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A timeline for Season 9 of Wheel of Fortune, which aired in first-run from September 2, 1991 through June 12, 1992.
Season Changes[]
- The blue Wheel wedges become teal.
- The contestant's Bonus Round letter choices are changed to light blue.
- The Enterprises logo is altered to remove the "A unit of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." byline.
- The diamond backdrops are dimmed a bit in the opening.
- Book/Author is renamed to Title/Author sometime this season; this was likely done to include literary works that are not books.
- Until December, some episodes are taped at CBS Television City Studio 41 instead of Studio 33.
- This is the only season until Season 21 not to have a Family Week.
September 1991[]
- September 2 is a Teen Week which pays tribute to Disneyland, using the Friday Finals. During this week:
- The opening logo animation is not used; instead, footage is shown of Disneyland.
- During Pat and Vanna's chat, footage is shown of them greeting contest winners at Disneyland.
- On September 3:
- Although a repeated N is called in Round 1, it is not acknowledged as such.
- No vowels are bought in Round 4.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1 and 2, Things in Round 3, and Thing in the Bonus Round.
- On September 6:
- The Round 2 Prize is a $1,000 Service Merchandise gift certificate.
- Round 5 (COVER GIRL) is shorter than ten letters.
- Six rounds are played, with Rounds 3 and 4 (complete with its Prize) in the second segment.
- On September 9, Rounds 2, 4 and 5 are Thing.
- On September 10, only Phrase and Thing(s) are used: the former in Rounds 1 and 2, the latter in Rounds 3-5 and the Bonus Round.
- On September 11:
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1, 4, and the Bonus Round, and Place in Rounds 2 and 5.
- Contestant Anthony retires with $77,500.
- On September 12, only Phrase and Thing(s) are used: the former in Rounds 1 and 2, the latter in Rounds 3, 4, and the Bonus Round.
- On September 16 and 17, a then-unknown Diane Amos (best known as the Pine-Sol Lady) is a contestant.
- On September 18:
- Both of the Prizes are jewelry: earrings in Round 2 and a watch in Round 4.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 1, 5, and the Bonus Round are Thing, while Rounds 3 and 4 are Phrase.
- On September 20, Pat and Vanna pie each other at the end of a show. This moment has been seen repeatedly in clip shows.
- On an episode possibly from the week of September 23, Pat and Vanna do the closing chat from the inside of a hot tub, filmed in such a way that they both appear to be nude. While clips of this appear in several retrospectives, nearly all airings inaccurately date the clip to "the 1980s".
- The weeks of September 30 and October 7 are taped at the Arie Crown Theatre in Chicago.
- On September 30:
- The Prize chyrons do not use commas, and are not bold.
- The Round 4 Prize is accidentally placed on the red $500, and there is no closeup shot of its wedge.
- For no particular reason, the Final Spin bells sound twice.
- Contestant Brenda wins despite failing to claim $16,500 in the Speed Up.
October 1991[]
- On October 1:
- The category chyrons are magenta, despite Vanna wearing a teal dress.
- The Round 2 Prize is accidentally placed on the pink $250, and moves to the red $500 in Round 4.
- The Round 4 Prize is an $11,540 trip to Tahiti.
- During Round 4, contestant Vennie lands on the above Prize and immediately puts it on his arrow (as was the case from 1983-90). Pat walks over, takes the Prize wedge, and jokingly whacks him repeatedly with it. He then puts it back on the Wheel and tells Vennie "You have to find a letter first!" Vennie calls a letter that is in the puzzle, so Pat takes the Prize wedge and puts it back on his arrow. Vennie later wins the trip.
- Rounds 2, 4, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
- On October 2, Vennie sweeps the game but loses a Corvette in the Bonus Round.
- On October 4:
- The Round 2 Prize value chyron does not use a comma.
- Round 4 (a Before & After of ONCE UPON A TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE) is the longest puzzle.
- Contestant Bob accidentally calls N in the Bonus Round, and the N is briefly placed on the chyron.
- On October 7, Rounds 1 and 3 are Clue. This results in the first known instances of two bonuses being used and a "bonus" category being repeated.
- On October 8, Round 3 and the Bonus Round are Place.
- On October 9, there are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1 and 3, and Thing in Round 2 and the Bonus Round.
- On October 10, Round 1 is Person, while Rounds 2 and 5 are People.
- On October 11, Round 2 and the Bonus Round are Place.
- The weeks of October 28-November 18 are taped at MGM Studios in Orlando and titled "Wheel Around the World", paying tribute to various international versions. Each episode features a guest appearance by an international version's then-host and/or hostess, also showing a few clips. The hosts and/or hostesses also throw the show to break.
- The opening logo is done over Walt Disney World footage, which fades to the audience as the logo zooms back out. Charlie's opening spiel begins with "From Walt Disney World's 20th-Anniversary Surprise Celebration in Orlando, Florida, it's Wheel of Fortune Around the World! America's most watched game show!" before continuing as normal.
- The closing spiel is "Wheel of Fortune was taped at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; it is a Merv Griffin Enterprises production and is distributed by King World." The first half of the spiel is done over the Disney-MGM Studios logo.
- During the week of October 28, the Wheel and turntable automations begin a few seconds into the credits.
- A still shot of the international hosts with Vanna in front of the puzzle board is used as a Daily Double on the March 5, 1992 episode of Jeopardy!
- On October 28:
- The guests are John Burgess and Adriana Xenides of the Australian version.
- Round 1, GHOSTS AND GOBLINS, is inexplicably categorized as Things instead of Fictional Characters.
- The Round 2 prize is a trip to Palm Springs, which has just "P.S." on the wedge.
- Round 4 is a factually inaccurate Before & After answer of GAMES PEOPLE PLAY IT AGAIN SAM (the phrase "Play it again, Sam" is a misquote).
- The Round 4 Prize is a Chevrolet Tahoe worth $14,303.
- Contestant Steve sweeps the game and wins a trip to Paris in the Bonus Round.
- On October 29:
- The guest is Paola Barale, hostess of the Italian version.
- Pat nearly does the opening spin, but stops himself.
- Rounds 2, 4 and the Bonus Round are Thing.
- Steve accidentally picks L in the Bonus Round, and it is placed on the chyron.
- Steve sweeps the game again, but loses $25,000 in the Bonus Round.
- On October 30:
- The guests are Hans van der Togt and Leontine Borsato, the host and hostess of Holland's version, although Pat pronounces the latter's last name as "Boratas".
- Pat's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt. His second attempt lands on $1,500.
- Round 4 (REQUIRES SPECIAL HANDLING) is the longest puzzle.
- Steve retires with $47,203.
- On October 31:
- There is no second Wheel Prize, even though Round 4 does not begin as a Speed-Up.
- Rounds 2, 4, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
- For the first known time, two consecutive champions have the same name (Steve).
- Contestant Steve leaves with only $3,200.
- Merv appears at the end of the show with 13 of the international versions' hostesses. He speaks with Carol Smillie (hostess of the British version) and Barale (see above).
November 1991[]
- An episode sometime this month, known to be during "Wheel Around the World" (but not the 15th), has a very rare occurrence of Quotation in the Bonus Round (LOVE THY NEIGHBOR).
- Possibly from the same week, an episode has a bonus puzzle of WEEKEND, which is both a rare instance of RSTLNE revealing more than half of the answer and of E being the only vowel in a bonus puzzle.
- On November 6:
- The guests are Walter Kapio and Aurora Dublar, the host and hostess of Belgium's version.
- Rounds 1 and 2 are played entirely by the contestants who began them.
- On November 8, the guests are Christian Morin and Annie Pujol, the host and hostess of France's version.
- On November 14:
- The guests are Phillip Leishman and Lana Coc-Kroft, the host and hostess of New Zealand's version. Phillip and Lana give Pat and Vanna their own stuffed sheep at the end of the show.
- The Bonus Round (HAM) is the first known instance of a Bonus Round puzzle without RSTLNE on the nighttime show.
- On November 15:
- The car turntable is inactive during the intro.
- Charlie's intro is the same as the previous shows, but ends with "And now, here are your host and hostess: Pat Sajak and Vanna White, and our international hosts and hostesses from around the world!" Their international counterparts are already onstage as they make their entrance.
- The camera is further to the right than usual during Rounds 1-3, showing some of the international hostesses. Despite being present, they do not do anything except stand and clap.
- The first three commercial outros are done by various international hosts, albeit pretaped: New Zealand, Sweden, and Portugal after Round 2; Germany (both hosts) and Greece after Round 3; and Belgium, Canada, and Denmark after Round 4.
- The camera is also further to the right than usual during the Bonus Round, showing the extra trilons in the middle rows.
- During the post-game chat, clips are shown of Merv, Pat, and Vanna in a parade as well as their international counterparts on a double-decker bus. Toward the end, Pat and Vanna give autographed Prize wedges to their international counterparts as tokens of appreciation.
- The full credit roll is not done over road show footage, as was then the case.
- "Changing Keys" is played in its entirety during the credits, ending just as Charlie finishes the King World spiel.
- On November 29:
- The Round 1 puzzle BLONDES BRUNETTES & REDHEADS is only the second known instance of an ampersand in a category other than Same Name.
- Rounds 2, 5 and the Bonus Round are Thing.
- Foreign Word(s) and Foreign Phrase debut sometime around this point, as evidenced by Pat saying "In recent weeks, we've introduced a new category" on December 2.
December 1991[]
- On December 2, no vowels are bought in Rounds 4 or 5.
- December 23 is Family Week. During this week, the Friday Finals format is used, with Friday's winner earning the title of "Family of the Year" and a plaque.
- On December 23, there are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 1 and 3 are Before & After, while Rounds 4, 5 and the Bonus Round are Thing.
- On December 24:
- Round 4 (a Before & After THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN PEN) is the longest puzzle.
- Contestants Kate and Jolene perform a technical sweep, winning everything except the $500 bonus for the Clue (which goes to contestants Patrick and Nicole).
- On December 25:
- Round 1 (CORDON BLEU) is inexplicably categorized as Foreign Phrase instead of Foreign Word.
- Contestants Lanetha and Paul sweep the main game and win $25,000 in the Bonus Round.
- On December 26:
- Round 4 (FAST DEPENDABLE SERVICE) is the longest puzzle.
- Rounds 2, 4 and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
- Contestants Misty and Betty finish with only $4,848.
- On December 27:
- The Round 1 Clue puzzle PLANT THAT TRAPS INSECTS is a very rare instance of a "bonus" category with more than one correct response and the most of any known Clue puzzle used until October 30, 1992 with a total of four possible correct responses (any of Venus flytrap, sundew, pitcher plant, or bladderwort). While not stated on-air, it is presumed that any other species of carnivorous plant would have been accepted as well.
- Rounds 2 and 4 are played entirely by the teams who started them.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 2 and 5 are Phrase, while Round 3 and the Bonus Round are Thing(s).
- During the post-game chat, Vanna passed out some Perugia chocolates to all the teams while Lanetha and Paul were presented the Family of the Year Plaque of 1991.
- December 30 is Teen Week. During this week, the Friday Finals format is used.
- On December 30, contestant Matt wins by $100 and has only $2,300 before the Bonus Round.
- On December 31, Rounds 2, 4 and Bonus Round are Thing.
January 1992[]
- On January 1:
- In Round 1, nobody correctly identifies what is described by the Clue puzzle BOY SCOUT MOTTO (Be Prepared).
- Both Rounds 1 and 2 are completely filled in before being solved.
- The Round 4 Prize is an $11,400 trip to Hawaii.
- The buzzer mistakenly sounds with the puzzle chime in Round 4.
- Rounds 2, 4 and Bonus Round are Phrase.
- On January 2:
- The Round 2 Prize is on the pink $300 in Round 3.
- When Charlie describes the Round 4 Prize, the Wheel can be heard being spun into place for the closeup of the wedge.
- Round 4 (MAGAZINE SECTION OF THE PAPER) is the longest puzzle.
- Contestant George fills in the bonus puzzle MOOSE completely.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 1 and 2 are Phrase, while Round 5 and the Bonus Round are Thing.
- On January 3, the Round 2 Prize is $3,000 credit to Service Merchandise.
- Reruns are believed to have aired during the week of January 6.
February 1992[]
- The weeks of February 10-24 are the Watch and Win Sweepstakes. Home viewers compete via mail, attempting to solve at least three of the five puzzles by getting a Procter & Gamble game piece in the Sunday newspaper. Entries must be post-marked by March 30 and received by April 6 to be eligible for the April 13 weekly drawing. During each show of each week, Pat presents a puzzle as it is on the piece, then adds up to four more letters; viewers then have 10 seconds to study the puzzle, accompanied by the Bonus Round timer and double-buzz. 34 winners each week receive a trip for two to Los Angeles and "a chance" to attend a taping and the show's 10th-Anniversary Gala (see September 1992 for more), with hotel accommodations provided by the Beverly Hilton. 334 winners each week will receive Laguna sportswear, and 3 grand prize winners each week will win a pair of 1992 Chevrolet Z28 convertibles.
- Viewers may submit their puzzle responses to: Wheel of Fortune Week (number) Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 4002; Blair, Nebraska 68009. The address for rules and winners is: Wheel of Fortune, P.O. Box 4774; Blair, Nebraska 68009. In addition to employees of Proctor & Gamble, King World and their families, Sony Pictures Entertainment employees and their families are also ineligible (despite the Merv Griffin Enterprises logo not mentioning Sony's ownership until Seasons 10-11). The disclaimer is seen over a still of a zoomed-in Round 1 template.
- On February 12, Foreign Word appears in the Bonus Round for the first known time.
- On February 20:
- Round 1 and 4 are Before & After.
- Round 4 (a Before & After of ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY-OLD BREAD) is the longest puzzle.
- On February 21:
- Rounds 1 and 2 are played entirely by the contestants who began them.
- Rounds 3, 5 and the Bonus Round are Thing.
- The bonus puzzle OWL is a rare instance of a three-letter bonus puzzle.
- On February 24:
- Round 4 (a Before & After of BROOKLYN BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER) is the longest puzzle.
- Contestant Larry retires with $69,710.
- On February 26:
- Contestant Jim fills in the entire Round 4 puzzle RUNNING NECK AND NECK by himself.
- Rounds 1, 5, and the Bonus Round are Thing.
March 1992[]
- On March 4:
- Rounds 1 and 3 are Before & After.
- Round 4 MADEMOISELLE is incorrectly categorized as Foreign Words instead of Foreign Word.
- Six rounds are played, with Rounds 3 and 4 in the same segment.
- The I in the bonus puzzle IN THE KNOW fails to light up after it is solved.
- On March 13:
- No vowels are bought in Rounds 4 or 5.
- Contestant David spins over the Final Spin bells. He is allowed to complete his turn, after which Pat does the Final Spin.
- The ding does not sound when the B is revealed in Round 5.
- Round 5 goes to Speed-Up with only one consonant remaining (the G in BITE YOUR TONGUE).
- On March 26:
- Pat forgets to announce the category of Round 3 (Before & After) until after the first spin. As a result, the first shot of the board does not have the chyron, and the puzzle chimes do not sound until after Pat announces the category.
- Gary solves the bonus puzzle GO FOR IT despite getting no help from his extra letters.
- On March 26 and 27, Gary Koven wins $39,400. He later appears on "Some of the Greats!" in February 1995.
April 1992[]
- April 6 is Teen Week.
- On April 6, contestant John fills in the bonus puzzle GRANDMA completely.
- On April 10, for the first confirmed time, seven rounds are played.
- Reruns air during the week of April 20.
- The weeks of April 27-May 18 are taped at Walt Disney World.
- The first intro to the Walt Disney World episodes is "America's most-watched game show! Celebrating Walt Disney World's 20th-Anniversary surprise celebration! Special friends, entertainment, fun, fantasy, magic, fabulous fireworks! On Wheel of Fortune! And now, here are your host and hostess, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!" Disney World-related video footage appears during the opening (including a shot of Pat and Vanna in a parade), ending with an animation of Tinker Bell using her magic wand to "zap" the screen as the transition to the typical shot of Pat and Vanna walking onstage. As soon as Charlie says "On Wheel of Fortune!", the logo zooms up just before Tinker Bell "zaps" the screen.
- A second intro with the same opening spiel uses the former Round 1 template complete with Free Spin, the blue $150 between the peach $200 and red $450, and a sparkly blue center that is also used as a bumper graphic accompanying the text "Wheel of Fortune from Orlando". In the first few seconds of the intro, the template is seen on the bottom of the screen zooming out as the camera flies over footage of Mickey Mouse waving while standing on top of the Epcot Center dome.
- The third intro is "On location in Orlando, Florida! America's favorite game show! Coming to you from America's favorite theme park!" More footage is seen (including a shot of Merv waving in a parade), before the logo forms over Mickey Mouse waving from the Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty castle, and the intro continues, "The famous Wheel is spinning your way, with lots of cash and fabulous prizes! And now, here are your host and hostess, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!" As usual, Tinker Bell appears and "zaps" the screen with her wand to transition from the logo to the studio.
- The fourth intro starts with Vanna's intro of "It's Wheel of Fortune from Walt Disney World!", followed by Tinker Bell "zapping" to a shot of Cinderella's/Sleeping Beauty's castle. Then the logo graphics forms over footage of the Disney-MGM Studios at night, before more footage of Walt Disney World is seen, as the opening text is "Tonight, the famous Wheel is spinning your way! America's favorite game show! Coming to you from America's favorite theme park in Orlando, Florida! It's fun and fantasy! With lots of cash and fabulous prizes just waiting to be won! And now, here are your host and hostess, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!". It ends with a shot of the monorail traveling at sunset, before a graphic of the aforementioned Round 1 template "rolls" counterclockwise to wipe the screen to a shot of the studio.
- There are two separate bumpers featuring only the bumper graphic Wheel that features no text: a time-lapse of Cinderella's/Sleeping Beauty's castle at the Magic Kingdom from day to night, and a fireworks show at said castle.
- On certain shows, the bumper graphic Wheel used is the Rounds 1-2 template from the Goen NBC era (complete with Free Spin disc and Prize wedge) which rolls beneath the screen (often seen on certain Goen episodes as well). The graphic has the white text "Wheel of Fortune" in two-line form on the template.
- On April 27:
- The Round 2 puzzle JAZZ GREAT DIZZY GILLESPIE has four Z's in it.
- Round 5 (BEEF STEW) is shorter than ten letters and has only one vowel.
- Round 2 is Person, while Round 4 is People.
- On April 28:
- A crew member can be seen on camera in front of the puzzle board in Round 1.
- Contestant Stuart calls the letter C in the Bonus Round, but a Z appears on the chyron. It changes to a C as Vanna turns the letters.
May 1992[]
- On May 6:
- All three contestants hit Lose a Turn in Round 3.
- None of the contestants identify what the Round 3 Clue puzzle THE SOUL OF WIT describes (brevity).
- Pat's Final Spin lands on a Prize wedge.
- Foreign Word(s) makes its second known appearance in the Bonus Round.
- The Wheel and car turntable automations begin a few seconds into the credits.
- On May 7:
- The Round 3 puzzle EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES is left-justified.
- In reference to the bonus puzzle MILKMAN, Vanna brings out a cow with three spots that resemble Mickey Mouse for the closing segment.
- On May 8:
- Foreign Word makes only its third known appearance in the Bonus Round.
- Contestant Shane solves the bonus puzzle BUENO despite getting no help from his extra letters.
- All five Bonus Rounds are won on the week of May 4.
- May 11 is College Week.
- On May 18:
- Rounds 2 and 4 are Thing, while the Bonus Round is Things.
- The Round 4 Prize is an $11,626 Geo Tracker.
- In Round 4, the Round 2 Prize is accidentally placed on the blue $200.
- The cameras switch to the over-the-Wheel shot too soon during a spin in Round 4, catching it in mid-spin.
- In the break after Round 4, one of Shane's opponents accuses him of aiming the Wheel, saying that his only spin was "not hard enough". According to Shane, the footage of his spin is checked during the break and determined to be valid.
- Shane retires with $119,826. It is likely that he is the only contestant to have won the $25,000 twice.
- On May 19:
- Contestant Chiko's score in Round 1 erroneously deducts $500 when she calls a wrong vowel.
- Against normal practice, the buzzer sounds on a repeat letter already on the board in Round 2.
- Pat accidentally tries to take contestant Judy's Prize away after she hits Lose a Turn in Round 3.
- No vowels are bought in Round 3.
- Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Place; the latter, BIRDHOUSE, is categorized as that instead of Thing.
- Neither Thing nor Phrase is used.
- Judy finishes with only $3,378.
- On May 22:
- Rounds 1 and 3 are Clue.
- Foreign Word(s) makes its third and final known appearance in the Bonus Round, and its last overall.
- For the weeks of May 25 and June 1, Pat and Vanna announce several winners of the Watch and Win Sweepstakes. On at least May 27 and 29, footage is shown of Pat at the D.L. Blair Company in Blair, Nebraska to verify and announce winners from the first week of the contest, standing on a very large bin of envelopes.
- On May 27:
- The lights around the Wheel are turned off during the intro.
- After contestant Kathy spins $350 in Round 2, she buys an I and the I's in the puzzle light up, but an offstage voice can be heard telling Pat "she doesn't have enough". Pat then asks why her scoreboard reads $100, but the confusion is quickly straightened out and Vanna turns the I's. A likely explanation is that Kathy's display immediately showed the $100 she had left after buying the vowel, instead of displaying $350 and then removing the $250 for the vowel.
- On May 29, the Round 4 Prize is accidentally placed over the pink $200.
June 1992[]
- On June 2:
- Rounds 3 and 4 are played in the same segment.
- No vowels are bought in Round 3.
- Six rounds are played.
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 2-4 and 6 are Phrase, while Round 1 is Person and Round 5 is People.
- June 8 is a Teen Week salute to Disneyland, taped at Television City.
- On June 12:
- The opening sequence introduced at the beginning of Season 7 and the large money graphic are used for the last time.
- After the Round 2 puzzle HOT DOG WITH MUSTARD ONIONS & RELISH is solved, Pat jokes that hot dogs must be eaten with those ingredients only and recites them throughout the rest of the episode.
- Seven rounds are played; for the last time, Rounds 3 and 4 are played in the second segment.
- Rounds 2, 7, and the Bonus Round are Thing(s), while Rounds 3 and 5 are Before & After.
- During the post-game chat, Pat and Vanna argue if ketchup should go on a hot dog. Pat has repeatedly cited this as the only time he and Vanna have ever argued, and his disdain for ketchup on hot dogs (common among natives of Chicago) has become a running gag for several seasons afterward.
- Augustus provides Pat's wardrobe for the last time.