The “Wheel of Fortune” is spinning their wheel a different way with a celebrity version. After the network saw the ultra-successful “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tourney,” the Wheel wanted to bring their show to prime time with this new change.
The game show has been on air since Jan. 6, 1975, making it to 45 years of showtime. Pat Sajak and Vanna White have been the hosts pulling in 25 million-plus weekly viewers, averaging at 23 million. It has become one of the most popular television shows in the world with many achievements and awards like their first Daytime Emmy in 2011 for “Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show.”
What is it?
The “Wheel of Fortune” is a game show that features three contestants who compete to solve word puzzles. The goal is to amass the most money and prizes by solving word puzzles after multiple rounds. A large carnival wheel, spun by each contestant in turns, denotes dollar amounts or prizes awarded for correctly suggesting a letter within the word puzzle.
How is it played?
It’s played with three contestants that compete during three rounds to solve hangman-type word puzzles. At the beginning of each round, contestants are given a category such as a phrase, person, place or object that consists of blank spaces they must fill in with the correct letters. After random selection to see who begins, contestants take turns to either spin the carnival wheel and guess a consonant, buy vowels from their earned winnings or solve the puzzle. At the end of three rounds, the contestant with the most cash and prizes becomes the winner and moves to the game’s bonus round.
The “Wheel of Fortune” has had a ‘celebrity week’ featuring stars like Neil Patrick Harris, Paula Deen, Sherri Shepherd and others. Now, the show will see more Hollywood stars playing for a chance to win up to $1 million. The winnings will be donated to the contestant’s charity of choice. There are no other details including contestants or an air date that have been revealed.
For some potential viewers, this new primetime might pull them into watching the show more. Rachel Virtue, junior biology major, said, “I definitely think this is a nice change-up for the show.” She believes it will benefit the “Wheel of Fortune” since viewers will be more likely to watch if they see their favorite celebrity.
Gerald Haftmann, junior business major, said, “it will be fun to see celebrities play the game and see the money go to a good cause.” Haftmann mentioned comedic celebrities playing and watching that take an interesting spot on the show. Even though he doesn’t watch it as much as he used to, this could spin his attention back to the program.
Keeping in mind the current circumstances, the “Wheel of Fortune” is taking active measures in order to protect the show. According to one of the Wheel spokespeople, there are protocols in place that follow current government guidelines protecting contestants, staff, crew and talent from the spread of COVID-19.
Furthermore, it now features a redesigned wheel to ensure that contestants are six feet apart. There’s a new curved monitor that surrounds the Wheel and contestants are given their own “spinning cap” — a cylinder-like device that covers each spike on the Wheel so that no one directly touches it to potentially spread germs.
Lisa Franks, French adjunct professor, believes the celebrity version might make it more interesting. “It seems like a good way to market the show and bring in new viewers,” Franks said. One way she’d be interested in watching is if a celebrity she likes and follows their work was featured then it’s a possibility.
For more information go to TheWheelofFortune.com
