Wheel of Fortune (American game show)

Wheel of Fortune ranks as the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States, with 8,000 episodes taped and aired as of June 7, 2024. TV Guide named it the "top-rated syndicated series" in a 2008 article, and in 2013, the magazine ranked it at number two in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever. The program has also come to gain a worldwide following with 60 international adaptations. The syndicated series' 41st season premiered on September 11, 2023. With the show's 36th season in 2018, Sajak became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing Bob Barker, who hosted The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007. Two spin-off versions exist as well. The first was Wheel 2000, a version featuring child contestants which aired simultaneously on CBS and Game Show Network between 1997 and 1998. This version's hosts were David Sidoni and Tanika Ray, the latter in the role of a CGI co-host named "Cyber Lucy". The second, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, began airing on ABC on January 7, 2021, and features celebrities playing a modified version of the game with winnings donated to charity.

Main game

Most matches consist of three contestants, although some variants feature three teams of two people each. Contestants in control spin the wheel to determine a dollar value, then guess a consonant. Landing on a dollar amount and calling a correct consonant results in the co-host revealing every instance of that letter, also awarding the value of the spin multiplied by the number of times the letter appears in the puzzle. After a correct consonant, a contestant is able to spin again, buy a vowel for a flat rate of $250 (until no more remain in the puzzle), or attempt to solve the puzzle. Control passes to the next contestant clockwise if the contestant lands on Lose a Turn or Bankrupt, calls a letter not in the puzzle, calls a letter already called in that round, attempts unsuccessfully to solve the puzzle, or takes too much time to call a letter or decide on their next action.

Rounds 1–3

In the first three rounds, the wheel also contains a Wild Card over a selected wedge. If this is claimed by calling a correct letter, the contestant may use it after a correct consonant to call a second consonant for the same value as the present spin, or take it to the bonus round. There is also a special wedge which offers a pre-determined prize, typically a trip or credit to a company. Both also offer $500 per correct letter. The first three rounds also contain a special wedge known as the "Million Dollar Wedge", in which, if won and taken to the bonus round, offers an opportunity to play for $1,000,000. A contestant must solve the puzzle in order to keep any cash, prizes, or extras accumulated during that round except for the Wild Card. Bankrupt does not affect score from previous rounds or prizes from previous rounds, but it takes away the Wild Card and/or the Million Dollar Wedge if either was claimed in a previous round. Contestants who solve a round for less than $1,000 in cash and prizes ($2,000 on weeks with two-contestant teams) have their scores increased to that amount.

Wheel of Fortune (American game show)