Review re-written on April 1st, 2023.
Wheel of fortune is a simple gameshow based upon the childhood game of Hangman, where one person makes a puzzle and the player has to solve it by calling letters until they know what the puzzle is. However, in wheel of fortune, the players spin a wheel which lands on a dollar amount which they can earn in multiples, depending on how often the letters they call appear in the puzzle. At the end of the game, the contestant with the most money/prizes won, goes onto the bonus round where they can add a substansial amount of money to their bank.
It's hard to believe, but Wheel of Fortune has been on TV in some way, shape or form for 50 years now. I'm not lying. It began in 1973 as a pilot called "Shopper's bazaar" which was aimed at the female demographic. The game was played a bit differently. The contestants, all women, chose a selection of prizes before the game started and would have the wheel spin and tell it to stop and guess a letter in a puzzle. The show's theme song was, Believe it or not, the title theme from the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." However, it didn't catch on with NBC...yet.
Merv Griffin re-worked it into 'Wheel of Fortune' a year later but it wasn't exactly the way it is today. For example, in 1974, Vanna White was still in high school. So Susan Stafford was the original hostess and held onto that job until December of 1982 when Vanna White stepped into the position which she has had since, however, her hostess role has been covered by Pat Sajak's wife and daughter, Lesly & Maggie. As for the original role of host, It was 77 Sunset strip star, Edd Byrnes. However, Edd was rumored to be drunk on the set (which was a common trend for gameshow hosts in the 70's, even Pat Sajak admitted to hosting a couple episodes of Wheel of Fortune drunk during the early 1980's) but so much so that he ruined any chance that he would come back to host the show in the future. The host for Shopper's Bazaar, Chuck Woolery, came back to host the Wheel of Fortune throughout the 70's and eventually left the show in 1981, where Los Angeles weatherman & Vietnam war DJ Pat Sajak took the role over, and 42 years later, still hosts the show. However, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Goen, and Alex Trebek have all hosted the show, at one point or another.
Most younger wheel watchers might not know this, but the show had a showcase where contestants would spend their winnings on prizes after each round. This was dropped in 1987 and the show took on a more familiar format. Instead of spending their money on useless knick-knacks, the contestants got to keep their prizes in cash, and at the end of the game, got to choose the prize they wanted to play for. This continued until the early 90's when the 5 envelopes were introduced, and in the early 2000's, those envelopes were retired and the wheel of envelopes was introduced, and is still in use to this day.
Today, Wheel of Fortune continues to adapt to modern times and stay on TV despite it's aging stars. Pat Sajak will turn 77 years old as of October 2023 and I don't see him hosting the show for much longer. Even the recent video game adaption for the 9th generation of consoles doesn't have Pat or Vanna as the featured host & hostess (This is likely for 2 reasons; Sajak & White want more money than the gaming studio can afford, and having generic hosts & hostesses helps the game age better) As for Vanna White, she turned 66 years old back in February, and likely will not continue to co-host the show for much longer and be replaced by Pat's daughter, Maggie. However, shows like the Price is Right & Family Feud have been on the air for long periods and both shows have had long term hosts in Bob Barker & Steve Harvey, both of whom became as iconic as the shows themselves. This was the case for Jeopardy, with the late Alex Trebek. When Sajak & White retire, it will end a legacy.
However, as far as gameshows have gone, Wheel of Fortune has not only thrived throughout 6 different decades (70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, 20's) it has become a household name with far more staying power than any other gameshow has cared to, and to this day, still freshens up with new gimmicks and specials. Celebrities have appeared on the show multiple times. The show itself appears in many other movies, TV shows and pop culture. Both Pat Sajak & Vanna White have appeared in various movies & TV either playing characters or even themselves. This show is far bigger than any other gameshow in history and it earned that right.
If anyone asks me personally what the best gameshow of all time is, I'd have to say Wheel of Fortune.
Wheel of fortune is a simple gameshow based upon the childhood game of Hangman, where one person makes a puzzle and the player has to solve it by calling letters until they know what the puzzle is. However, in wheel of fortune, the players spin a wheel which lands on a dollar amount which they can earn in multiples, depending on how often the letters they call appear in the puzzle. At the end of the game, the contestant with the most money/prizes won, goes onto the bonus round where they can add a substansial amount of money to their bank.
It's hard to believe, but Wheel of Fortune has been on TV in some way, shape or form for 50 years now. I'm not lying. It began in 1973 as a pilot called "Shopper's bazaar" which was aimed at the female demographic. The game was played a bit differently. The contestants, all women, chose a selection of prizes before the game started and would have the wheel spin and tell it to stop and guess a letter in a puzzle. The show's theme song was, Believe it or not, the title theme from the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." However, it didn't catch on with NBC...yet.
Merv Griffin re-worked it into 'Wheel of Fortune' a year later but it wasn't exactly the way it is today. For example, in 1974, Vanna White was still in high school. So Susan Stafford was the original hostess and held onto that job until December of 1982 when Vanna White stepped into the position which she has had since, however, her hostess role has been covered by Pat Sajak's wife and daughter, Lesly & Maggie. As for the original role of host, It was 77 Sunset strip star, Edd Byrnes. However, Edd was rumored to be drunk on the set (which was a common trend for gameshow hosts in the 70's, even Pat Sajak admitted to hosting a couple episodes of Wheel of Fortune drunk during the early 1980's) but so much so that he ruined any chance that he would come back to host the show in the future. The host for Shopper's Bazaar, Chuck Woolery, came back to host the Wheel of Fortune throughout the 70's and eventually left the show in 1981, where Los Angeles weatherman & Vietnam war DJ Pat Sajak took the role over, and 42 years later, still hosts the show. However, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Goen, and Alex Trebek have all hosted the show, at one point or another.
Most younger wheel watchers might not know this, but the show had a showcase where contestants would spend their winnings on prizes after each round. This was dropped in 1987 and the show took on a more familiar format. Instead of spending their money on useless knick-knacks, the contestants got to keep their prizes in cash, and at the end of the game, got to choose the prize they wanted to play for. This continued until the early 90's when the 5 envelopes were introduced, and in the early 2000's, those envelopes were retired and the wheel of envelopes was introduced, and is still in use to this day.
Today, Wheel of Fortune continues to adapt to modern times and stay on TV despite it's aging stars. Pat Sajak will turn 77 years old as of October 2023 and I don't see him hosting the show for much longer. Even the recent video game adaption for the 9th generation of consoles doesn't have Pat or Vanna as the featured host & hostess (This is likely for 2 reasons; Sajak & White want more money than the gaming studio can afford, and having generic hosts & hostesses helps the game age better) As for Vanna White, she turned 66 years old back in February, and likely will not continue to co-host the show for much longer and be replaced by Pat's daughter, Maggie. However, shows like the Price is Right & Family Feud have been on the air for long periods and both shows have had long term hosts in Bob Barker & Steve Harvey, both of whom became as iconic as the shows themselves. This was the case for Jeopardy, with the late Alex Trebek. When Sajak & White retire, it will end a legacy.
However, as far as gameshows have gone, Wheel of Fortune has not only thrived throughout 6 different decades (70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, 20's) it has become a household name with far more staying power than any other gameshow has cared to, and to this day, still freshens up with new gimmicks and specials. Celebrities have appeared on the show multiple times. The show itself appears in many other movies, TV shows and pop culture. Both Pat Sajak & Vanna White have appeared in various movies & TV either playing characters or even themselves. This show is far bigger than any other gameshow in history and it earned that right.
If anyone asks me personally what the best gameshow of all time is, I'd have to say Wheel of Fortune.