Wheel of Fortune (Syndicated version, seasons 21-37, 39-present)

Wheel of Fortune (Syndicated version, seasons 21-37, 39-present)
CONTESTANT: Pat, I'd like to solve the puzzle: "HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN." PAT: You got it!
Genre: Game Show Running Time: 20–22 minutes (per episode) Country: United States Network(s): NBC (1975-89, 1991) CBS (1989-91) Broadcast syndication (1983-present) ABC (2021 Celebrity special) Created by: Merv Griffin Distributed by: CBS Media Ventures Sony Pictures Television Starring: Pat Sajak Vanna White Charlie O'Donnell (1975-1980, 1989-2010) Jim Thornton (2011-present) Maggie Sajak Episodes: over 7,000 (as of May 31, 2019)

Wheel of Fortune was once a good show, but has gone downhill since Season 21.

Why It Should Spin a Bankrupt Now

1. Unfair gimmicks and wedges/tags, some of which make prizes too difficult to be obtained:
   • The Express Wedge, introduced in Season 31, is terrible. It awards the player who lands on it with $1,000 per consonant and causes him/her to go bankrupt if a letter is guessed incorrectly.
   • There are two "½ Car" tags in the first three rounds, and they are replaced if one is picked up. The player who lands on and picks up both tags will win a car in the $15,000 range.
   • Prize Puzzles, introduced as a regular feature in Season 21, just slow the game down to a halt. The player who wins the Prize Puzzle is rewarded with a prize worth over $5,000 (usually a trip) for solving it. Often, the player will immediately solve the puzzle without spinning the wheel on his/her first turn.
   • The Free Spin, a fixture of the show since the Shopper’s Bazaar pilot, was dropped in 2010 in favor of Free Play. The player who lands on this wedge doesn't have to buy any of the vowels, which in most cases leads to him/her calling out all of the vowels.
2. The intro didn't change after Season 32. It only changed once for Season 35.
3. No returning champions, even though Jeopardy! has kept them.
4. Rather questionable puzzle choices, with Season 35 having such bonus puzzles as "QUIRKY AUTHOR", "WOKS AND PANS", and "HUNGRY JAGUAR".
5. The budget has decreased significantly. It's rumored that this was due to Sony's financial problems.
6. Fake difficulty, again due to the lower budget.
7. The $1,000,000 top prize, introduced in 2008, is a convoluted way to add a large prize, as it could've done better without the wedge.
   • Because of common misconceptions about how the Million-Dollar Wedge works, occasionally a contestant will lose the wedge on a judgment call and social media will promptly explode about how that person "lost a million dollars".
8. After Charlie O'Donnell died in 2010, a series of fill-in announcers took his place. But they dubbed over episodes that O'Donnell had done before his death. Producers claimed that it was to try to lessen the "pain of hearing his voice so close to his death". In addition, names like John Cramer, Rich Fields, and Lora Cain didn't show much enthusiasm.
9. No road shows since Season 32.
10. The minimum Bonus Round prize changes to reference the season number. This means that the show has to make puzzles harder.
11. Some inappropriate moments in a G-rated show, like the puzzles "CLAM DIGGER" and "LUCK BE IN THE AIR TONIGHT" being spelled respectively as "CLAIM IGGER" and "UCK ME IN THE A TONIGHT".
12. Pat Sajak and Vanna White will only be signed onto the show for a few more years.
13. The new set and music introduced in Season 39 are mediocre at best.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Jim Thornton is a good replacement for O'Donnell.
2. Pat and Vanna are still great hosts.
3. The set still looks great, even though it hasn't changed since 2010.
4. The format is still solid.
5. Catchy music.
6. The intro finally changed in 2019, even though it was used again the following season.
7. Seasons 21-29 are the most passable seasons, though still average at best. The show also improved after Season 37, but went downhill again in Season 39.
8. Some unintentionally funny moments, even the inappropriate ones mentioned above.

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