1. Wheel Of Fortune Official Rules

Wheel of Fortune is an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television (until 2006). The program aired on the Seven Network from 1981 to 2004 and January to July 2006 and is mostly based on the same general format as the original American version of the program. After Wheel of Fortune. GAME SHOW: Enjoy America's favorite game show with this Wheel of Fortune card deck. Shuffle the deck & flip your way through the wheel. Call out a letter & try to solve the puzzle in the puzzle deck. CLASSIC GAME SHOW: Bring your favorite show into your home with this Wheel of Fortune Card Game.

Wheel of Fortune was an American game show which ran from 1952 to 1953 on CBS in both daytime (October 3, 1952 – December 25, 1953) and nighttime (July 7 – September 15, 1953). It was presented by Todd Russell and narrated by Hal Sims.

Another American game show also titled Wheel of Fortune, that was produced by Merv Griffin and which debuted in 1975, had no connection to the original 1952 game show, although both followed a similar type of format, featuring cash and prizes that could be won by contestants, and both had the same respective logo visible in the center of the wheel.

Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin that debuted in 1975. The show features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel.

Gameplay[edit]

The series involved rewarding everyday people who had done good deeds in their life by having their stories told on national TV, then allowing them to spin a carnival-style prize wheel onstage and being awarded that prize. Occasionally, the lucky spin gave the good Samaritan a chance to win up to $1,000 by answering trivia questions.

Theme[edit]

The show's theme was Kay Starr's version of the song 'Wheel of Fortune', which was released in the first two months of 1952 and beginning on February 8 ran 22 weeks on Billboard's best-seller chart, with a nine-week stretch (March 14 to May 9) at #1.

Her version shared the charts with two other renditions during the same period (Bobby Wayne with Joe Reisman's orchestra; the second Eddie Wilcox & Sunny Gale), however the latter two were not as popular. The Wayne/Reisman version appeared from February 15 to April 18 (peaking at #13), while the Wilcox/Gale rendition appeared from February 1 to March 7 (peaking at #14).

Broadcast history[edit]

Wheel debuted on October 3, 1952 at 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central), facing Breakfast Party on NBC and local programming on ABC. In an odd move, the show debuted on a Friday, where the series aired for a full hour until 11:00 AM (10:00 Central) each week; the second half-hour competed against local shows.

On November 24, Breakfast was replaced by the children's program Ding Dong School. On July 6, the Peacock debuted the Henry Babbitt-hosted game Glamour Girl at 10:30, which only competed with the hour-long game on Fridays.

The show's popularity spawned a nighttime version on July 7, 1953 at 8:30 PM, but quickly folded on September 15 against Break the Bank on NBC and local programs elsewhere.

The daytime version fared little better, having been worn down by Glamour and Ding Dong despite the former changing hosts on October 8 from Babbitt to Jack McCoy. Wheel bowed on November 6, 1953, with Glamour following suit on January 8, 1954; Ding Dong remained until the end of 1956.

Australian version[edit]

Despite its short run in America, the show found success in Australia on radio and television from 1959–62.^[1] Originally hosted by series producer Reg Grundy, he was replaced by Walter Elliott in 1962.

A similar carnival-style wheel was used in the original 1973 Wheel pilot (Shopper's Bazaar), although that wheel was operated by a motor. A further (and far more explicit) connection arrived in 1981, when Grundy debuted his adaptation of Griffin's Wheel which (like its American counterpart) also had a very long and successful run on the Seven Network until 2006.

A short-lived remake and revival called Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune hosted by Tim Campbell and Kelly Landry ran on the Nine Network for a brief period in 2008. The Million Dollar Wedge concept has been carried over to the original American version since its 26th season debut in the same year.

Episode status[edit]

The American series is believed to be destroyed as per network practices of the era. A photo of Russell and the wheel was used in the A&E Biography TV Game Shows.

The Australian version likely suffered the same fate, although clips of an episode were used in the 2006 special 50 Years: 50 Stars.^[2] An episode (missing the opening and closing titles) is held by National Film and Sound Archive as a kinescope recording.^[3] The survival rate of Australian game shows of the 1950s and 1960s is highly erratic: although around 13 episodes exist of the short-lived 1957 series Give it a Go, no recordings exist of the popular Melbourne version of Tell the Truth.^[3]

References[edit]

1. ^'Wheel Of Fortune (AUS) - Australian Game Show Home Page'. iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
2. ^Clip of Grundy's Wheel of FortuneArchived 2016-07-30 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ ^ab'NFSA - Title Details'. colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

External links[edit]

There are two Philippine versions of Wheel of Fortune. The first was aired on ABC aired from November 19, 2001 to May 2002. It was hosted by Rustom Padilla (main host) and Victoria London (puzzle assistant). The second and more recent one was a program that aired on ABS-CBN, with Kris Aquino as main host, while Zara Aldana and Jasmine Fitzgerald alternated as puzzle assistants for each puzzle.^[1] Aquino's version (known in this article from this point onwards as 'the ABS-CBN version') started on January 14, 2008.^[2][3]

Advertisements for the ABS-CBN version started during that station's coverage of the Mayweather-Hatton fight on December 9, 2007. It involved a puzzle that would reveal the title of the show. Then advertisements urged viewers to join via text messaging.

Despite Wheel of Fortune having two Philippine versions, the ABS-CBN version, as well as several of its advertisements and press releases, do not seem to recognize Rustom Padilla's version (known from this point as 'the ABC version').

The ABS-CBN version ended its run on July 25, 2008. Unlike the ABC version, which ended unceremoniously, this one formally had its last episode, with games competed by teams each composed of a child and an adult, with Aquino even making her Deal or No Deal gestures at the end. Aquino also hosts the Philippine version of the said program.

Common rules[edit]

For fuller rules, see the game play section of the article about the US version.

The format was generally the same as the US version. They follow the rules implemented at the time of showing: the ABC version following rules of the game as of 2001 while the ABS-CBN version looks at those implemented in 2006. Listed below are rules common to the two versions as well as their differences:

• In the ABC version, Red Player would start Round 1, Yellow Player would begin Round 2, Blue Player would commence Round 3, and so on. In the ABS-CBN version, Toss-Up Rounds, valued at P5,000, P10,000, and P15,000 respectively, are played. The winner of each toss-up gets to begin the next round (the person starting Round 2 is the winner of Round 1). In both versions, play passes from Red, to Yellow, to Blue, and back to Red.
• In the ABC version, the 24-wedged wheel originally had mostly three-digit amounts starting at P500, but they were later replaced with four-digit ones ranging from P1,000 to P4,000. In the ABS-CBN version, the basic amounts range from P3,000 to P15,000. There are also Bankrupt and Lose A Turn spaces in the Wheel in both versions.
  • Unique to the ABC version was a 'Surprise' Wedge. It was a detachable wedge to be won by the player who landed on it and guessed a correct letter. Unlike the Surprise wedge used on the American version, the Surprise was revealed if the player landed on it and called a correct letter. The player still had to solve the puzzle to keep the prize.
  • Unique to the ABS-CBN version are two unusual wedges.
    • The 'second' Bankrupt wedge is a one-thirds size P100,000 wedge, with two one-thirds size Bankrupt wedges between the special value. This space is not a detachable wedge, unlike the special value one-thirds space wedge ($10,000 won in a round if won until 2008, Million since 2008) in the US version. Whoever lands on the P100,000 space and correctly guesses a letter wins that value as spendable cash instead of a cash prize (pre-2008) or a chance to win a cash prize in the bonus round (2008-). In succeeding rounds, the one-thirds size P100,000 space is occupied by a Jackpot wedge in Round 2, and the Power Wedge in Round 3 and beyond (see below). A similar P200,000 one-thirds size wedge (again surrounded by Bankrupts) also appears in Rounds 4 and beyond. The P4,000 space acted much the same way in the ABC version, as it was placed between a Lose a Turn and one Bankrupt space, both regular-sized, to add excitement.
    • Another wedge exclusive to the ABS-CBN version is a 'Power' wedge. Anyone who lands on it and correctly guesses a letter can steal the earnings of the leading opponent in that round. The French version later followed suit with a wedge called Hold-Up, and the 2009 revival in the Netherlands used a similar wedge known as Overhaul.
• Both versions use a four-row 52-space puzzle board, with 12 spaces each on the upper and lower rows and 14 on each of the two middle rows. They both resemble the one the US version currently uses since 1997.
  • The ABC version's puzzle board was made up of translucent panes of glass. Panes that were part of a puzzle were illuminated blue on the sides. Such panes were then lighted green when they contained a correctly guessed letter. The pane revealed the letter as if it was a shadow of a cutout one illuminated from behind. Arguably, setting up puzzles in such a board was like the procedure used in the US version prior to 1997 when it used trilons in its puzzle board.
  • The ABS-CBN version's puzzle board closely resembles the one in the US version, using 52 monitors that reveal the spaces of a puzzle easily and quickly. While the two puzzle assistants do the same thing Vanna White does in baring the letters (seemingly touching the right side of the monitor), it is revealed that each monitor has a small button on its right side, seen while a puzzle assistant is being introduced close-up.
• Players have the option to buy vowels. In the ABC version, vowels cost P400; in the ABS-CBN version, they cost P2,500. As is the standard rule globally, the price is flat rate so the cost of the vowel is subtracted from the player's round total no matter how many of that vowel appears in the puzzle or if that vowel is in the puzzle at all.
• The 'Free Spin' could also be found in both versions. In the ABC version, it was an entire regular-sized orange detachable wedge. In the ABS-CBN version, it was a green oval token, similar to the one used in the US version until late 2000's rule changes eliminated the option.
  • Obtaining a Free Spin in the ABS-CBN version will also reward the contestant the value on which it is placed (in this case, P6,000) multiplied by the number of times the correctly guessed consonant appears in the puzzle.
• There was a Jackpot Round in Round 2 in both versions. Like the American counterpart, the Jackpot started at P5,000 and increased with each spin with the amount last landed on to be added. To win it, the player must land on it, correctly guess a letter, and immediately solve the puzzle. However, on the ABS-CBN version, the amount landed on would only be added to the jackpot, which now started at P100,000, should the player give a correct letter.
  • A slight difference in the ABS-CBN version was that a player was not given a choice of whether or not to solve (they must solve within five seconds), and should one be unable to, P3,000 per consonant will be added to the Jackpot and to the player's winnings for that round. Of course, the ABC version never implemented this rule.
• There are also Speed-Up Rounds in both versions. In the ABC version, each consonant revealed would earn a player a thousand pesos plus the amount landed on the final spin. Vowels were worth nothing. In the ABS-CBN version, the last spun amount becomes the worth of each consonant revealed. If the Wheel stops at the Power Wedge, the highest score earned by a contestant during that round would be the basis. Vowels would initially cost the contestant a flat rate of P2,500 (unless the contestant does not receive any money), but this rule was later scrapped. Sometimes in both versions, Speed-Up rounds are not played due to time constraints.
• Bonus Rounds are seen in both versions, wherein a player could win money or a car. In the ABC version, the 1989-2001 five-envelope format was used. In the ABS-CBN version, the format seen on the U. S. version since 2001 was used with cars and cash amounts from 50,000 to 2,000,000 pesos. After the Bonus puzzle is revealed, six predetermined letters are inserted, followed by three consonants and a vowel of the player's choice, and a ten-second time limit. The ABC version used the American-standard predetermined letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. The ABS-CBN version replaces R with K, since the latter occurs more in many Philippine languages than the former and the host's name starts with this letter.
• The three top winners from Monday through Friday competed on Saturday for a berth in the monthly finals, the winner of which would also win a brand new car.

Changes and additions[edit]

The ABS-CBN version also introduced additions to the format of the show that did not exist in the ABC version. Already mentioned under 'Common rules' section above are the Power wedge and the Toss-Up Rounds. Below are other additions.

Wheel Of Fortune Official Rules

• Originally the Toss Ups were inconsistent. However, after several episodes, they have been placed like so:
  • First Toss-up determines the first player in Round 1.
  • The winner of Round 1 plays first in Round 2.
  • Second Toss-up determines the first player in Round 3. But if Rounds 1 and 2 are finished earlier than usual, the winner of Round 2 starts Round 3 and the second Toss-up occurs before Round 4.
• In Round 3, one Mystery wedge is added, with the value of the non-Bankrupt wedge being P200,000. Contestants who reach the wedge have the choice of taking the multiple of cash written, which is P5,000, or looking what is behind the wedge. Also, the color of the Mystery wedge varies in each episode, as opposed to just one color or gradient in the American version.
• There is so far three uniquely Filipino categories. One is called 'Around the 'Bahay' (a play of the 'Around the House' category); Bahay (literally house) refers to the Pinoy Big Brother House, known among Filipino viewers as Bahay ni Kuya. The second is 'Tatak Pinoy' (Marked Filipino), referring to objects, traditions or persons uniquely Filipino. The third is 'School Life' (also known as 'College Life' in the US), referring to the things and doings in School.
• There have also been Prize Puzzles, regularly appearing in Round 2, but they are defined differently that those in the US version. After a puzzle has been solved, the prize is introduced. A question related to the puzzle is asked, in which if answered correctly could give the contestant the said prize. Normally, this special prize is not cash.
• House minimums are not given, but it is implied that contestants are given parting gifts for their time on the show.
• When celebrities play, it is not mentioned whether or not the winnings go to charity, but it seems implied. However, since they can also play for a car, it is not known where the vehicle will go to.

Wheel components[edit]

The gallery below shows a comparison between the Wheels used in the ABC version and the one seen in the ABS-CBN version, as well as the special wedges laid on each Wheel.

The ABC version's 2001 Wheel is shown below and styled like the one used on the Philippine show. The 2002 version shown, however, is just a simulation using the style of the American Wheel and does not actually picture the actual design of the Wheel. The same can be said with its special wedges. Each special wedge had its name printed twice, one vertically along the wedge's length and the other horizontally along the width. They were designed as such because such a wedge if won was placed in a holder beside the contestant, instead of in front like the American version does. Also of note: both the actual P4,000 space and the actual Jackpot wedge were decorated with gold sequins.

On the other hand, the ABS-CBN Wheel and its special wedges are also simulations, but they are faithful to the actual ones seen in the show. However, the actual P100,000 space and the actual Power and Jackpot wedges all have holographic backgrounds, which is difficult to be replicated in simulated conditions.

• A recreation of the Wheel used in the ABC version in November 2001.

• A simulation of the Wheel used in the ABC version in 2002. Shown here is the basic configuration as used for most of the show's run.

• A recreation the basic configuration of the Wheel used in the ABS-CBN version.

• The special wedges used in the ABC version. From left to right, the Free Spin wedge, the Surprise wedge, and the Jackpot wedge.

• The special wedges used in the ABS-CBN version. From left to right, the Power wedge, the Jackpot wedge, and the Mystery wedge.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Philippine version of 'Wheel of Fortune' premieres on January 14
2. ^Game show replacing Deal or No Deal
3. ^Wheel of Fortune over ABs-CBN feature program

External links[edit]

• Wheel of Fortune at Telebisyon.net