Wheel of Fortune (Australian game show)


Wheel of Fortune is an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television and Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios International in 2008. 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 ended, the format was revived by the Nine Network in 2008 as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, until it was cancelled in June 2008 due to low ratings and following arguments from long-time host John Burgess concerning why he did not like the revamped format, which coincidentally was adopted in the United States later that year and has continued with the modified Australian format. The rights to the show are currently owned by Network Ten, which now owns the video and format rights through its parent company, CBS Studios International, which holds international rights as the American version is distributed by the company's broadcast syndication arm.
An earlier unrelated show also titled Wheel of Fortune had been broadcast on the Nine Network. That version had been developed by Reg Grundy as a radio game show before it transferred to television in 1959.
In 2010, hostess Adriana Xenides died after a long battle with illness; she had been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving hostess of a television game show until it was surpassed by her US counterpart, Vanna White in 2001.

History

In 1981, the Grundy Organisation purchased the rights to Merv Griffin's American game show Wheel of Fortune and created a faithful reproduction of the American series, as they had done with many other game shows. The new show began airing on the Seven Network on 21 July 1981 at 5:00PM, and was produced at the studios of ADS-7 in Adelaide. The show's production moved to SAS-7 when ADS and SAS swapped network affiliations and channel frequencies at the end of 1987.
In 1996, as part of an attempted major revamp with the remaining of the show's famous theme music and sounds, the program relocated from Adelaide to Seven flagship ATN-7 in Sydney. Along with a new set, new music, faster game format and modified rules, John Burgess was sacked from his twelve-year stint as host and replaced by Tony Barber. By the time that Burgess' final episode went to air it had become common knowledge that the show had relocated and that changes would occur. However, Burgess' final words referred only to the show's relocation, thus suggesting that he was at the time oblivious to his sacking.
The following Monday after Burgess' final episode, Barber began as host, despite much controversy. Beside the fact that viewers did not appreciate the fact that Burgess was sacked without a chance to say goodbye on air, viewers had difficulty accepting the new rules and faster pace. Additionally, Burgess had made media appearances saying how he had been badly treated and only found out about his sacking accidentally when a Grundy executive had to cancel a golf date with him because he was needed at the studios to continue work on the new format.
The ratings for the first two nights appeared promising to begin with but plummeted badly from then on. Some ground was regained after Seven and Grundy, in an embarrassing about-face, reinstated as much of the old rules as possible after the first five weeks. It regained further ground presumably due to audience curiosity when Adriana Xenides took sick leave in November 1996, but neither moves were enough to return it to a credible position as far as ratings were concerned.
A 5pm nationwide newscast that replaced Family Feud on 1 July also proved fatal for Wheel and the network. On 27 November 1996, the Seven Network issued a press releases in which Barber announced his resignation from the show. In his 2001 memoir Who Am I, Barber later explained that he was removed from the position by the network and was offered future projects with the network in exchange for agreeing to the press release. The future projects, however, never came to pass. Burgess has claimed on many occasions that he was offered the job back with a heavy pay raise and declined, but the Seven Network denied this story. In any event, Burgess was quickly given a contract by the Nine Network to host the game show Catch Phrase that would be Wheel of Fortune's rival for a few more years.
Adriana Xenides, who had been the show's co-hostess and letter-turner since its premiere, fell sick — ultimately suffering from depression and what she called a "physical breakdown".
Barber appeared at the start of the 1997 series premiere to introduce and hand the show over to Rob Elliott with former Perfect Match hostess Kerrie Friend replacing Xenides for the next seven months.
On 18 June 2006, the Seven Network announced that they had stopped broadcasting of the program with the last episode airing on 28 July, just one week after celebrating 25 years on Australian television. The final episode was filmed on 23 June at Channel 7's Epping studios. One of the contestants on the final episode was Edith Bliss, former field reporter for Simon Townsend's Wonder World, who won the game and effectively became the show's final, undefeated champion. From the Monday following the final episode, M*A*S*H reruns returned to the timeslot. Following the finale, Seven also aired 20 unaired episodes from 2005 at the 10am timeslot. These were hosted by 2004 host Steve Oemcke, and clearly produced before it was decided to rest the show in 2005.

2008 revival: "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune"

In May 2008, the Nine Network revived the show in a revamped form known as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, hosted by former Home and Away actor Tim Campbell, with Kelly Landry as co-host. and airing from GTV-9 in Melbourne. The biggest highlight featured in the revival was the grand prize of $1,000,000, alongside an increased standard top prize of $200,000, and players actually playing for the cash they win. At the premiere, the number of $200,000 wedges on the bonus Wheel was two and increases by one each episode until the prize is won.
To win the aforementioned grand prize, the contestant must land on the Million Dollar Wedge, and solve the puzzle in the first round. The contestant must then win the entire game without hitting Bankrupt during any portion of the remainder of the game, unlike other prize wedges which was kept even after a puzzle solve. If the contestant wins, one $200,000 space will be replaced with the $1,000,000 space; the contestant must both land on that space and solve the bonus puzzle successfully in order to win the grand prize.
Despite an initial report stating that Burgess and Xenides disliked the show, calling it "dry", Xenides gave positive feedback stating that it was "refreshing" and she loved the "... very cool colours... and the opportunity of winning a million dollars, that's excellent." She also stated that John was "probably misrepresented."
Ratings for the new series were expected to top now-rival Deal or No Deal, and to lead-in to the 6:00 news. However, there were low ratings, peaking at 700,000 viewers on the first night. From then, viewership went on a decline, and by the end of its short run, Wheel had on average 450,000 viewers a night, compared to the almost-1,000,000 watchers for Deal. Due to this steep ratings decline, the series was cancelled on 27 June 2008, after only five weeks on air.

Format adoption in the United States

Despite its short-lived run for five weeks, format owner and producer Sony Pictures Television later adopted the format in the American version at the start of its 26th season on 8 September 2008 replacing a similar $10,000 wedge in use since 1994.
The format remains the same as the original version, as the contestant must solve the puzzle after acquiring the aforementioned wedge, then win the game without landing on Bankrupts throughout the remainder of the game. Unlike the Australian counterpart, the wheel in the American version has 72 pegs with 24 spaces that are each three pegs wide, thus the Million Dollar wedge is designed as a three-peg wedge, and it can be acquired in any of the first three rounds during gameplay.
The Bonus Round in the American version also involves spinning a wheel to determine the prize in play, but using a smaller 24 two-pegged space wheel, and only one space had an envelope that carried the standard top prize of US$100,000. When the Million Dollar wedge is in play, it is replaced with the US$1,000,000 prize, while other prizes are untouched and are still available to be won.
To comply with Broadcast Standards and Practices of both producer Sony and its distributor CBS Television Distribution, along with the American game show regulations that mandate a contestant has a legitimate chance to win the grand prize, if the space is not selected in the round, the host will display the envelope location on the wheel after the round has ended in to show the contestant could have won the prize if the spin stopped at the location. The procedure only occurs during a spin with the US$1,000,000 envelope in play.
After 12 seasons since the introduction of the format, with Season 37 suspending production early in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of eight contestants had landed on the US$1,000,000 grand prize envelope, among which three contestants had successfully solved the puzzle and won the bonus.

Game play

Before the taping begins, the players draw numbers to determine their positions on stage. Play proceeds from left to right from the viewer's perspective: from the red player to yellow, then to blue, then back to red. The red player would have the first spin in round 1, the yellow player would have the first spin in round 2 and the blue/green player would have the first spin in round 3. From 1999 to 2003 when the format consisted of 4 rounds plus the major prize round, the red player would take the first spin in round 4.
From July 1996 until 1998, the host would ask a trivia question and the contestant who buzzed in with the correct answer would have the first spin. During this time the red podium was reserved for the defending champion as there was an opportunity for any contestant to have the first spin. The process used during this period was a form of continuous play.
All the 21st-century versions use the current flip-up puzzle format to determine control of the board to start the first and fourth round, and among which the player clockwise will begin the next round and so on. Like the July 1996 – 1998 era, the red podium was reserved for the defending champion.

Categories

The game uses a wide variety of categories for its puzzles. Some are generic, such as "Place" or "Thing." Puzzles frequently refer to popular culture or common items encountered in everyday life.
Starting In 1994
Starting In 1995
Starting In 1999
Other categories include BUILDING, and LIVING THINGS, TRUE OR FALSE?, EVENT, PHRASE.

Spinning the Wheel

The wheel has 96 pegs with 24 spaces that are each four pegs wide. These spaces represent cash values, including one silver coloured “Top Dollar” wedge, prizes and penalty spaces, three strategic elements for use in the game. The wheel also features two additional spaces that are specific to particular rounds of the game.
A player who does not land on a penalty space asks for a consonant. If it is not in the puzzle, play proceeds to the next player. If the letter appears in the puzzle, the hostess reveals all instances of the letter and the player receives either cash or a prize. Unlike the American version however, the amount of money won is a flat rate and not multiplied by the number of instances of the letter, the only exception is when a red letter appears in the puzzle that, upon being called, results in the amount the player landing on being doubled. Calling a letter that has already been called results in the loss of one's turn. A "used letter board" is positioned off screen for the contestants to see to aid in their guesses. All descriptions of players being credited with cash or prizes in the remainder of this article assume that the player calls a consonant which appears in the puzzle. A player who lands on a value is credited with that amount.

"Top Dollar" values

A player who has sufficient banked cash during the current round may choose to buy a vowel prior to spinning the Wheel. The cost of the vowel, $50, is deducted from the player's score and all instances of the requested vowel in the puzzle are revealed, if any. The player's score is reduced by $50 regardless if the vowel is in the puzzle or the number of times the vowel appears. If the purchased vowel is not in the puzzle, the player loses his or her turn in addition to the aforementioned cost. Multiple vowels may be purchased until either the supply of vowels is exhausted or the player's bank falls below $50; after which the player either spin the wheel or try to solve the puzzle.

Special Features

From 1981 to 1996, money earned in each round was used to shop for prizes. Any remaining cash also counted towards the player's final score. When this was removed in July 1996, contestants were given a set prize upon solving a puzzle. By the end of the year upon solving a puzzle, contestants could choose one of three prizes offered to them. This would continue until 2004 when it was reduced to two prizes.
The Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, now follows the game format similar to the original American version since 1987, as the scoring system now based on actual cash money, and solving a puzzle allowed that player to bank any cash accumulated up to that point.

Speed-Up Round: Final Spin

At some point, when time is running short, a bell rings to indicate the Final Spin of the Wheel. The host spins the Wheel and all remaining consonants in the puzzle are worth the value of the spin. The player in control has his/her arrow determine the round's value, compared to the red player's podium on the American version. The players take turns calling one letter each including vowels. If the called letter appears in the puzzle, the player has five seconds after the hostess stops moving to try to solve the puzzle. If a player has a Free Spin, he/she can still use it to keep her turn in the speed-up round. Unlike the previous rounds, contestants may give multiple guesses within the time limit. On several episodes, there have been more than one speed-up round.
Like the American version, if a penalty space is hit the host spins again, barring any scores if a Bankrupt is hit. Unlike the American version, if a prize space is hit, the first player to call a letter receives the wedge, along the value underneath it, and claims the prize if the player solved the puzzle. The value under the prize wedge becomes the value for the rest of the round. The exception was the Car wedge which is automatically unclaimed, as the host simply removes it from the wheel to reveal its value for the rest of the round.

Bonus Round (The Golden Wheel)

Introduced in 1987, this gave the day's champion a chance to win one of several major prizes, including a new car or a cash prize. The dollar values on the wheel are replaced with the major prizes, one wedge being the car. The contestant is given help with the final puzzle in the form of consonants and vowels; they start with two consonants and one vowel to start with, plus an additional consonant for every $2,000 scored in the main game. Theoretically, enough money can be earned so as to call every consonant. The winning contestant then gets 10 seconds to solve the puzzle and win the prize. Contestants can make many guesses during the time limit so long it does not expire. If a champ is unable to solve the puzzle in the bonus round, any score would carry over to the next episode; however, once the top prize is won, the value is reset back to zero.
The bonus round has sometimes tweaked its format. In some versions, the bonus round format is similar to the American version, or in the case of the 20th Anniversary week, two vowels may be provided.
Since its debut in 1987, there were two brownish-silver car wedges on the Major Prize Wheel. On the 1,500th episode in 1988, an additional car wedge was added. On a few occasions, additional car wedges were increased by one each day it was not won. The car has never, however, regularly appeared on the wheel for more than three times.
On 15 July 1996, the Golden Wheel was replaced with a selection of five envelopes, similar to the system used in the American version at the time. When the main game was changed from a four-round format to three-round in October 1996, the envelope format was retired and the number of car wedges decreased to two.
From 2000–2004, a new progressive jackpot system was added in addition to the car wedges. The jackpot starts at $2,000 with another $100 increasing to the pot every night it was unclaimed. The jackpot/car wedge functions the same as the $10,000 wedge in the American version, except that two "Jackpot" slivers were sandwiched on one of the "Car" wedges. The highest jackpot won was $25,000. This, and the $5,000 prize on the 5,000th episode, was one of only two cash prizes offered on the show.
From 2004–2006, The Golden Wheel saw the number of car wedges decreased to two when it featured a Renault and finally three with a Mitsubishi until the closing of its run on the Seven Network.
In the 2008 revival, $200,000 replaced cars as the standard top prize, and an additional $200,000 space was added to the wheel for every night if unclaimed. One $1,000,000 wedge could also be added to the wheel if a player acquired the Million Dollar Wedge in the main game.

Celebrity weeks

Occasionally celebrities play for home viewers, with those viewers earning the prizes and total of the amounts their winning celebrity spun during the game in actual cash. At the end of the week, all those winning home viewers were entered in a drawing to win a car.
There was also a weekly series airing Saturday nights in 1990 and 1991 called "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune".

The 5,000th episode

On 21 March 2006, "Wheel of Fortune" celebrated a major milestone, as its 5,000th episode went to air on the Seven Network. An extra element was added to the special show where contestants had the chance to win $5,000 in cash. Two yellow "$5,000" wedges were added to the Round 1 wheel. A third was added to Round 2's wheel. If a contestant was to spin it up and select a correct letter, they would have 5,000 added to their score, but to win the actual money, they had to solve the puzzle. In Round 2, one of the contestants did spin up the "$5,000" wedge and the Surprise Wedge and solved the puzzle, winning over $10,000 in cash and prizes for that round. The other $5,000 wedges were removed for Round 3.

Champions

Record-breaking champions include:
At the time of going to air, champion Luke Seager was the 4th biggest winner of all time, and the second longest champion in terms of nights on air represented. Luke credited his longevity on the wheel to the fact that most newcomers to the show did not comprehend the importance of controlling the wheel. His reign as champion still rates amongst the highest ratings period the program has ever enjoyed.

Presenters

Wheel of Fortune in Australia has had many hosts, hostesses and announcers through its long history. They include:

Hosts