR, but this is not noticed. This affects the outcome, as she wins by $550.
- The Mystery Round sponsor switches back to Campbell's.
- During the closing chat, a clip is shown from the February 13, 1996 episode where Pat introduced his daughter, Maggie.
On November 25:
- The Prize Puzzle offers a trip to New York City and tickets to Stomp.
- Fictional Place makes its only appearance in the Bonus Round.
On November 26, Wheel Across America is resumed.
On November 26:
- The show begins to use cold opens with "$5K" promoting the $5K Every Day contest. Unusually, the one used on this episode is placed after the opening chant and before Charlie's introduction of Pat and Vanna, with "$5K" specifically name-dropping Charlie.
- Contestant Tara solves the Speed-Up puzzle HOLD THAT THOUGHT with only the T's showing.
- Tara sweeps the game but loses $100,000 in the Bonus Round.
On November 27, Billy Currington reads part of the copy for the Prize, a trip to Nashville with CDs from him, Lee Ann Womack, George Strait, and Sugarland. As Charlie reads the copy, there is a post-production shot of all four CDs on the contestant backdrop.
On November 28, Where Are We? makes its last appearance, in Round 2. This is also the last appearance of a "bonus" category until Season 28, and the last use of the High Rollers chimes. The puzzle is BEARS & CUBS THE WINDY CITY PAT'S HOMETOWN, the answer being Chicago.

December 2008[]

December 1 is Holiday Shopping. During this week:
- On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, the Prize is $5,000 credit: to QVC, pricegrabber.com, and redtag.com, respectively. On Wednesday, the Prize is $5,000 cash and a collection of video games from EA Sports (including Madden NFL 09), and on Friday, it is $5,000 cash from lowermybills.com.
- Starting this week, cold opens with "$5K" are used on Monday and Wednesday only.
On December 2:
- When Pat prompts contestant Amy to use her Wild Card on $3,500, she asks if she can buy a vowel first, but Pat tells her that she cannot. Unusually, the audience shouts suggestions before she uses it.
- No vowels are bought in Round 4.
On December 3, the $2,000 Toss-Up GAL PAL is a tie for the shortest Toss-Up answer until April 2, 2021.
On December 4, Vanna hides a wrapped present for Pat in her dress. At the end, Pat opens the box and finds that it is empty.
On December 5:
- The Prize Puzzle is a trip to San Francisco and tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon.
- Six rounds are played.
- Round 6 (ROCK MUSIC) is shorter than ten letters.
December 8 is Pet Lovers Week. During this week:
- The Gift Tag is $1,000 credit to Petco.
- On Monday and Thursday, the Prize is $5,000 credit to Petco as well.
- On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Vanna does a cold open from a zoo with Niko and Gigi.
- The bumper after Round 2 features trivia about animals.
On December 8:
- The $2,000 Toss-Up SQUIRT-GUN FIGHT is improperly hyphenated.
- Betty White makes a guest appearance after the Round 2 puzzle THE GOLDEN GIRLS. This is the last instance to date of a celebrity cameo after a puzzle.
- Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Person.
- Contestant Nik solves the bonus puzzle CUTE KID before the timer can start.
On December 10:
- There is an $8,000 Jackpot win.
- Contestant Miriam solves the bonus puzzle I'M SKEPTICAL before the timer can start.
On December 9-11, the Final Spin occurs after only one turn for three episodes in a row.
December 15 is the last Hollywood Movie Magic week. During this week:
- The opening logo appears on an animation of a theater marquee.
- The Prize copy includes a trailer: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Monday, The Tale of Despereaux on Tuesday, Horton Hears a Who! on Wednesday, Bedtime Stories on Thursday, and Bride Wars on Friday.
- The bumper after Round 2 is a still from a historical movie.
On December 15:
- The backdrop for the "$5K" cold open is blue instead of green.
- The Mystery Round sponsor switches to Gold Bond.
- Contestant Edgar makes an incorrect guess of FISH LOVE on the $3,000 Toss-Up WISH LIST. Later on, after he celebrates his Bonus Round win, Pat tells him to look at the puzzle board, which displays FISH LOVE.
- Edgar solves the bonus puzzle CIVIC DUTY before the timer can start.
On December 16, the Jackpot Round's Same Name puzzle is a grammatically incorrect answer of FACTS & ACTION FIGURES, eliminating the "and" from "Facts and figures".
On December 17:
- The Prize is a $10,500 trip to Patagonia, Chile.
- Contestant Ross finishes second with $20,000.
On December 18, the dings accidentally sound when the T's are revaeled in the Speed-Up puzzle INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE.
On December 19:
- After the Prize copy, Pat asks Charlie if he wants to go see "that movie" with him, at which point Charlie asks, "Which movie is that, Pat?" After Round 1, Pat walks over to Charlie's booth, knocks on the door, and shouts, "Gone with the Wind! What do you mean, 'what picture?'"
- Rounds 1, 2, and 4 are played entirely by the contestants who began them.
- Round 5 (LEX LUTHOR) is shorter than ten letters.
- For only the fourth known time, a contestant calls Z in the Bonus Round.
December 22 is Happy Holidays. During this week, for the first time, the bumpers after Rounds and 2 are holiday greetings from the show's staff.
On December 22:
- The Mystery Round sponsor changes to gsn.com.
- There is a $7,850 Jackpot win.
- Pat does not reveal the location of the $1,000,000 envelope.
On December 23:
- Contestant Jessica accidentally removes the backing from a Gift Tag when picking it up in Round 2, and turns in both pieces after losing it to Bankrupt.
- There is a $13,450 Jackpot win.
- In the final segment, Charlie is shown in his booth so he can give Christmas greetings to viewers.
On December 25, contestant Claudia solves the bonus puzzle SIBLING RIVALRY just after the buzzer, after getting no help from her extra letters.
All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of December 22, the second year in a row that this happened during Christmas Week, part of a eight-day losing streak.
December 29 is the second America's Game. Starting this week, the cold opens with "$5K" are dropped.
On December 29:
- As this is the sixth episode from Happy Holidays, the Christmas decorations are still present.
- The Prize Puzzle trip is a $10,850 tour of Italy.
- There is a $100,000 loss.
On December 30 (the sixth episode from Canada Week):
- The Round 1 Rock On! puzzle uses the now-deprecated format of Artist/Song (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S BORN TO RUN).
- Bankrupt is hit six times in Round 3, including one from the Mystery Wedge. This ties the record for most known Bankrupts in one round.
- The category strip does not appear when Round 4's puzzle is revealed.
On December 31:
- As it is the sixth episode from Halloween Week, the Halloween decorations are removed from the set.
- There are two contestants named Jennifer/Jenny.
- No vowels are bought in Round 4.

January 2009[]

On January 1 (the sixth episode from Wheel Across America):
- The Prize is $5,000 cash courtesy of V8, with that same amount also being donated to Feeding America.
- Same Name (in Round 2) spells out AND. From this point until Season 35, the category begins using AND with increasing frequency, without any obvious pattern.
On January 2 (the sixth episode from Holiday Shopping), On the Map appears in the Bonus Round for the last time until October 15, 2013. The puzzle YUMA & PHOENIX is also a rare instance of an ampersand in the Bonus Round.
January 5 is Armed Forces Week. During this week, there is a cold open where Vanna promotes the theme over military footage as a drum cadence plays. A stock piece of music then plays over military footage before Charlie introduces Pat and Vanna.
On January 5, the Mystery Round sponsor changes to IHOP.
On January 6, the unsolved bonus puzzle reveals like one that is solved: the entire answer is put up at once (instead of the letters revealing one at a time in a zig-zag pattern) and the board's border flashes.
On January 7:
- The Prize is $5,000 credit to razorgator.com.
- Before the $3,000 Toss-Up, Pat, Vanna, Charlie, and Alex Trebek do a public service announcement about the then-upcoming switch to digital television broadcasting.
- Before the Bonus Round, contestant Joe holds up a picture of his daughter.
January 12 is Dream Vacation.
On January 15, the Jackpot is not adjusted in post-production after a "null" cycle, as it suddenly jumps from $5,300 to $7,200 before the second spin of the round is added.
January 19 is Teacher's Week.
On January 20:
- All of contestant Daniel's spins in Round 3 land on the pink $900.
- Round 5 (FISH TACOS) is shorter than ten letters.
On January 23:
- Some spins in Round 2 appear to have been reshot in post-production, as the Bankrupt next to $3,500 appears and disappears at random throughout.
- Contestant Kurt wins despite failing to claim $23,388 in Round 2.
- Pat does not reveal the location of the $1,000,000 envelope.
January 26 is Destination Relaxation.
On January 26, the winning contestant, whose real name is Robert, is referred to as Skittles on the show.
On January 27:
- The Prize Puzzle trip is an $11,174 tour of Germany, a rare instance of a trip over $10,000 on a non-team episode.
- There is a $100,000 loss.
On January 28:
- When contestant Lusine hits Bankrupt in Round 2, the camera stays focused on the Wheel instead of cutting to her.
- Contestant Asya sweeps the game and wins $30,000 in the Bonus Round.
- Asya solves the bonus puzzle BALCONY despite getting no help from her extra letters.

February 2009[]

February 2 is Gone Fishin'. During this week, the Mystery Round sponsor is Caltrate.
On February 3:
- No vowels are bought in Round 3.
- Six rounds are played.
- Round 6 (SINGAPORE) is shorter than ten letters.
On February 4, contestant Mike solves the bonus puzzle LAUGH IT UP before the timer can start.
On February 6:
- The Round 2 puzzle ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM is categorized as Quotation instead of Song Lyrics.
- In the Mystery Round, contestant Jacinta calls a letter that fills in the puzzle entirely after landing on a Mystery Wedge. She opts to flip the wedge, and finds $10,000 on the reverse.
- Contestant Duncan solves the Speed-Up puzzle THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY with only the T's showing.
- The bonus puzzle is a factually incorrect answer of OVER AND OUT (these terms are not used simultaneously in radio communication).
February 9 is Second Honeymoon Week, from the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii. During this week:
- All couples are Hawaiians.
- Home viewers may submit the bonus puzzle to the show's website for a chance to win a trip to the Hilton Waikoloa Village.
On February 13:
- The Prize is a trip to New York City plus tickets to Jersey Boys.
- Contestants Byron and Kimberly win despite losing $17,350 ($10,050 cash and the aforementioned Prize) to a wrong answer in Round 1.
- There is a $100,000 loss.
February 16 is Great Outdoors.
On February 16:
- The Wheel Prize is a Vespa scooter.
- In the final segment, Pat and Vanna discuss Michelle's $1,000,000 win, including footage of said win and news footage of Michelle's parents being interviewed. Michelle and her husband then appear onstage so that Pat can give her an oversized replica check and discuss the win. This was presumably done because the episode ran unusually short. (According to a YouTube user present at this taping, the staff took away her fake check immediately after the segment and handed her an envelope; after opening it, she "looked shocked and seemed like she started crying. It was obvious that part wasn't meant to be on TV though.")
- Following the above, there is a post-production clip of Pat and Vanna paying tribute to wardrobe manager Alan Mills, who died on the 6th.
On February 18:
- For the first time, a contestant (Victoria) solves the Prize Puzzle with $0 but does not solve any other puzzles, thus leaving with only the Prize Puzzle package.
- There is a $100,000 loss by a contestant who says the answer just after the buzzer.
- The winner’s post-Bonus Round total uses the prize value animation instead of the post-Bonus Round one.
On February 19, contestant Samantha is the sister of February 6's top winner, Jill.
On February 20:
- Contestant Scott says "spots" when solving the Prize Puzzle FANTASTIC SURFING SPOT, but this mistake is never realized and does not affect the outcome.
- Contestant Kara (who solves her bonus puzzle) misses the $100,000 by one envelope.
February 23 is the third America's Game. At the end of each episode, a clip montage is shown of the previous milestone shows and surrounding episodes.
- On the 23rd, the montage for #S-1000 begins with M.G. Kelly reading the production slate for said episode, likely because there was no mention of the milestone in the episode itself. After that is the logo shot from a Season 6 intro, the prize spiel (includes shots of the rugs and turntables) and Pat's opening monologue from said episode, three of Vanna's outfits from that period, a shot of the second $25,000 sign, Vanna modeling a fur coat, shots of various prizes and Prize wedges from the time, and two puzzles related to the pop culture of that era. It ends with still images of Pat and Vanna from #S-1000.
- On the 24th, the montage for the 2,000th episode begins with the "dancing wedges" intro from Season 10, followed by the opening where Pat mentions that it is the 2,000th episode. After that is the 1994-97 intro with various clips played over it: one of Vanna's outfits, Pat's pants dropping during a closing chat, Mica who has won the $10,000 and a motorcycle, one of Pat's quirky behaviors, a Bonus Round win, and Pat wearing a wig during a New York City road show on November 17, 1999. After that are shown various prize wedges and contestant wins, as well as footage of Vanna "playing" a walking piano prize while modeling it (most likely the "BIG" Piano at FAO Schwarz, also during a New York City episode). Another Bonus Round win in which a contestant wins a Volvo sedan is shown, followed by that car's prize copy and footage of Vanna modeling a Relaxair exercise machine while moving around like a bug Pat once sprayed. A Final Spin and a shot of Pat and Vanna walking out follow, then several outfits of Vanna's from the era are shown, as well as footage of her stating that she has walked 222 miles on the puzzle board and a clip of the trilon-based board's last show. Several more Bonus Round wins follow this, and the montage ends with a banner identifying the 2,000th episode as such followed by Pat and Vanna pieing each other on September 20, 1991.
- On the 25th, the montage for the ceremonial 3,000th episode begins with the Season 16 intro, followed by a couple of Pat and Vanna's walkouts, Pat spinning Vanna while she is wearing a Dior dress and calling her "a revolving Dior" on October 8, 1999, and a very rare instance of Vanna wearing green in the same hue as the puzzle board. After that is a shot of a "Fashion" Prize wedge on the Wheel, a prize copy for a car, a contestant win, a shot of the W-H-E-E-L envelopes from the week of January 25, 1999, a couple of pop-culture themed puzzles followed by more contestant wins, Pat being picked up by Jeff Smookler who has won the Bonus Round on June 2, 1998, and the closing segment of the ceremonial 3,000th episode.
- On the 26th, the montage for the ceremonial 4,000th episode begins with a shot of that episode's main title sequence, Charlie's intro, and Pat and Vanna's walkout. This is followed by Pat and Vanna riding a golf cart from behind the puzzle board during a New Orleans episode in January 14, 2002, carrying a giant fake hot dog during a Wheel Goes to the Movies week in May 16, 2000, Pat "dancing" with Vanna wearing a gown with a hoop skirt during a Princess Cruises week, clips from two road shows where Pat and Vanna sample local cuisine, a Final Spin, the February 4, 2002 incorrect answer of MINERS & HOES for the puzzle FINGERS & TOES (edited so that the answer reveals right after Kareem guesses), Pat saying "We're laughing with you." to another contestant from the same season, the fireworks-based Prize Puzzle graphic wipe from Seasons 22-23 followed by contestant Emily from March 7, 2006 reacting to having won a Prize Puzzle prize, a Headline from January 28, 2004 of CALIFORNIA ELECTS SCHWARZENEGGER GOVERNOR followed by Pat quoting the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song on March 9, 2004 from the same season, several Bonus Round wins, Vanna dancing during a Cash & Splash week, Pat wearing a mullet, Vanna wearing fake lips, and Pat driving an early Wheelmobile on a racetrack.
On February 23, the $1,000,000 envelope changes to black text with "ONE" in very small letters and "MILLION" in much larger letters.
On February 27:
- Despite being the ceremonial 5,000th episode, only three connections to the event are made: the first two Toss-Ups (A HUGE MILESTONE and SPIN OR SOLVE) are themed, and the final segment features a clip of Pat kissing Vanna on his last daytime episode (January 9, 1989), after which Pat and Vanna are seen with a celebratory cake styled after the Wheel.
- There is a $100,000 loss.

March 2009[]

The weeks of March 2-16 are taped outdoors at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. During these shows:
- The set floor is blue with the SeaWorld Orlando logo on it.
- One of the props is an animatronic seal which does varied behaviors for different events, such as barking hello at the beginnings of episodes.
- The puzzle board's steps are white.
March 2 is SeaWorld Adventure.
On March 5, the Round 1 Before & After puzzle MARCO POLO SHIRT goes viral due to the puzzle, at one point, having only the A, S, H, I, and T revealed, resulting in the letters on the third row spelling a profanity. Pat indirectly acknowledges this by saying "thank you" to the contestant who calls R.
On Saturday, March 7, for the second known time, the weekend repeat is from the current season (January 1, 2009) instead of the previous one.
March 9 is Family Fun.
On March 9, contestants Linda and Aaron finish second with $20,490.
On March 10, yellow contestants Adam and Eric appear to say the Speed-Up Puzzle answer on the buzzer. After conferring with the judge, Pat moves on to blue contestants Michelle and Mike, who call a letter and solve. He then says that there is a possibility that Adam and Eric beat the buzzer and won instead of Michelle and Mike; before the Bonus Round, it is determined that Adam and Eric did not beat the buzzer, so Michelle and Mike have won.
On March 11, the Round 3 puzzle QUARTERBACKS PEYTON & ELI MANNING is the third of only three known instances of Family using a descriptive term.
March 16 is Big Splash.
Between March 5 and 18, ten bonus puzzles in a row are Thing(s).
On March 18:
- When contestant Marissa loses the Million-Dollar Wedge to Bankrupt in Round 3, the camera cuts to the animatronic seal, which does a facepalm.
- Contestant Brandon solves the bonus puzzle BOLD MOVE before the timer can start.
March 23 is Coast to Coast.
On March 23, there is a $100,000 win.
On March 25, blue contestant Connie rings in on the $2,000 Toss-Up, but red contestant Tani, mishearing Pat, starts to say the answer before Connie does. Due to the confusion, Pat says before the $3,000 Toss-Up that he will refer to Tani as "Ed". He does so after Tani rings in, but she does not realize it immediately and almost gets buzzed out.
March 30 is Going Green. During this week, the "Going Green" logo on the video wall has the traditional logo in place of the O.
On March 31, Pat and Vanna promote Sony's Take Back Recycling Program, a program for recycling electronics, in the final segment.

April 2009[]

On April 2, a total of $60,000 is unclaimed in Round 4.
April 6 is Vacation Adventure Week, a fourth week of episodes from SeaWorld.
On April 6, contestant Eric has his friend Nick spin the Wheel for him.
On April 7, the $3,000 Toss-Up CAESAR'S PALACE is improperly punctuated ("Caesars" should not have an apostrophe).
On April 10:
- Round 4 goes to Speed-Up after only one spin.
- Despite it being the last episode from SeaWorld, there is no mention of this.
April 13 is Spring Break.
On April 14, there is a $100,000 win.
On April 17, the bonus puzzle ADVERBS & ADJECTIVES is a rare instance of an ampersand in the Bonus Round.
April 20 is the fourth America's Game.
All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of April 20, part of a nine-day losing streak starting on the 15th. This is also part of a five-week span beginning on March 30 where only four Bonus Rounds are won.
April 27 is Sandals Resorts Week. During this week, Vanna reads the Prize copy.

May 2009[]

On May 1, contestant Robyn finishes in second place with $20,950, after failing to claim $36,000 in the Speed-Up.
May 4 is Wheel Around the World.
On May 5:
- There is a $7,300 Jackpot win.
- The $3,000 Toss-Up is a redundant answer of SPOTTED LEOPARD.
May 11 is Weekend Getaways.
On May 11:
- There is an $8,400 Jackpot win.
- Contestant Jennifer finishes second with $27,400.
On May 12:
- Round 1 (HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU) is categorized as Movie Title instead of Title, going against the precedent of using only Title for a title that exists in more than one medium.
- The $3,000 Toss-Up THE JONAS BROTHERS is both the first of only three instances of Family being used in a Toss-Up, and the second instance of it naming a specific family instead of the individual members.
- Contestant Pam (who solves the bonus puzzle) misses the $1,000,000 by one envelope.
On May 13, SAME NAME is the $2,000 Toss-Up, and the Round 1 puzzle category is Same Name.
On May 14, contestant Georgia finishes in second place with $25,100, after failing to claim $30,000 in the Speed-Up.
On May 15, Show Biz makes its last appearance in the Bonus Round until May 4, 2011.
May 18 is Star Treatment.
On May 18, contestant Proud finishes second with $21,980.
On May 21:
- For the only time, a contestant gets buzzed out while trying to solve for the Jackpot.
- There is an $8,400 Jackpot win. Because of this, a "null" cycle that occurred earlier in the round is left intact to avoid any inconsistencies in the Jackpot value (a Lose a Turn, an incorrect R, and another Lose a Turn).
On May 22, contestant Javaid solves the bonus puzzle BAGGAGE CLAIM on the buzzer. Although the win music plays and the answer is revealed, Pat tells him that they will have to stop tape to check his answer. In the final segment, Pat and Vanna tell him that he solved 1/10 of a second before the buzzer, and the show ends after Charlie describes the Audi that he won. This is also the last car won in the Bonus Round until December (see below).
May 25 is the fifth and final America's Game of the season.
On May 27, Rock On! appears in Round 4 for the only time. This is also the first of only three times the puzzle references a generic aspect (GREATEST HITS ALBUM) and not a specific song and/or artist.
On May 28:
- The Wheel prize is $5,000 cash, and the copy includes a trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
- All three contestants hit Lose a Turn in Round 2.
- Contestant Christian makes two incorrect guesses on the Round 2 Prize Puzzle HIKING AMONG EXOTIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS before giving the right answer on his third attempt.
- A "null" cycle is not edited out of Round 2 (a Lose a Turn, a second incorrect guess from Christian, and a Bankrupt from a contestant who also hit Bankrupt on her previous turn), possibly due to Pat forgetting to take a forfeited Gift Tag until just after the second turn in the cycle.
On May 29, new episodes end temporarily.

July 2009[]

July 13 is World Café Week, a set of episodes which comprise a sweepstakes sponsored by CoffeeMate non-dairy creamer, offering viewers a chance at winning a European vacation. This is only the second time that new episodes have aired out of the typical September-May/June cycle, not counting Season 1.
Beginning July 13, cars are no longer available in the Bonus Round.
On July 16:
- For the final time until Season 42, a contestant uses the Free Spin.
- There is a $100,000 loss, tying Season 20's record of nine $100,000 losses in one season. This record stands until season 28.
On July 17, Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Person.