EPISODE #8007: 📖THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES📖
Flashback (1997): Vanna knocks on Pat’s door while he rehearses his lines, including the announcement of three R’s and no L’s and a question about a contestant’s hometown.
The Dalmatian is in the same place all week.
$1K Tossup: PEOPLE
_ _ / _ _ _ _ _ S T
F R _ _ N D S
I hope MY CLOSEST FRIENDS are watching Nece earn her first thousand (she wasn’t sure about her answer). And she’s the only lady on the panel:
Nece Henderson (Houston, orig. from Omaha): inspirational/motivational coach who has three grown kids, seven grandchildren, and two bonus grands (the latter call her G-Mama); her mom Jackie’s her biggest fan
C.J. Rumer (Scranton): a man who recently got the email inviting him to a Wheel audition three hours after his wife Mary Helen gave birth to their son Henry; he calls Scranton “Pennsylvania’s best-kept secret” (but Pat thinks The Office begs to differ)
David Sorensen (Winston-Salem): personal trainer who loves helping people reach their goals and live healthy; he’s been married to Bojana for three years and wants to train with Pat (who threatens to “beat the tar out of” him; he mentions his town’s high school sports team, the West Forsyth Titans
Pat thinks the guys work for their cities’ chambers of commerce.
$2K Tossup: EVENT
_ R _ A S U R E
H U N _
David blurts out the answer, but C.J.’s the first to ring in during this TREASURE HUNT.
FEATURED TRIP: Atlantis Paradise Island BAHAMAS ($9K)
Round 1: PLACE
C.J.: an $850 S, two E’s, two T’s for $1,200, two A’s, a $700 R, three I’s, a $700 M, solve for $2,700…
_ R I S T I _ E
M _ _ _ T A I _
_ A _ E
C.J. won’t go to a PRISTINE MOUNTAIN CAVE (yet) after his incorrect guess.
David: BANKRUPT near $650
Nece: three N’s for $2,700, last vowel singles (O and U), C for crud on $500
C.J.: a $700 P…
P R I S T I N E
M O U N T A I N
_ A _ E
…but a D on $900 is NOT one of the final two consonants, so there goes his $3,400 second chance. David might travel to a PRISTINE MOUNTAIN LAKE after winning the house minimum.
Crossword/Mystery Round: AWESOME SAUCE
Pat claims, “Near the end of the year, we get creative.”
David: four T’s for $2,800, one E, N for nada on $500
Nece: a $650 M, four O’s, two A’s, a $700 P, a G on the MW near LaT and she flips it… $$$ (she didn’t look at the wedge but instead listened to the audience), a $900 H… last vowel of I… a $600 S… solve for $12,100…
| S | P | A | G | H | E | T | T | I | |
| O | O | ||||||||
| _ | T | O | M | A | T | O |
SOY is the last remaining ingredient sauce for Nece to take a big lead after her slow, calm solve. Pat mentions she “had an entire audience holding its breath.”
C.J.: $2K/David: $1K/Nece: $13,100
PP/Express Round: WAYD?
Nece: BANKRUPT near $600 (as Pat says, better this spin than last)
C.J.: three N’s for $2,700, two I’s, A for absent
David: two G’s for $1,200, two E’s, same BANKRUPT ($950 gone)
Nece: two T’s for $1,800, same BANKRUPT (she gestures that those black spaces are no big deal)
C.J.: a $900 S, last vowel of O, two D’s for $7K, other normal BANKRUPT (goodbye, $9,850)
David: merciful solve…
G E T T I N G / _ _
S E _ O N D / _ I N D
While I’m GETTING MY SECOND WIND after that messy round, David will catch his during his $10,600 cruise of TAHITI (courtesy of Paul Gauguin Cruises and Air Tahiti Nui). Pat and David later joke that the latter will have the Tahitians doing push-ups and jumping jacks, respectively.
C.J.: $2K/David: $11,600 cash & Tahiti/Nece: $13,100
Triple Tossup: IN THE KITCHEN
1.
_ _ _ _ K
_ _ I _ E
David confidently whips out a BLACK KNIFE… nope.
S _ _ _ K
_ _ I F E
Nece carefully handles a STEAK KNIFE.
2.
_ _ _ T
_ _ _ _ _ _ R
C.J. quickly grabs a MEAT CLEAVER.
3.
S _ _ _ D
_ _ I N _ _ R
Nece knows it can’t be STEAK GRINDER.
S _ L _ D
S _ I N N _ R
David solves SALAD SPINNER.
Speed-Up: THING
C.J. has a shot at a comeback because David gives us a $6K FS!
David: two T’s
Nece: R
C.J.: one S
David: one N
Nece: L
C.J.: K
David: one P
_ _ S T – P _ _ _ _
_ _ T _ _ N
David gets a piece of the FAST-PACED ACTION for a $24K payoff!
| PENALTY BOX | DUDS | BANKRUPTS | MISSOLVES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | C (Nece), D (C.J.) | David | C.J. |
| Mystery Round | N (David) | ||
| PP/Express Round | A (C.J.) | Everyone (Nece 2x) | |
| Speed-Up | R and L (Nece), K (C.J.) | ||
| 13 TOTAL | 7 | 5 | 1 |
FINAL SCORES
C.J.: $2K/David: $37,600 cash & Tahiti/Nece: $15,100
GT: $56,700
BANKRUPT TRASH: $12,600
Like last night’s winner of the same name, David should choose his category wisely (and enthusiastically)…
- THING
- PLACE
- PEOPLE
…and PLACE it is.
$100K Bonus Round
After we meet David’s wife Bojana, little brother Jordan (who can run a mile in just four minutes and 28 seconds), and dad George (a business owner), he lands on the C in AMERICA’S. (Pat won’t have him write his biography.) Starting setup:
_ _ N _
_ R _ N _ _
CMDI won’t do much…
_ _ N _
_ R _ N C _
…and he doesn’t come close with JUNK BRUNCH (that would be a wild EVENT), so a BANK BRANCH denies him a $40K withdrawal.
MY RATING: 6
Maggie mentions the interview with Pat before the closing chat. Then Pat asks Vanna to send him pictures of her daily outfits just in case he can’t watch her on Wheel (because he’s out of the country or resurfacing his driveway), and she obliges. Pat’s response? “Dodged that bullet.”
Pat, it’s been fun recapping your iconic game show, and I’ll miss seeing you on my screen. @jbeaugard01, it’s all yours.
WHEEL of FORTUNE with Andy Nguyen