Season 41

BEST/WORST/WILDEST MOMENTS OF S41

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Here’s another yearly edition of the Best, Worst, and Wildest Moments regarding S41. Feel free to tell me what I should add to those lists.

🙂BEST🙂

1. The four $100K winners. At least we had more winners compared to S40, but it’s a shame we did not have a millionaire on Pat’s final season (though there were a couple of contestants who are spaces away to the envelope or had lost or forfeited their MDW and then wound up landing on $100K).

2. September 27 had a $20K+ sweep!

3. A decent improvement on the Friday Final week on the NFL Superfan Tournament when you have Jill winning both nights (and eventually both BRs), giving her a SEASON-HIGH total of $136,386!
But if you want to count only the grand prize winners, then we have Valerie Reynolds and Tom Krisa’s $126,714 total on November 17. That week also was the first time since S34 we had 1-1 on $100K (the Nov. 15 again had a back-to-back $100K losses).

4. A season-high maingame total of $71,700 set by Jack Zhou on the conclusion of the crazy “Wheel Across America” week.

5. The Dec. 26 episode saw Alisha becoming the very first $75K winner since the introduction in a civilian episode. Prior to that, there were three losses.

6. This was the first time I didn’t cover any May or June episodes in my career, but on top of that, the weeks seemed to be improving, and what a way to go out on a bang for Pat’s exit, better than nothing.
And the 8K special week went better unlike the past three milestone weeks if you recall.

7. Tiffany Calas’ near $86K haul!

8. Eventual Fan Favorite Rhachel Royal-Fortune scores exactly $80K on Pat’s 77th birthday! Her surname is pretty iconic.

9. Rob Bodnar dominates the maingame and pulls off a Christmas miracle to salvage the second Disney Secret Santa week.

10. Jeremy’s dominance at the start of Sand & Sea week on @jpgenius’s birthday, and he took home a total of $83,815 cash & prizes including the Ford Mustang Convertible!

11. All hail Blake Swoboda and Michael Bystrzycki for their Jackpot wins in the BR especially the latter who brought the DOUBLE JACKPOT wedge. 

12. Hannah Precour’s $75K win on the penultimate show of Pat’s final season, breaking $100K the hard way!

13. Adrienne Bean ended the season w/ her $50K BR win to make way for Pat’s farewell message.

☹️WORST☹️

1. After 43 years, Pat Sajak has retired as host.

2. The nine $100K losses this season. The penultimate on April 26 was rather DISASTROUS for a very good reason (Friendship Feed luckily warned us on a Warning of posting in Future recaps back in 2019 and to ensure there’s no repeat of a similar manner unlike the S39’s Hawaii or the February 8, 2023 incident, both of which taught the group a good lesson; with that in mind, it was clear Friendship Feed relayed a message on anniversaries, know which ones we can keep, and keeping references as indirect should be good). And it’s a shame another such loss had to happen on my November 15 blogging anniversary.

3. HSN Shopping weeks are usually a bad omen, and this better not return for good, if they ever did so, given the week being SKUNKED and had a $100K TOTAL TRAINWRECK on anniversary week. If there’s anything positive, the weekly total wasn’t a SEASON-LOW week (that honor goes to the European Vacation, our first INSTANT SKUNKING since S23). Grand Getaways probably shouldn’t return, either, since that week was a carbon copy of last season’s edition.

4. We tied the record of SIX Toss-Up TRIPLE STUMPERS.

5. Eventual Fan Favorite Laryn may have won big on September 13, but the maingame was an absolute mess including her lousy guess of A CABLE IN A FABLE.

6. Too much BANKRUPT trash on the Wednesday and Friday episodes of Halloween week (the former saw a frightening $31,750 being taken away).

7. In addition to the many duds from November 9, there was Matthew’s PATHETIC STRIPES, STARS, AND BUTTER BARS, which caused him to go viral.

8. The Monday episode of Home for the Holidays week is an example where conservative play and careless mistakes will cost them the game and a MDBR chance, and some big leads, respectively.

9. The start of Dec. 1 really had some abysmal gameplay, all that ended was Kristen getting a SEASON-LOW total of a measly $10,250, which ties the record-low in the Triple Toss-Up era.

10. Numerous missolves gone viral including the one that took the cake on the May 23 episode where Tavaris gave the WORST NSFW ANSWER OF ALL TIME, RIGHT IN THE BUTT — UGH. -__-

11. The entirety of Happy New Year week was pretty shaky due to messy maingames including some critical mistakes. One such example was this on January 4:

G R A N D
S L A M
D _ N _

Heather Morgan Zell BOMBED OUT thinking the last remaining vowel is an O to throw away over $16,650 cash & CARIBBEAN along w/ the MDW — DONK, lady?! UGH. -__-

12. Wheelgopher said it best — the whole episode of January 16 was totally OUT OF FOCUS due to bad gameplay and Angela ultimately became the second-lowest winning champ that season. This was also one of @nickskapower’s bottom 5 worst episodes this season.

13. The first two episodes of our favorite “WHEEL Around the World” were a pain to watch especially Monday when we had a low scoring game plus Ryan DiMarco’s painful BR miss by one second costing him the INFINITI QX50.

14. Kylee Hatch made a BIG FOOL of herself on the April Fool’s show especially in the Mystery Round when she thought there was a West Coast city called SUN FRUNCISCO, hence the U purchase to cost her $12,450 including the $10K MW. I had no choice but to give her the DESERVING $1K GOOSEEGG award.

15. The entirety of the April 2 show (and one of @nickskapower’s personal list of worst episodes). Because of champ Lauren’s forgetfulness of collective nouns, we set a new SEASON-LOW in winnings for a single episode.

16. Even though we had a triple $10K+ finish on April 4, we had this in the PP Round…

T H E / E N T R A N C E
T _ / A / C A _ T _ E

You’d Expect: Kim Weisenberg to solve or if she chooses to buy a vowel, she needs to pick the obvious O.

Instead: She BOMBS OUT BIG TIME with a CRITICAL PURCHASE OF U to throw away $17,300 — just where do you think that would go, ma’am?! -___-

17. The R3 on my birthday episode was a TRAINWRECK with 10 lost turns.

18. After Randy Rose’s late CRITICAL DUD in R2 on my anniversary episode, he did most of the work in the next round and this was the board:

U N _ I N D I N G
A T / T H E / E N D
O F / T H E / D A _

You’d Expect: He needs to solve right away to collect $23,550 plus the trip to Costa Rica.

Instead: He spun on and painfully LaTed out — unbelievable. -___-

19. The board late in R3 on my last recap of the season:

D U _ _ – _ I L L E D
P L A T Y P U S

You’d Expect: Kimberly Wright to either solve or fill in either the C, K, or B.

Instead: She next landed on EXPRESS…but BOMBED OUT BIG TIME w/ F to throw away $7,250, apparently thinking the second word was FILLED. She never recovered from that mistake, forcing me to give her the DESERVING $1K GOOSEEGG award. She also went viral as a result.

20. The category THING showed up in all 195 episodes as a BR choice this season.

🤪WILDEST🤪

1. Jesse’s stomach roll on the Friday of Weekend Getaways.

2. Tuesday’s maingame of Teacher’s Week was rather underwhelming until the BR, with the Speed-Up puzzle of MILLION DOLLAR WINNER being the ironical one. At least Mitch from that episode said hi to us.

3. The entirety of “Wheel Across America” week. You have two maingame highs by Keri and Jack having one of the top maingame scores, but each has lost their respective BR. The former also had one big BANKRUPT earlier on R1 but later redeemed in the $6K final spin while the latter he would have almost doubled his total.

4. The Wednesdays of March-April seems to have attracted $100K envelopes and it did, four times in five Wednesdays.

5. Male Izzy and female Frankie from the start of Halloween week. This proves why some names can be unisex.

6. November 23 on the set of Wheel Across America was pretty wild. There were big wins in R1-3, a Triple Stumper on the last of the Triple Toss-Ups, and a BR WIPEOUT to boot.

7. Susan from the Tuesday episode of Big Money kept grabbing the Toss-Up device when it wasn’t really a Toss-Up.

8. While Colette Show You the World week was more-or-less the same in a S38 counterpart where we faced a skunk threat, the difference was where we had two sweeps- an all-female winner and a BR Car for the first time in 13 years. And for the second straight season, Bonusland did not offer a Winnebago.

10. The second car sweep happened during Big Money week.

Every S41 Episode in 10 Words or Less (and some concluding words)

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Hello, again. It is I, @nickskapower. Inspired by @adamrocks05259 and @jliu23232, here is every S41 episode in ten words or less. However, this time, I will do it in the style of @jliu23232 (without whom this style would not be possible) and each date will be colored based on a rating of ABYSMAL, TERRIBLE, BAD, MEDIOCRE, WILD, GOOD, GREAT, or AMAZING. Finally, I will give an overall seasonal rating at the end. And this is going to be a looooooooooooong post, so grab a Coca-Cola (or Pepsi, whichever you prefer. 🤪) and enjoy!

We’ll begin our journey down memory lane w/…

Every S41 Episode in 10 Words or Less

September 11: Pretty eh start…
September 12: Another $50K loss already?!
September 13: Lord, the Wheel was horrific.
September 14: Don’t tell me we’re about to have an instant SKUNKING…
September 15: …and we did.

September 18: Could’ve been better.
September 19: Jason made up for a slow first half.
September 20: Finally, a BR win!
September 21: An unlucky day for grand prize losses…
September 22: Oh, hi, $75K…

September 25: Dining… JAR?
September 26: The maingame was quite rocky.
September 27: Too bad I was sick…
September 28: Not to good of a follow-up episode.
September 29: The BR should have been an EVENT.

October 2: The Triple Tossup Sweep was the only highlight.
October 3: Quite a bit of conservative gameplay.
October 4: Sam and Jenni had the battle.
October 5: And another decent match.
October 6: I really don’t have anything to say.

October 9: Created a duplicate of this episode. Whoopsie!
October 10: Thank goodness for the $6K Final Spin…
October 11: Picking up the TD space? Really?
October 12: What’s w/ that Z call?!
October 13: Tough call, but what a wild night this was.

October 16: Tiffany really cleaned up!
October 17: POISED is a tricky word.
October 18: Not even the BR win could save it.
October 19: What an ugly game this was…
October 20: There were too many duds.

October 23: Long time no see, Halloween Week!
October 24: Better maingame this time.
October 25: What in the Sam Hill was the Wheel’s Problem?!
October 26: I’m hoping for our first 4-1 week…
October 27: …spooky week, but we achieved just that.

October 30: Yet another somewhat scary game.
October 31: Enough with the penalties already!!!
November 1: This one took us on the gamut of emotions.
November 2: At long last, our first BANKRUPT-free episode all season!
November 3: Another tough call.

November 6: Not too exciting of a start to this week…
November 7: Ugh, first prize puzzle trip below $7K…
November 8: Wow, impressive BR solve!
November 9: One of the most random BRs ever.
November 10: Messy gameplay impacted by a horrific loss…

November 13: No penalty spins, but questionable gameplay.
November 14: Liz‘s sharp solves were enjoyable though.
November 15: HANGOUT strikes again…
November 16: Can we win a bigger amount for once?
November 17: YAY, THANKS!!!

November 20: DUDS. That is all.
November 21: That was just dreadful…
November 22: I could easily have given this episode a 0.
November 23: Head-scratcher of an episode.
November 24: Worst week of the season thus far.

November 27: Andy wrote the BR combo line like Bobby McBride.
November 28: The Final Spin made up for the bad maingame.
November 29: SPOILER: No more early feeds this week…
November 30: Definite forced loss material in the BR.
December 1: Enough w/ the abysmal episodes already!!!

December 4: The magical time once again, Secret Santa Sweepstakes…
December 5: Nice $20K+ match!
December 6: Nick‘s EXPRESS crash was hard to watch…
December 7: Okay, BAKED has SIX letters?!
December 8: Well, BAH HUMBUG.

December 11: Not a favorable outcome at all.
December 12: Beware The British Ogre!
December 13: Too wild for me to give a rating or grade.
December 14: Since when is “thumb” a verb?
December 15: It’s a Christmas miracle!

December 18: The Monday losing skid is over, folks!
December 19: Norway, Sweden, AND Finland in the Prize Puzzle trip?!
December 20: Welcome back, Andy!
December 21: Another good match but not a Prize Puzzle concern.
December 22: CARRIAGE PROPOSAL?!

December 25: Jill‘s exchange w/ Pat went viral.
December 26: Finally, a $75K win!
December 27: I hate $0 Prize Puzzle wins.
December 28: QUITE ALIKE is kind of fun to say.
December 29: WAY too many duds in this episode also.

January 1: That Speed-Up was… something.
January 2: Bad first half, good ending.
January 3: R1 was just excruciating…
January 4: Slam DONK.
January 5: What an embarrassing BR loss that was.

January 8: As if last week wasn’t bad enough already…
January 9: How much more BANKRUPT TRASH is there gonna be?!
January 10: Well, at least this episode is SLIGHTLY decent.
January 11: Whoa, an ampersand in the BR?
January 12: Our first car sweep since S28!

January 15: If they use VIVID one more time…
January 16: What in the world did I just recap?!
January 17: The BR made up for lost time.
January 18: Could Tina really only think of MINOR?!
January 19: I’m not surprised that the RHYME TIME puzzle was slammed.

January 22: Just what I needed after the last two weeks…
January 23: I think Micah meant “BLOOD orange slices”.
January 24: I wish Dustin would have won.
January 25: Andy using the sunglasses emoji made me grin.
January 26: “Who jumps at the chance these days?” — Mario Cantone

January 29: Did it have to end w/ a post-buzzer solve?!
January 30: Oh dear lord, not another bad game…
January 31: Only because of the five-figure match.
February 1: Welcome aboard, Justin!
February 2: Here we go, SKUNKED again…

February 5: “The MVPs of our show”.
February 6: The maingame could have been better.
February 7: Two PRs AND a Triple Tossup sweep?!
February 8: Welp, automatic all-female sweep.
February 9: I love Friday Finals in modern episodes.

February 12: Rest in peace, Grandpa…
February 13: Not so romantic of an episode…
February 14: INVESTMENT FIRM has NO CHANCE of fitting.
February 15: Slightly below average.
February 16: Good match to end the week.

February 19: This episode marks Justin’s first-ever recap.
February 20: ANOTHER. PENALTY. FILLED. EPISODE.
Febraury 21: Hats off to Alexis for her comeback win.
February 22: Great, now I wish COLOR BEAR CUBS were real.
February 23: Guess who’s back? 🦨

February 26: That moment when you see “Whitepages” in Andy’s comment.
February 27: I thought the short intro would spell disaster.
February 28: What a way to end a losing streak!
February 29: I have actually heard of the word SHINDIG.
March 1: At least there was a minimum sweep.

March 4: Finally, I get to recap my favorite week!
March 5: Joey cleaned up nicely in the front game!
March 6: Wow, AND back-to-back MDBRs?!
March 7: Now that’s what you call a MAJOR PR!!!
March 8: Four WCs in a row AGAIN?

March 11: And my second favorite week immediately after!
March 12: What a game between Marsha and Dylan!
March 13: Australia is a COUNTRY. OCEANIA is the continent.
March 14: Once again, we needed the $6K Final Spin.
March 15: Now it’s my turn to vacation… 😌

March 18: It’s a bird… it’s a plane… its… SUPER-JERRY!!!
March 19: “Avengers… ASSEMBLE!!” – Jerry Liu, 2024
March 20: I would have loved to recap this episode.
March 21: ‘Sup, Spider-Man?
March 22: Jerry was the real hero by filling in for me.

March 25: A one-letter solve…
March 26: …three $50K losses in a row…
March 27: …and a grand prize win w/ one second left?!
March 28: The maingame was too shaky.
March 29: Thank HEAVENS Emma saved our bacon this week.

April 1: I was afraid Alicia would say DRIED BANANA.
April 2: I’m surprised Andy didn’t give this a 1.
April 3: At least this was an improvement from last night.
April 4: R3 was just EXCRUCIATING.
April 5: Phew, thank the almighty WC.

April 8: What a rotten birthday present for Andy…
April 9: Welcome back, Louise!
April 10: Well… THAT’S never happened in a while.
April 11: Andy’s special week is turning sour again…
April 12: Now that’s better.

April 15: Looks like they’re still on a budget…
April 16: The maingame could’ve been smoother.
April 17: WHOA, now what are the odds of THAT?!
April 18: Who misses a sight word in the BR?
April 19: Fan Friday Word Of The Day: My home country.

April 22: Nice five-figure match with few penalties.
April 23: Things are getting back on track…
April 24: This is A FEEL-GOOD TELEVISION SERIES indeed.
April 25: JP loves all-cash winners.
April 26: This is the pure definition of “Abysmal”.

April 29: The less said about Friday’s EPIC FAIL, the better.
April 30: See you next season, Andy…
May 1: A pretty wild start to May.
May 2: Flat-out lackluster episode.
May 3: “Arr”. I’m weak after that pirate impression! 🤣

May 6: Finally, a THING(S) win.
May 7: Another subpar game.
May 8: FUDDY DUDDY. I cannot.
May 9: A decent improvement.
May 10: The EXPRESS run was the main highlight.

May 13: Pat’s last compilation week…
May 14: A Triple Tossup sweep could’ve made a difference.
May 15: Honestly, there’s not much to write about this season.
May 16: Oops, someone forgot the “OF“…
May 17: “Thanks For The Memories” in the final compilation week?

May 20: Charles recovered nicely from his G repeat.
May 21: Hooray, a jackpot win!
May 22: It’s unimaginably rare to hear this audience booing.
May 23: Right in the butt!!!
May 24: Happy 8,000th, Wheel! Now the countdown commences. Ten…

May 27: …nine…
May 28: …eight…
May 29: …seven…
May 30: …six…
May 31: …five…

June 3: …four…
June 4: …three…
June 5: …two…
June 6: …one…
June 7: …thank you for everything, Pat.

And that, my friends and fellow admins, is every S41 episode reviewed in 10 words or less. Before we get to the stats, some notes about this season, etc., I would like to talk about my TOP 5 and BOTTOM 5 episodes. Do keep in mind that this is based solely on the episodes’ qualities themselves and not all major wins/losses will be factored into the lists. We’ll begin with…

TOP 5

5. May 21

Blake dominated the second half of this episode with a lucrative EXPRESS run, leading to a well-deserved INFINITI win in the BR after last night’s unclaimed prize. A reminder to Susan: Signaling devices are only for Tossup puzzles!

4. March 20

In a thrilling episode, Melinda‘s early MDW win wasn’t enough to secure victory. Berto‘s PP win, a much-needed cruise, ultimately turned the tide in his favor.

The BR was solvable by me with RSTLNE, a familiar pattern for long-time viewers. Luckily, Berto didn’t need any help and walked away with an impressive $100K! His genuine excitement made the win even more enjoyable.

3. May 24

@jliu23232‘s recap of this milestone episode perfectly captured the excitement, despite a few hiccups. Michael‘s infectious enthusiasm and incredible DJ win made it a truly unforgettable celebration!

2. June 6

In a thrilling episode, Hannah dominated the main game with a strategic EXPRESS run, racking up a significant lead. The excitement continued into the BR, where she landed a whopping $75K win, sending confetti and streamers showering down in what could be one of the final celebrations of the Pat Sajak era. To top it all off, viewers were treated to a delightful surprise – no SKUNKING during Pat’s final week!

1. NOVEMBER 17!!!

Despite a few missed puzzles, this episode delivered redemption with the season’s FIRST $100K WIN! Congratulations to V&T on their incredible victory!

But of course, the show is impossible without its bad moments and there were a handful of episodes that made me want to shut off the TV, but we just have no choice but to accept the fact and move on. Because of this, here we go w/ the section of this post we all dread…

BOTTOM 5

5. April 10

Well, this Wheel of Fortune episode was a rollercoaster. I was shocked that HOLLYWOOD stumped all three contestants in R1, but thankfully Laura quickly figured it out and capitalized on the opportunity. Laura continued her winning streak with another impressive solve in R3… AND THEN THE $100K TOTAL TRAINWRECK HAPPENED (FIRST SINCE KAYAKER FROM S35). It was heartbreaking to see her miss out on a guaranteed win by only $150. Those A’s would have been a lifesaver. 😖

4. January 16

After two lackluster episodes, my hopes for the rest of the week were dwindling. James‘ R1 guess of “HOTEL ROOF” after calling “F” was a head-scratcher. Extravagant hotel roofs? Not likely. And “APPLAUDING” just wasn’t going to work — another Triple Stumper? Seriously? Oh, and Jane, why risk another spin? That LaT was painful to watch. I nailed R5 right away just like Angela did and, thanks to a @jpgenius recap, I knew the BR answer with RSTLNE, but alas, perfection wasn’t meant to be.

3. April 2

This episode was a trainwreck from start to finish. R1 ended prematurely, setting a dismal tone. Things worsened in R2 with Sarah‘s devastating LaT, leading to a lackluster house minimum solve by Willie. With abysmal scores entering the Triple Tossup round (which was equally chaotic), disaster was imminent. Ultimately, Lauren‘s forgetfulness about collective nouns sealed the deal, resulting in a season-low $40K loss. The only silver lining? None of the big money wedges were hit.

2. December 1

The first episode in December was a tough one. Despite two players solving puzzles before the BR, the winner, Kristen, only managed to secure a meager $10,250. With no BR win to boost her total, she not only became the lowest-winning contestant of the season but also TIED THE RECORD-LOW WINNING TOTAL SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE TRIPLE TOSS-UP FORMAT.

1. APRIL 26.

This episode takes the crown for WORST OF THE SEASON. It gave that chaotic February 8 episode from last season a run for its money. Kate‘s risky R1 spin cost her dearly, and the following rounds were riddled with penalties, including a T repeat by Ellie on the MDW. Kate‘s surprising comeback win after a throwaway guess in the Speed-Up was short-lived, as her BR bankrupt solidified this episode as a true disaster. She’s the EIGHTH PLAYER TO MISS OUT ON THE $100K GRAND PRIZE. What started as a decent week ended on a sour note.

As a bonus, the Wildest Episode Of The Season award goes to…

…

…

…

…OCTOBER 13. Jack dominated the maingame, securing a massive $14K PP trip and hitting the jackpot with five P’s in the Speed-Up round. His impressive performance earned him the FOURTH-HIGHEST MAIN GAME WINNINGS EVER! Unfortunately, the episode also featured the season’s first TRIPLE STUMPER. In the BR, Jack‘s letter choices matched the correct answer, but he couldn’t solve the puzzle, missing out on a substantial prize. This means we didn’t see a minimum sweep this week, and Keri (Tuesday’s contestant that week) avoided becoming the lowest-scoring winner at the time.

Next, I’d like to go over some notes about this season (apart from the season’s changes):

  • All five BRs are lost on the week of September 11 (part of a seven-day losing streak), which means we had our first INSTANT SKUNKING since S23.
  • Due to Vanna testing positive for COVID-19, Bridgette Donald-Blue (named 2023 Teacher of the Year by the California Teachers Association) filled in for her. This was the first time since 1991 A.D. that Vanna had missed an episode. Jim introduced just Pat, who then introduced Bridgette. The opening chant was done by children. This was the first time since the 2011 A.D. Teen Best Friends week that the normal opening chant was not used (not counting several Halloween episodes where it was lowered in pitch). Due to Vanna’s absence, no sixth episode was taped.
  • On October 17, Nadine Cedro added an S to the last word in the R1 Crossword Puzzle FLY FINGERS BEAN NUT (in the category BUTTER____), but was still accepted. The closed captioning also displayed “nuts”. This did not affect the outcome.
  • For the first time since 2016 A.D., scary sound effects replaced the BR envelope chime during Halloween Week.
  • On October 26, Rhachel Royal-Fortune recited a poem congratulating Pat on his retirement. A clip of this was posted on the show’s social media and included in media articles before the episode aired.
  • During the closing and credits on Halloween, Pat, Vanna, Maggie, and Jim handed out candy to various staff members’ children, including Bellamie Blackstone’s daughter. Maggie wore a Wheel-shaped blanket modified as a skirt.
  • During the $100K win on November 17, the confetti did not fire. This appeared to have been a malfunction; during the closing segment, Pat jokingly wrote a letter of complaint to the “Johnson Confetti Machine Company”.
  • On November 22, when Vanna activated the second Triple Tossup MIAMI BEACH, the second M lit up first instead of the H.
  • On November 30, the NMC beeps did not sound in the Speed-Up.
  • On December 4, the closed captioning wrote all three contestants’ last names as “[indistinct]”.
  • December 7 is only the second known time that two puzzles on the same episode are solved with only one letter showing.
  • During R3 on December 28, Pat does not prompt Michael Merritt to use his WC on TD despite earning it only two turns prior. This affects the outcome, as he later solves the puzzle, loses the card to BANKRUPT in R4, then finishes in second place.
  • In R1, Carla Antonino picks up the WC before calling a letter. Pat instructs her to put it back, after which she calls an incorrect letter. When the card ends up being hit by Tiffiney Lee on the next turn, Pat walks over and readjusts the card before she calls her letter, which is in the puzzle.
  • Pat and Vanna celebrated Maggie’s birthday with a cupcake from Vanna and a $5 bill from Pat.
  • For the first time since 4/17/2009 A.D., an ampersand appears in the BR (BAGELS & DOUGHNUTS).
  • NFL Superfan Tournament Week was the first NFL week played since January 2006 A.D..
  • Not one, but two same-sex couples competed during Sweethearts Week.
  • From March 5-8, four contestants in a row took the WC to the BR, and the first two of those contestants also took the MDW.
  • As an April Fools’ Day prank, Jared Leto walked out with Vanna instead of Pat, and introduced the $1K Tossup.
  • On April 23, the camera cut away too soon during the $1K Tossup, showing a brief shot of Vanna getting in place at the puzzle board before the wipe appears. Vanna was shown on-camera during the contestant interviews, due to Laura Trombino saying that she met Pat and Vanna shooting promos while on her honeymoon. Mikeya Bates‘ microphone shorted out when the R’s were revealed in R2. As a result, there was about a five-minute pause in recording before her microphone was fixed and the reveal of the R’s was re-shot. During the pause, stage manager Jimmy McGuire told Pat “the R’s have been populated” when explaining the situation, and Pat referenced this comment by saying “let’s get the O’s populated there” later in the round. After R2, there was a bumper where a partially-revealed puzzle themed to travel is shown (similar to the Puzzler), with Jim saying via voiceover, “Can you solve this special Holland America Line puzzle?”
  • After Alex Harrell wins the Prize in R2, Pat began to throw to Jim before realizing he has already read the copy, at which point Jim was shown on-camera a second time. A clip of this uploaded to Facebook edited out Pat’s mistake and Jim’s subsequent comment by splicing in the Prize copy afterward.
  • During the closing chat on April 30, Pat and Vanna drank margaritas made with the Margaritaville Portable Frozen Margarita Maker. The segment was re-shot due to Pat getting salt on his lips and tripping over his words on the first take.
  • The audience booed the Bonus Puzzle QUIBBLING after Paul Dodson fails to solve it.
  • On May 23, Tavaris Williams guessed RIGHT IN THE BUTT! on the $1K Tossup THIS IS THE BEST!, a moment which goes viral.
  • On May 28, Brian Davis spun a BANKRUPT during Final Spin.

That’s all I have for now. If anyone has any more notes about this season, please feel free to let me know in the comments.

Portions of the materials used in this segment are trademarks and/or copyrighted works of the Wheel of Fortune History Wiki. This material is not official and is not endorsed by the Wheel of Fortune History Wiki. All rights reserved by the Wheel of Fortune History Wiki.

And now, let’s take a look at the stats:

meta-chart-1

As you can see, approximately 3/8 of the episodes were Mediocre and there were almost twice as many bad episodes as there were good. There were only five episodes under the Amazing rank, two of which contained $100K wins. This season was also almost a carbon copy of the awful S35 and S36.

In spite of this, however, I will say that this was a MEDIOCRE season. I was this close to giving it a BAD (and for a while, that seemed to be the final seasonal rating). The early portion of the season may have been lackluster for the most part and I gave a rating of 0 on the bottom three episodes this season in my humble opinion, but everything near the end of the season (as well as the Pat Sajak era) made for some great television.

SEASONAL RATING: 5.5
SEASONAL GRADE: E

Closing Remarks

In closing, my dear friends and esteemed fellow admins, as we bid adieu to Pat’s final season, let us reflect on the journey we’ve shared and the remarkable evolution of the show. With Alex Van Wagner taking the helm as director, we anticipate exciting new chapters ahead.

Season after season, we’ve witnessed changes, and this one is no exception. From adjustments to the Bonus Wheel to the return of the studio audience, each modification has added a fresh layer to the iconic game show experience. As we embrace these shifts, let us cherish the memories we’ve created together.

I extend heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your unwavering dedication and support. Special thanks to @jliu23232 for his invaluable contributions, stepping in seamlessly during pivotal moments. Your commitment has been the cornerstone of our success.

As we look back on Pat’s illustrious tenure spanning 43 remarkable years, let us honor his legacy with fond memories and deep appreciation. Though he bids farewell as host, his influence will endure as he continues to guide the show in his role as consultant.

As we eagerly anticipate Ryan Seacrest’s stewardship in the upcoming season, let us remain open to the possibilities it holds. What are your reflections on Pat’s final season, and what do you envision for S42? Share your thoughts, for it is through our collective insight that we shape the future of this beloved show.

In closing, I extend warm wishes for an unforgettable summer ahead. Let us embark on this new chapter with optimism, unity, and the enduring spirit of Wheel of Fortune. Again, on behalf of myself, @jliu23232, @jpgenius, @jbeaugard01, and especially @andynwof as the big cheese of this website himself, thank you, Pat, for a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.

Ending Song

Scene: A group of friends (Jerry, JP, Justin, Nick, Danny, Antwan, Corey, Malek) and the mascot, Friendship Feed, are gathered at a cliffside, watching the sunset. A television nearby plays the final episode of Pat Sajak hosting Wheel of Fortune.

[Background sound of waves crashing]

Jerry: (Sighs) Man, this isn’t the same without Pat. Wheel of Fortune just won’t be the same.

JP: You’re telling me. Feels like the end of an era.

Nick: (Nods) Definitely. Though hey, gotta give a big welcome to the new guy!

Justin: (Smiling) Thanks, Nick! Happy to be here.

Danny: Speaking of new beginnings, Nick had an interesting idea for next season…

Nick: (Looks at Corey) How about Corey becomes the first-ever female admin?

Corey: (Surprised) Oh wow, Nick! Thanks! I… I don’t know what to say.

Antwan: You deserve it, Corey. Great call, Nick.

Malek: Absolutely!

[Suddenly, Jerry points excitedly]

Jerry: Hey! Guys, look behind you!

(Everyone turns around)

All (except Andy): Andy!

Andy: (Grinning, holding a suitcase) Hey everyone! Back from vacation!

Nick: (Pulls out his guitar) Welcome back, man! Perfect timing. How about we sing our usual ending song, make it extra special for Pat’s last hurrah?

Danny: Great idea!

JP: Sounds good!

Nick: ♫♫ Hey, this was really fun! ♫
Jerry: ♫ We hope you liked it too! ♫
Andy: ♫ Seems like we’ve just begun ♫
Andy, Jerry, and Nick: ♫ When suddenly, we’re through… ♫

Andy: ♫ Goodbye, goodbye, dear Pat Sajak ♫
Andy, Jerry and Nick: ♫ ‘Cause now it’s time to go ♫
Nick: ♫ But hey, I say, well, that’s okay ♫
Jerry: ♫ ‘Cause we’ll see you very soon, I know! ♫
Andy: ♫ Very soon, I know! ♫

JP: ♫ Oh, when Pat Sajak goes away ♫
Justin: ♫ It’s kind of sad, but then ♫
Danny: ♫ So sad, but then ♫
Antwan: ♫ It’s nice to know ♫
Corey: ♫ It won’t be long ♫
Malek: ♫ ‘Til we get to see the new host Ryan! ♫
Friendship Feed: ♫ The new host Ryan! ♫

(key changes from A to C)

All: ♫ Goodbye, goodbye, good friends, goodbye ♫
Andy, Jerry, JP, Justin, and Nick: ♫ Next season will be grand, we pray! ♫
Danny, Antwan, Corey, Malek, and Friendship Feed: (♫ Goodbye, we pray! ♫)

All: ♫ The hosts, the Wheel, and the studio will be waiting for you to come and play! To come and play! To come and play! ♫♫

All (spoken): Bye now!

(I end the song before performing one last quick strum of the C chord and quickly muting my guitar before everybody compliments and applauds each other’s performances.)

And then, Pat Sajak took his final bow… or did he?

FINAL S41 STATS

JL32310 Comments

We started off Pat’s final week modestly but ended very nicely thanks to the last two episodes.

Total for this Week: $360,718
-Maingame: $235,718
-BR Wins: $125K

Total for the Season: $10,754,886
-Maingame: $7,472,152
-BR Wins: $3,302,734

Prize Wedge Wins: 38

MW was Flipped-Declined: 55-22
MW Flip was $10K–BANKRUPT: 18-37
$10K MW was Next to LaT–$650: 25-30
MW Wins: 8

EXPRESS was Played-Passed: 37-9
–Successes: 18
–Crashes: 19 (Wipeouts: 8)

WC Usages: 32
-Maingame: 4 (3 on $3,500, 1 on $550)
-BR: 28

5-Round Games: 20

Triple $10K+ Finishes: 8

Perfect Rounds: 72

Gooseegg Victims: 29

Toss-Up Triple Stumpers: 6

Triple Toss-Up Sweeps: 30 (5 swept every Toss-Up)

Red/Yellow/Blue Winners: 71/70/54

Biggest Margins of Victory

  1. $65,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $42,630 (Oct. 10)
  3. $37,400 (Oct. 16)

Smallest Margins of Victory

  1. $233 (Jan. 16)
  2. $260 (Dec. 11)
  3. $400 (Jun. 5)

Players who Needed the PP to Win: 65 (41 lost BR)

$0 Prize Puzzle Wins: Week: 1, Season: 33
House Minimum Bumps: Week: 2, Season: 91

Average Maingame Winning Score this Week: $27,276 (+$4,741)
Average Maingame Winning Score this Season: $23,432 (+$101)

Median Maingame Winning Score this Week: $29,598 (+$10,208)
Median Maingame Winning Score this Season: $22,299 (+$99)

This Week’s BANKRUPT Trash: $14,850
Total BANKRUPT Trash for the Season: $859,537 + 1 trip of unknown value
Biggest Known BANKRUPT: $29,750 (Apr. 26)
Biggest Known BANKRUPT Trash in a Game: $36,250 (Apr. 26)

BANKRUPT Trash-Free Games: 24
BANKRUPT-Free Games: 7
Penalty Spin-Free Games: 5

BANKRUPT Trash by Only One Contestant: 84

Aired BANKRUPT Hits
-Near $650: Week: 5, Season: 168
-Near TD: Week: 1, Season: 176
-Via MDW: Week: 1, Season: 95

Aired LaT Hits: Week: 3, Season: 126

Aired Duds: Week: 20, Season: 1,112
Aired DQs: Week: 4, Season: 134

BANKRUPT Losses
WCs: Week: 0, Season: 38
MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 10
$10K MWs: Week: 0, Season: 3
Prize Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 11
Cash: Week: $14,850, Season: $755,700

Unclaimed
MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 16
$10K MWs: Week: 0, Season: 7
Prize Wedges: Week: 1, Season: 29
Cash: Week: $58,350, Season: $2,611,500

Forfeited WCs: Week: 0, Season: 30
Forfeited MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 8

Top Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $136,386 (Feb. 9)
  2. $126,714 (Nov. 17)
  3. $121,917 (Mar. 20)
  4. $119,500 (Jan. 2, Mar. 27)
  5. $111,160 (May 24)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $71,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $48,480 (Oct. 10)
  3. $46,690 (Mar. 7)
  4. $46,250 (Feb. 8)
  5. $40,794 (Sept. 19)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $151,414 (Nov. 17)
  2. $137,717 (Mar. 20)
  3. $133,398 (Mar. 27)
  4. $131,100 (Jan. 2)
  5. $130,260 (May 24)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $79,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $63,950 (Feb. 8)
  3. $63,036 (Nov. 3)
  4. $62,830 (Dec. 25)
  5. $62,799 (Sept. 27)

Bottom Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $10,250 (Dec. 1)
  2. $11,550 (Jan. 29)
  3. $11,900 (Jan. 16)
  4. $12,470 (Apr. 2)
  5. $12,949 (Nov. 24)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $10,250 (Dec. 1)
  2. $11,550 (Jan. 29)
  3. $11,649 (May 6)
  4. $11,900 (Jan. 16)
  5. $12,298 (Oct. 18)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $22,620 (Apr. 2)
  2. $24,517 (Dec. 8)
  3. $25,567 (Jan. 16)
  4. $26,290 (Sept. 12)
  5. $26,410 (Nov. 21)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $21,470 (Oct. 27)
  2. $22,620 (Apr. 2)
  3. $22,800 (Apr. 19)
  4. $23,550 (Nov. 22)
  5. $24,517 (Dec. 8)

Season-High Week: Home for the Holidays ($395,364)
Season-Low Week: European Vacation ($179,526)

MAINGAME PUZZLE STATS

CATEGORYTU1TU2R1R2R3TTUR4+
AROUND THE HOUSE101131499
BEFORE & AFTER——1954———
CHARACTER(S)11114
CROSSWORD——727———
EVENT(S)931481066
FAMILY1
FOOD & DRINK91596302513
FUN & GAMES1311831176
IN THE KITCHEN252141
LANDMARK32131
LIVING THING(S)413117510
MOVIE QUOTE1211
MOVIE TITLE1111
OCCUPATION(S)1161538
ON THE MAP19202269
PERSON/PEOPLE12171192816
PHRASE2213209321041
PLACE(S)231514841416
PROPER NAME29111
QUOTATION 1
RHYME TIME565148
SAME LETTER——38————
SAME NAME——433———
SHOW BIZ4732823
SONG/ARTIST1
SONG LYRICS11351
SONG TITLE11
THING(S)2616135204724
TITLE4131
TV TITLE1
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?1741518322225
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?572638

FINAL SPIN STATS

Occurrence
Start of Round 4: 138
Middle of Round 4: 37
Start of Round 5+: 15
Middle of Round 5+: 5

Spun by Red/Yellow/Blue: 61/63/71

Final Spin Amounts
$1,500: 60
$1,550: 9
$1,600: 27
$1,650: 22
$1,700: 27
$1,800: 10
$1,850: 7
$1,900: 20
$6K: 13

Final Spins Edited Out: 14 (1 was left in)

BONUS ROUND STATS

BR Win Record: 69-126 (.354)

PBRWs: 0
4-1 Weeks: 1
3-2 Weeks: 9
2-3 Weeks: 13
1-4 Weeks: 12
SKUNKINGS: 4 (TOTAL TAPING DAY WASHOUTS: 2)

MDBRs: 11

Letter Combo Wipeouts: 9 (TOTAL TRAINWRECKS: 1)

Perfect Letter Combos: 4

BR Categories
Top/Middle/Bottom Chosen: 64/50/81

AROUND THE HOUSE: 1/1; 1-0
EVENT: 8/21; 3-5
FOOD & DRINK: 16/20; 6-10
FUN & GAMES: 2/3; 1-1
IN THE KITCHEN: 1/2; 0-1
LIVING THING(S): 5/16; 1-4
ON THE MAP: NEVER OFFERED
PERSON/PEOPLE: 10/50; 3-7
PHRASE: 77/169; 30-47
PLACE: 17/49; 6-11
THING(S): 13/195; 1-12
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: 42/56; 16-26
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?: 3/3; 1-2

Dreaded Category Trio Encounters: Week: 1, Season: 48
THING-Free Category Choices: THING(S) OFFERED IN ALL 195 EPISODES THIS SEASON

BR Prizes
CAR: 22/54 (2 car sweeps)
$40K: 34/104 (6 minimum sweeps)
$50K: 6/18
$75K: 3/6
$100K (or $1M): 4/13

Car Wins

  • 1 Lincoln Corsair Standard
  • 2 Nissan LEAF SV Pluses
  • 2 Nissan Pathfinder SLs
  • 3 MINI Cooper SEs
  • 1 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend
  • 1 BMW X1 xDrive28i
  • 2 Ford Mustang MACH-E Selects
  • 2 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Premium Convertibles
  • 1 Volkswagen Atlas 3.6L V6 SE
  • 1 maZDa CX-50 2.5 S Select
  • 1 Chevrolet Equinox RS
  • 1 Ford Edge SEL
  • 1 Nissan Murano SV
  • 1 BMW X2 M35i
  • 2 Infiniti QX50s

MDBR Result
Landed on $1M:
1 Space Away:
2-3 Spaces Away: 2
4-5 Spaces Away: 2
6 Spaces Away: 2
7-8 Spaces Away: 1
9-11 Spaces Away: 4
12 Spaces Away:

BR Wins Despite Losing WC to BANKRUPT: 6
BR Losses Despite Having WC: 15
Non-$100K Wins After Losing MDW to BANKRUPT: 1

Toughest BR Puzzle this Week: JOTTING DOWN IDEAS (the frontloading J made it a bit difficult, but nice job by Hannah for getting it)
Easiest BR Puzzle this Week: FACTS AND FIGURES (even for a THING(S) puzzle, calling the F would give a good shot at it, yet Allison didn’t take advantage of it)

Players of the Week: Hannah Precour & Adrienne Bean

WEEKLY RATING: 7 (C-)

And with that, we bid our final adieus and wish a happy retirement to Pat after 41 years of hosting the syndicated version of the show. Thanks for everything, Pat; we’ll miss you.

Andy should be back from vacation soon for his Best/Worst of S41 post, and Nick for his edition of “Every S41 Episode in 10 Words or Less (and some concluding words)”.

WoF Recap: June 7, 2024 — 🔚PAT’S LAST EPISODE🔚

nickskapower14 Comments

Well, folks, this is it… Pat’s final show… let’s make it a good one. I would also like to send out a BROBDINGNAGIAN thanks to @jliu23232 for allowing me to recap one of the most memorable episodes there is, ever was, and ever will be.

EPISODE #8010: 📖THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES📖

Flashback (1981): Pat’s debut on the daytime show

$1K Tossup: ON THE MAP

_ H _ C _ G _
_ _ _ _ N _ _ S

Tammi knows Pat’s from CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. The very last contestants playing in the Pat Sajak era…

Tammi Barker: part of a moms group and loves doing mom’s night out dinners every month from Livermore, CA

Nino Ortiz Toro: Marine for five years and currently a firefighter married for 10 years with two children from Augusta, GA

Adrienne Bean: aspiring singer despite her family saying that she can’t from Memphis, TN

$2K Tossup: OCCUPATION

_ _ V _ R T _ S I _ G
_ X _ C _ _ _ V _

I wonder who Ryan’s ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE will be on this show? Nino makes the solve.

FEATURED TRIP: The Crane in BARBADOS

The first round is actually skipped due to a special message from Pat Sajak reflecting on his long hosting career at the end of the show, so he does his Final Spin landing on the MW in between $650/$700 and then adds $1K, which means everybody gets $2K, but Pat decides to make it $5K instead.

Prevagen Mystery Round (after we get a shot of Jim): BEFORE & AFTER

Nino: T ($600), four N’s ($550), A
Adrienne: R ($850), two O’s, S (same MW… BANKRUPT; -$600)
Tammi: Two B’s ($850), two L’s (BARBADOS)

S _ _ L L _ N _
B _ _
_ N / _ O _ R
B O N N _ T

She solves SPELLING BEE IN YOUR BONNET for $14,890 cash & Barbados.

Adrienne: $5K/Tammi: $20,890 cash & Barbados/Nino: $7K

PP/Express Round: EVENT

Adrienne: N (MDW)
Tammi: Two S’s ($700), A
Nino: B ($500)
Adrienne: Two R’s ($600), E, I, H ($650), two O’s (NMV), two W’s ($500)

_ I R E W O R _ S
S H O W

She wins $2,100 and might see a FIREWORKS SHOW in FINLAND on her collette tour worth $12,498.

Adrienne: $19,598 cash & Finland/Tammi: $20,890 cash & Barbados/Nino: $7K

Last Fan Friday Word of the Week this season: PAT (enter for your chance to win an ultimate WoF fan collection featuring classic props from the show and classic Wheel merch)

Triple Tossup: WAYD?

1.

S _ _ D _ _ _ / A
T _ A N K – _ _ U / _ _ _ E

Tammi botches the last word w/ CARD when the last letter is an E.

S _ _ D _ _ _ / A
T H A N K – _ _ U / _ _ _ E

Adrienne’s SENDING A THANK-YOU NOTE to take the lead.

2.

S _ _ _ _ N G
A / _ A R _

Adrienne’s also SENDING A CARD.

3.

_ E N _ I N _ / _
_ E X _ / _ E _ S _ _ E

Adrienne’s SENDING A TEXT MESSAGE for the Tossup sweep!

Round 3: THING

Adrienne: Two T’s ($600)

DING DING! DING DING!

The very last Final Spin Amount in the Pat Sajak era: LaT $1,500

_ T _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ T _ _ _

Adrienne: R
Tammi: S
Nino: Three N’s

S T _ N _ _ N _
_ _ _ T _ _ N

He gets a STANDING OVATION after solving for $4,500; he finishes w/ $11,500.

PENALTY BOXBANKRUPTSDUDS
MYSTERY ROUNDAdrienneA (Nino)
PP/EXPRESS ROUNDN (Adrienne), A (Tammi), B (Nino)
ROUND 3R (Adrienne)

FINAL SCORES
Adrienne: $29,598 cash & Finland/Tammi: $20,890 cash & Barbados/Nino: $11,500

GT: $61,988
BANKRUPT TRASH: $600

The final BR category list of the Pat Sajak era…

  • THING
  • PLACE
  • LIVING THINGS

As a side note, THING(S) has unfortunately been offered all 195 episodes this season for the first time like I feared.

$100K Bonus Round

Adrienne brought sister Aisha.

SPIN: First A of AMERICA’S

This is a recycled BR from 2/26/2001…

_ _ _ _
_ _ R _ _

CMPA is a very good combo…

_ A C _
P _ R C _

While Pat’s sitting on his BACK PORCH she wins $50K for a final total $79,598 cash & trip!

Pat’s final message

MY RATING: 8.5
MY GRADE: B+

(While “Pomp and Circumstance” plays) Thanks are truly and most certainly in honor to the legendary Pat Sajak. Words cannot simply describe how much of an honor it was to have him as the host of the game show we all know and love. This was indeed his final show and he is deciding to step back from the long-running game show we all know and love and words cannot simply describe how much of an honor it was to have him as the beloved host of Wheel Of Fortune. He will still remain a consultant for the show for three years after he retires as the host. His service on Wheel of Fortune marks 43 wonderful years, from December 28, 1981 to today. He was among the most famous and successful game show hosts to ever roam the face of the planet. Again, on behalf of myself, @jliu23232, @jpgenius, @jbeaugard01, and especially @andynwof as the big cheese of this website himself, we at WordPress cannot thank you enough, Pat, for absolutely everything you have done for us all. And Pat, to you: Cheers!

WoF Recap: June 6, 2024

JL32310 Comments

EPISODE #8009: 📖THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES📖

Flashback (1991; incorrectly labeled as “1980s”): Pat and Vanna pie each other at the end of a show.

$1K Toss-Up: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

P L A _ I N _ / I _
T H _ / _ I G / _ A _ E

Jim could be PLAYING IN THE BIG LAKE if he wins a trip tonight, but that’s incorrect.

P L A _ I N _ / I _
T H _ / _ I G / _ A M E

Hannah and her opposition are PLAYING IN THE BIG GAME…

Hannah Precour: dental assistant instructor at a local technical college married to Lance for 20 years with three sons and has the pleasure of going by Nana Hannah to their two grandchildren (one of them named Abraham is also known as “Babraham”; she has nicknames for everybody); they’ve been organizing free dental clinics for the community so everybody can have a happy and healthy smile from Graham, WA

Kandace George: pharmacy technician at a long-term care pharmacy (they package medications for assisted living facilities, nursing rehabs, and nursing homes) married to Corey with two kids from Garland, TX

Jim Gras: Air Force reservist for 21 years and now retired married to Penny with a son Wesley and “the most spoiled dog in the world” named Shadow from Bradenton, FL

$2K Toss-Up: WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

_ A R _ _ / H _ T

Jim blanks out.

P A R _ _ / H _ T

Hannah triples up with PARTY HAT.

FEATURED TRIP: Coconut Bay (CARIBBEAN)

Round 1: THINGS

Hannah: $2,100 T trio, 2 E’s, 3 I’s, $550 M, A, LaT
Kandace: $1,400 D pair, 3 O’s (NMV), $1,100 N pair, solve for $2,250…

T I M E – _ O N O _ E D
T _ A D I T I O N _

She knows that this show has been part of our TIME-HONORED TRADITIONS.

Mystery Round: SAME NAME

Kandace: $1,400 S pair, 4 E’s, no D on $650
Jim: 2 R’s for CARIBBEAN worth over $11K, A (NMV), D repeat on $500
Hannah: $500 T, $1,800 P pair, $1,800 N trio, $600 M, $500 B, solve for $5,200…

P E R M A N E N T / &
B E N _ _
P R E S S

She solves PERMANENT & BENCH PRESS.

Hannah: $8,200 | Kandace: $2,250 | Jim: ZILCH

PP/Express Round: FOOD & DRINK

Jim: $500 T, $1,400 R pair, E, MDW’s right side ($1,650 lost)
Hannah: $1K S pair, 2 A’s, $650 H, O, $1,950 M trio, 2 C’s on EXPRESS

Allllllllllllllllllll aboooooooOOOOOOOARD!!

Current Bank: $5,100
Chosen: 3 F’s (she initially wanted to solve early), N, D (NMC), solve for $10,100…

M _ F F _ N S / M A D E
F R O M / S C R A T C H

She might have some MUFFINS MADE FROM SCRATCH on her Overseas Adventure Travel safari in AFRICA worth $12,990.

Hannah: $31,290 cash & safari | Kandace: $2,250 | Jim: BUPKIS

Triple Toss-Up: PLACE

1.

_ _ _ / C _ E _ M
_ _ _ L _ _

All parlors here; Kandace solves ICE CREAM PARLOR.

2.

_ I _ _ A
_ _ _ _ _ R

She also solves PIZZA PARLOR…

3.

_ I _ G O
_ A _ L _ R

…but Jim is scoreless no more with BINGO PARLOR.

Speed-Up: PHRASE

Jim has spun $1,600 per consonant.

Jim: 3 T’s
Hannah: N
Kandace: S
Jim: B
Hannah: 2 R’s
Kandace: H
Jim: buys unhelpful A
NULL CYCLE
Hannah: 4 E’s (NMV)

B E T T E R / T H A N
E _ E R

Hannah’s feeling BETTER THAN EVER after winning another $6,400.

PENALTY BOX DUDS LaTs BANKRUPTS REPEATS
Round 1 Hannah
Mystery Round D (Kandace) D (Jim)
PP/Express Round Jim
Speed-Up (aired) S (Kandace) N/A N/A
5 TOTAL 2 1 1 1

FINAL SCORES
Hannah: $36,090 cash & safari | Kandace: $6,250 | Jim: $2K

GRAND TOTAL: $44,340
BANKRUPT TRASH: $1,650

Unfavorable categories for Hannah…

  • THING
  • PLACE
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

$100K Bonus Round

After we see her aunt Patty and cousin Tiffany, she lands on the ★. Opening setup…

_ _ T T _ N _ / _ _ _ N
_ _ E _ S

GBDO is a pretty good combo even though the G is a waste…

_ O T T _ N G / D O _ N
_ D E _ S

We won’t have a skunking on Pat’s final week because Hannah will be JOTTING DOWN IDEAS on what to do with this amount she just won…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…$75K (the confetti and streamers come down for what is very likely the last time in the Pat Sajak era) for a final total of $111,090 cash & Africa!

I seem to bring good luck to this show with my past few first-run recaps, don’t I?

Vanna closes the show saying she can’t believe that tomorrow is their last show together. She doesn’t know how to put into words what these past 41 years have meant to her, but she’s going to try. 8,000 episodes went by like the snap of her finger. When she first started, she was so green. Pat made her so comfortable and made her so confident and made her who she is. As the years have gone by, they’ve grown up on television, but they’ve also shared so much more behind the scenes. As much fun as they had on camera, those memories, milestones, and life events they shared with their families outside the studio are her favorite. They’ve watched their children go up together, traveled all over the world, eaten hundreds of meals together, laughed, cried, and celebrated. As she gets teary-eyed, she remarks “what an incredible and unforgettable journey we’ve had, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it”. As this chapter of their lives is coming to an end, she knows he’ll still be close by. He’s like a brother to her, and she considers him a true lifelong friend who she will always adore. She then blows a kiss for Pat.

Postgame Chat: Pat has been saving a tissue for Vanna. She almost lost him a day early because when she’s not expecting confetti, it’s very frightening, but he survived that.

MY RATING: 9 (A-)

And then, there was one. @nickskapower will wrap up the season tomorrow.

WoF Recap: June 5, 2024

jbeaugard014 Comments

EPISODE #8008: 📖THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES📖

Flashback (2008): Pat’s bald wig prank on April’s Fool’s Day 2008

$1K Tossup: EVENT

_ O _ E _ T _ U S
O _ C A _ I O N

This JP knows at Pat’s retirement is indeed a MOMENTOUS OCCASION, as he gets on the board first. Midweek panel…

JP Welliver: vacuum salesman who ran the equivalent of 50 full marathons in 2021 to raise money for pediatric cancer from Lititz, PA (Pat compliments JP’s bowtie saying he looks like a door-do-door vacuum cleaner salesman)

Allison Willis: construction worker and truck driver for 9 years where she gets to meet new people, work outside, stay active, get dirty, and yell at the boys with a 14-year-old teenage daughter named Ava from Suffern, NY

Nonie Lewis: partying grandma who previously auditioned in the 1980s and 2000s (she does this every 20 years) from Dallas, TX

$2K Tossup: PERSON

D A N C _
C _ A _ E R _ _ E

Allison draws a blank.

D A N C _
C _ A P E R _ N E

JP gets a DANCE CHAPERONE.

FEATURED PRIZE: Barcelo Maya Riviera

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

JP: Instant dud of T on $550

Allison: 2 N’s ($650), 3 A’s, R (TD), O, S ($700), last vowels of 1 E and 1 I, 2 D’s ($600), solve attempt…

A _ _ / _ A N D S / O N
D E _ _
_ _ A I R

She solves ALL HANDS ON DECK CHAIR for $4,700.

Mystery Round: FOOD & DRINK

Allison: 1 T ($650), 1 R ($700), 2 E’s, 1 I, 2 S’s ($500), LaT

Nonie: 1 M ($600), 4 O’s, 1 H ($900), 1 P ($600) (just barely avoided the BANKRUPT), 1 D (TD), solve attempt…

S _ P E R _ O O D
S M O O T H I E

She blows it by one letter with SUPERGOOD SMOOTHIE, so $5,350 is at risk for her.

JP: Last consonant of 1 F ($700), solve attempt…

S _ P E R F O O D
S M O O T H I E

He drinks up a SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE for a $300 bonus.

JP: $4,000 / Allison: $4,700 / Nonie: $0

PP/Express round: PLACE

Nonie: 1 L ($850), 2 E’s, 1 A, No N on EXPRESS

JP: No T on $600

Allison: 1 S ($700), 2 I’s, 2 P’s ($500), last vowel of one O, solve attempt…

_ I _ _ _ L E / _ E P A I _
S _ O P

She wins $1,200 extra and might visit a BICYCLE REPAIR SHOP in ICELAND on her Icelandair trip valued at $8,500.

JP: $4K / Allison: $14,400 cash & Iceland / Nonie: $0

Triple Tossup: PHRASE

#1:

R _ _ L _ Y / _ A R
_ W _ Y

The lead’s not REALLY FAR AWAY for JP.

#2:

I ‘ _ / H _ _ _ W _ Y
T _ E R E

JP replies “I’M HALFWAY THERE”.

#3:

_ I T H I _ / _ A _ _ I _ G
D _ _ T _ _ _ _

JP’s now WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE of 1st place because he sweeps the triple toss-ups!

Speed-up round: THING

JP sets the consonants value at the $1,500 minimum.

JP: 1 T
Allison 2 R’s
Nonie: 1 N
JP: 2 L’s
Allison: 1 S
Nonie: 3 C’s

_ N C R _ _ _ _ L _
_ C _ / S C _ L _ T _ R _

Nonie spots an INCREDIBLE ICE SCULPTURE right before the buzzer for her first and only $6K.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLATSDQS
Round 1T (JP)
Mystery Round AllisonNonie’s missolve
PP/Express round N (Nonie) & T (JP)
Speed-up round
5 total311

FINAL SCORES
JP: $14,000 / Allison: $14,400 & Iceland / Nonie: $6,000

GRAND TOTAL: $34,400
NO BANKRUPTS

Allison’s category list looks like this…

  • PLACE
  • PERSON
  • THINGS

Really? Ok…

$100K Bonus Round

Allison brought along her daughter Ava, and her good friends Coral and Melissa. Her spin lands on the E in GAME. Starting setup…

_ _ _ T S / _ N _
_ _ _ _ R E S 

DBGO doesn’t add much besides the obvious D…

_ _ _ T S / _ N D 
_ _ G _ R E S

She’s not even close with COATS AND HANGERS, so the FACTS AND FIGURES are that she won’t be winning an extra $40K.

MY RATING: 5

Maggie mentions on how his dad was able to tape Wheel of Fortune and still spend time with his family.

And then, there were two. The stage is all yours, @jliu23232.

WoF Recap: June 4, 2024

jpgenius4 Comments

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…

SPAGHETTI
OO
_TOMATO

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 BOXDUDSBANKRUPTSMISSOLVES
Round 1C (Nece), D (C.J.)DavidC.J.
Mystery RoundN (David)
PP/Express RoundA (C.J.)Everyone (Nece 2x)
Speed-UpR and L (Nece), K (C.J.)
13 TOTAL751

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.

WoF Recap: June 3, 2024

jpgenius15 Comments

Well, this is it, folks – Pat’s last week as host. Let’s hope his final 15 contestants make it count…

EPISODE #8006: 📖THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES📖

Flashback (1997): While the hosts sit at a table (and Pat reads a newspaper), they wonder if people see them as a married couple since they’d shared 15 years of laughs and memories that year.

The black generic stage looks like “Happy New Year,” with the banquet decor and wheels. And the Dalmatian is on the right side of the right wheel.

$1K Tossup: WAYD?

S _ R _ T C _ _ N G
_ Y / L E _ _

While I’m STRETCHING MY LEGS, David’s the first to score. Let’s meet him and his female competition:

David Livermore (Garnet, MI; that’s in the Yooper Upper Peninsula): retired 20-year, eight-month Army vet who would’ve celebrated four years of retirement in May; he has two sons and two grandkids in Michigan’s Lower Half (which he calls the “Trolls”) and mentions “Yooper” is a Finnish dialect

Joyce Bolds (Fayetteville, GA): retired teacher and aspiring stand-up comedian who brought 45 fifth graders to SPS; she’s been married to Milton for 43 years and has two grown kids and a granddaughter… and a VHS tape of her in the audience during the show’s 1996 remote in Atlanta

Dimple Shroff (Sanford, FL; born in India): a lady who enjoys anything creative (including architecture, home design, decorating, and styling) and compliments Vanna’s style; she’s been married to her “outstanding” college sweetheart for 33 years (she gave him that adjective because he would wait for her while she took her courses), and Wheel was the first show she watched when she arrived in the USA

And yes, David makes hand gestures to show the locations in Michigan he and his family are from.

$2K Tossup: FOOD & DRINK

A _ _ _ R – _ I N N _ R
M _ N T _

Joyce gobbles up some AFTER-DINNER MINTS.

FEATURED CARIBBEAN TRIP: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino ($14,522)

Round 1: SAME LETTER

Joyce: a $500 T, a $900 S (close call), two N’s for $1,200, two E’s, four A’s, two L’s for $1K, one O, same letter of three M’s for $1,650 + $1K, a $900 R, last vowels (a U and three I’s), two G’s for $1,100, solve for $7K (after a deep breath)…

M A R _ E L O U S
M A G N I _ I _ E N T
M A G I _ A L

Joyce makes a MARVELOUS, MAGNIFICENT, MAGICAL solve to reach nine grand – PR.

Prevagen Mystery Round: FOOD & DRINK

Before she spins, Dimple remembers to mention her son, who was set to graduate at the time of this taping.

Dimple: two T’s for $1,600, one E, a $600 H (barely avoided the MDW’s right side), three I’s, three N’s for $2,700, three A’s, two G’s for $1,200, a K on TD, remaining vowel of two O’s, solve for $8,600…

T A K I N G / A / _ I _
I N / T H E / _ A G O O N

It’s not the Prize Puzzle, but Dimple’s TAKING A DIP IN THE LAGOON anyway – PR #2.

David: $1K/Joyce: $9K/Dimple: $8,600

PP/Express Round: AROUND THE HOUSE

David: BANKRUPT near $650

Joyce: three L’s for $1,950, three E’s, one A, LaT

Dimple: T for trouble on $550

David: two S’s for $1K, two O’s, two R’s for $1,200, last vowel of three I’s, solve for $1,700…

_ R I _ E L E S S
_ A _ I L _
_ E I R L O O _

David might take a PRICELESS FAMILY HEIRLOOM on his $8,790 cruise of Eastern EUROPE (including Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, courtesy of Grand Central Cruise Line).

David: $11,490 cash & Europe/Joyce: $9K/Dimple: $8,600

David reveals he spent the first seven years of his Army service in Germany.

Triple Tossup: THING

1.

D R I _ E – _ N
_ O V I E / _ C R E E N

Screens are the theme here, and Joyce watches a film on a DRIVE-IN MOVIE SCREEN.

2.

B _ _ / _ C _ _ _ N
T _

David’s viewing party might involve a BIG SCREEN TV.

3.

_ O U _ H / _ C R E E N

David pads his lead with a TOUCH SCREEN.

Speed-Up: PLACES

David starts the week with a $1,600 FS (we almost had a reshoot).

David: R
Joyce: three S’s
Dimple: T
David: one H
Joyce: one B
Dimple: one N

S _ N – S _ _ _ _ _
B _ _ _ H _ S

Dimple asks to solve, but the buzzer beats her incorrect guess of SUN-SHINED BEACHES. David lights up the all-important K…

S _ N – S _ _ K _ _
B _ _ _ H _ S

…and could visit SUN-SOAKED BEACHES with another $3,200 (Pat chides him for asking to solve first).

PENALTY BOXDUDSLATSBANKRUPTSMISSOLVES
Round 1PERFECT ROUND
Mystery RoundPERFECT ROUND #2
PP/Express RoundT (Dimple)JoyceDavid
Speed-UpR (David), T (Dimple)Dimple
6 TOTAL3111

FINAL SCORES
David: $18,690 cash & Europe/Joyce: $11K/Dimple: $8,600

GT: $38,290
NO BANKRUPT TRASH

Here comes that category list…

  • THING
  • PHRASE
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

…and David chooses WAYD?

$100K Bonus Round

The final vehicle up for grabs this season is a Lincoln Nautilus Premiere worth $53K+. After David admits getting his guests, mom Linda and sister Sheila, was more important than winning, his strong spin lands him on the N in WIN. He should focus on the last word…

_ _ N _ S _ _ N _
T _ E / _ _ _

GHMO gives him a key vowel…

_ _ N _ S H _ N G
T H E / _ O _

…but he flubs the last word with HOW and WOW, so he (ironically, per Pat) wasn’t FINISHING THE JOB for a $40K payoff.

MY RATING: 6

Maggie closes the show by announcing she’ll pay tribute to her dad through an interview with him; you can find parts of the conversation on Wheel’s website. Some of her questions include what he was like as a kid, the phone call he got from Merv Griffin, and his reason for being gracious when folks meet him.

The hosts chat with her (instead of David) during the credit roll.

Penultimate Stats for S41

JL3236 Comments

Thank goodness for Kennedi and Kchristshan from Friday, because the rest of this edition of Fan Favorites wasn’t that great.

And I must say this: We DO NOT want to hear anybody tell us to change $100K losses into technical wins. A LOSS is a LOSS. If you wanna fight with SONY about it, call 310-244-4000 and DON’T WASTE OUR TIME. 😡

Total for this Week: $231,835
-Maingame: $191,835
-BR Wins: $40K

Total for the Season: $10,404,168
-Maingame: $7,226,434
-BR Wins: $3,177,734

Prize Wedge Wins: 37

MW was Flipped-Declined: 53-22
MW Flip was $10K–BANKRUPT: 17-36
$10K MW was Next to LaT–$650: 23-30
MW Wins: 7

EXPRESS was Played-Passed: 36-9
–Successes: 17
–Crashes: 19 (Wipeouts: 8)

WC Usages: 32
-Maingame: 4 (3 on $3,500, 1 on $550)
-BR: 28

5-Round Games: 20

Triple $10K+ Finishes: 7

Perfect Rounds: 70

Gooseegg Victims: 29

Toss-Up Triple Stumpers: 6

Triple Toss-Up Sweeps: 28 (4 swept every Toss-Up)

Red/Yellow/Blue Winners: 68/68/54

Biggest Margins of Victory

  1. $65,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $42,630 (Oct. 10)
  3. $37,400 (Oct. 16)

Smallest Margins of Victory

  1. $233 (Jan. 16)
  2. $260 (Dec. 11)
  3. $406 (Apr. 25)

Players who Needed the PP to Win: 62 (39 lost BR)

$0 Prize Puzzle Wins: Week: 1, Season: 32
House Minimum Bumps: Week: 1, Season: 89

Average Maingame Winning Score this Week: $22,535 (-$667)
Average Maingame Winning Score this Season: $23,331 (-$21)

Median Maingame Winning Score this Week: $19,390 (-$2,520)
Median Maingame Winning Score this Season: $22,200 (-$99)

This Week’s BANKRUPT Trash: $7,850
Total BANKRUPT Trash for the Season: $844,687 + 1 trip of unknown value
Biggest Known BANKRUPT: $29,750 (Apr. 26)
Biggest Known BANKRUPT Trash in a Game: $36,250 (Apr. 26)

BANKRUPT Trash-Free Games: 23
BANKRUPT-Free Games: 6
Penalty Spin-Free Games: 5

BANKRUPT Trash by Only One Contestant: 82

Aired BANKRUPT Hits
-Near $650: Week: 5, Season: 163
-Near TD: Week: 4, Season: 175
-Via MDW: Week: 1, Season: 94

Aired LaT Hits: Week: 6, Season: 123

Aired Duds: Week: 24, Season: 1,092
Aired DQs: Week: 6, Season: 130

BANKRUPT Losses
WCs: Week: 2, Season: 38
MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 10
$10K MWs: Week: 0, Season: 3
Prize Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 11
Cash: Week: $7,850, Season: $740,850

Unclaimed
MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 16
$10K MWs: Week: 1, Season: 7
Prize Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 28
Cash: Week: $68,650, Season: $2,553,150

Forfeited WCs: Week: 1, Season: 30
Forfeited MDWs: Week: 1, Season: 8

Top Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $136,386 (Feb. 9)
  2. $126,714 (Nov. 17)
  3. $121,917 (Mar. 20)
  4. $119,500 (Jan. 2, Mar. 27)
  5. $111,160 (May 24)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $71,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $48,480 (Oct. 10)
  3. $46,690 (Mar. 7)
  4. $46,250 (Feb. 8)
  5. $40,794 (Sept. 19)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $151,414 (Nov. 17)
  2. $137,717 (Mar. 20)
  3. $133,398 (Mar. 27)
  4. $131,100 (Jan. 2)
  5. $130,260 (May 24)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $79,700 (Oct. 13)
  2. $63,950 (Feb. 8)
  3. $63,036 (Nov. 3)
  4. $62,830 (Dec. 25)
  5. $62,799 (Sept. 27)

Bottom Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $10,250 (Dec. 1)
  2. $11,550 (Jan. 29)
  3. $11,900 (Jan. 16)
  4. $12,470 (Apr. 2)
  5. $12,949 (Nov. 24)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $10,250 (Dec. 1)
  2. $11,550 (Jan. 29)
  3. $11,649 (May 6)
  4. $11,900 (Jan. 16)
  5. $12,298 (Oct. 18)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $22,620 (Apr. 2)
  2. $24,517 (Dec. 8)
  3. $25,567 (Jan. 16)
  4. $26,290 (Sept. 12)
  5. $26,410 (Nov. 21)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $21,470 (Oct. 27)
  2. $22,620 (Apr. 2)
  3. $22,800 (Apr. 19)
  4. $23,550 (Nov. 22)
  5. $24,517 (Dec. 8)

Season-High Week: Home for the Holidays ($395,364)
Season-Low Week: European Vacation ($179,526)

MAINGAME PUZZLE STATS

CATEGORYTU1TU2R1R2R3TTUR4+
AROUND THE HOUSE101131399
BEFORE & AFTER——1853———
CHARACTER(S)11114
CROSSWORD——727———
EVENT(S)82148966
FAMILY1
FOOD & DRINK91494292513
FUN & GAMES1311831176
IN THE KITCHEN252141
LANDMARK32131
LIVING THING(S)413117510
MOVIE QUOTE1211
MOVIE TITLE1111
OCCUPATION(S)1151538
ON THE MAP18202269
PERSON/PEOPLE11161192816
PHRASE221320932940
PLACE(S)231514831315
PROPER NAME29111
QUOTATION 1
RHYME TIME565148
SAME LETTER——37————
SAME NAME——432———
SHOW BIZ4732823
SONG/ARTIST1
SONG LYRICS11351
SONG TITLE11
THING(S)2616125204622
TITLE4131
TV TITLE1
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?1541518322125
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?562638

FINAL SPIN STATS

Occurrence
Start of Round 4: 134
Middle of Round 4: 36
Start of Round 5+: 15
Middle of Round 5+: 5

Spun by Red/Yellow/Blue: 58/62/70

Final Spin Amounts
$1,500: 58
$1,550: 9
$1,600: 25
$1,650: 22
$1,700: 27
$1,800: 10
$1,850: 7
$1,900: 20
$6K: 12

Final Spins Edited Out: 13 (1 was left in)

BONUS ROUND STATS

BR Win Record: 67-123 (.353)

PBRWs: 0
4-1 Weeks: 1
3-2 Weeks: 9
2-3 Weeks: 12
1-4 Weeks: 12
SKUNKINGS: 4 (TOTAL TAPING DAY WASHOUTS: 2)

MDBRs: 11

Letter Combo Wipeouts: 9 (TOTAL TRAINWRECKS: 1)

Perfect Letter Combos: 4

BR Categories
Top/Middle/Bottom Chosen: 64/48/78

AROUND THE HOUSE: 1/1; 1-0
EVENT(S): 8/21; 3-5
FOOD & DRINK: 16/20; 6-10
FUN & GAMES: 2/3; 1-1
IN THE KITCHEN: 1/2; 0-1
LIVING THING(S): 5/15; 1-4
ON THE MAP:
PERSON/PEOPLE: 10/48; 3-7
PHRASE: 77/168; 30-47
PLACE(S): 15/45; 5-10
THING(S): 12/190; 1-11
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: 40/54; 15-25
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?: 3/3; 1-2

Dreaded Category Trio Encounters: Week: 1, Season: 47
THING-Free Category Choices:

BR Prizes
CAR: 22/54 (2 car sweeps)
$40K: 34/101 (6 minimum sweeps)
$50K: 5/17
$75K: 2/5
$100K (or $1M): 4/13

Car Wins

  • 1 Lincoln Corsair Standard
  • 2 Nissan LEAF SV Pluses
  • 2 Nissan Pathfinder SLs
  • 3 MINI Cooper SEs
  • 1 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend
  • 1 BMW X1 xDrive28i
  • 2 Ford Mustang MACH-E Selects
  • 2 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Premium Convertibles
  • 1 Volkswagen Atlas 3.6L V6 SE
  • 1 maZDa CX-50 2.5 S Select
  • 1 Chevrolet Equinox RS
  • 1 Ford Edge SEL
  • 1 Nissan Murano SV
  • 1 BMW X2 M35i
  • 2 Infiniti QX50s

MDBR Result
Landed on $1M:
1 Space Away:
2-3 Spaces Away: 2
4-5 Spaces Away: 2
6 Spaces Away: 2
7-8 Spaces Away: 1
9-11 Spaces Away: 4
12 Spaces Away:

BR Wins Despite Losing WC to BANKRUPT: 6
BR Losses Despite Having WC: 15
Non-$100K Wins After Losing MDW to BANKRUPT: 1

Toughest BR Puzzle this Week: IT WAS OUT OF VIEW
Easiest BR Puzzle this Week: GOING PLACES

Fan Favorite of the Week: Kennedi Williams & Dr. Kchristshan Howard

WEEKLY RATING: 5 (D)

Pat’s last-ever week as host is appropriately titled “Thanks for the Memories”. And all four of us will be getting some recap action: @jpgenius on Monday and Tuesday, @jbeaugard01 on Wednesday, me on Thursday, and @nickskapower wraps up the season.

WoF Recap: May 31, 2024

JL3239 Comments

I have serious doubts on whether this week can be saved, but we’ll see what happens…

EPISODE #8005: 🌟FAN FAVORITES🌟

We’re actually ending the week with teams playing. Not only that, but they’re family members that played the game at different times and they’re brought together to see how they do as a team.

$1K Toss-Up: RHYME TIME

_ / T _ _
_ F / _ _ N

Yes, George, this game is A TON OF FUN. One of these teams will hopefully bail us out…

George Sr. & Mansour Chaya (dad/son): Mansour won a trip to Hawaii on Apr. 5, 2018 and his dad (who appeared way back in Nov. 16, 2009) actually paid for the trip to fly out to tape for Wheel; Mansour said thank you and ended up taking his brother to Hawaii from Methuen, MA

Kennedi Williams & Dr. Kchristshan Howard (daughter/mother): Kchristshan was on first (Feb. 3, 2022) and Kennedi was on Teen Week on Feb. 21, 2023 where she won over $16K cash & St. Croix; they’re both graduating in a few months (before Kchristshan came, she received a Doctorate and will be receiving another one (a PhD in Christian worship) while Kennedi will be graduating soon from high school and received over 40 acceptances into college) from Waxahachie, TX

Terrence & Donna Mason (mother/son): Donna was on the show in Mar. 27, 2018 which is 16 years after Terrence was on in May 8, 2002 during their road trip to Chicago at Navy Pier and his mom’s birthday (he took her to see the tapings since they’ve watched this show growing up; they were given raffle tickets at the beginning of the tapings and 10 people were picked to come back the next day and auditioned, and about 10 minutes later they were thrown up to the stage) from Tinley Park, IL

$2K Toss-Up: LIVING THING

_ P _ T _ E D
_ _ L

Kchristshan spots a SPOTTED OWL.

FEATURED TRIP: Sirenian Bay in BELIZE

Round 1: PHRASE

K & K: $1,400 T pair, $1,400 H pair, I, $600 W, $850 S, N for WC, no B on $700
Masons: $700 D, 3 A’s, $1,500 L trio, M for MDW, $500 Y, O, U, solve for $1,950 & MDW…

W I T H / A L L / M Y
H _ A _ T / A N D / S O U L

I inform you WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL that Donna solves to secure the sparkly green wedge and everyone’s on the board already.

Mystery Round: SAME NAME

Masons: $1,400 T pair, $1K S pair, no E
Chayas: BANKRUPT near $3,500
K & K: $700 N, $1,100 P pair, 2 R’s on MW near LaT, pass, $500 Y, 3 A’s, solve for $4,050…

_ A P R _ / &
S _ A R T Y –
P A N T S

Kchristshan solves CAPRI & SMARTY-PANTS for the early lead.

Chayas: $1K | K & K: $6,050 WC | Masons: $2K MDW

PP/Express Round: FUN & GAMES

Donna tells Pat that every time she’s home and she hears the bells, she screams through the house, “PRIZE PUZZLE!” and they try to solve it at home. Terrence has tried for many years to control her but to no avail.

Chayas: $3,500 N, 2 A’s, no I
K & K: no T on $500
Masons: $1,500 R trio, I repeat
Chayas: 2 O’s, $700 D, $500 B, 4 E’s (NMV), no L on $550
K & K: just solve…

_ _ E _ _ E R _ / O N
A / _ _ E _ _ E R B O A R D

They could’ve gone for at least the 4 C’s, but Kchristshan puts some CHECKERS ON A CHECKERBOARD for a Collette trip to Tuscany, ITALY worth $10,498.

Chayas: $1K | K & K: $16,548 cash & Italy WC | Masons: $2K MDW

Triple Toss-Up: PERSON

1.

_ A T _ _ R / _ F
_ _ _ / _ R _ D _

All of these people end with “bride”; Kchristshan solves FATHER OF THE BRIDE.

2.

_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ F
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _

George nails MOTHER OF THE BRIDE.

3.

_ U N A _ _ Y
_ R I _ _

Kchristshan solves RUNAWAY BRIDE.

Speed-Up: THING

Kchristshan has spun $1,700 per consonant, so the Masons will have to kiss their MDW goodbye.

K & K: R
Masons: “We’d like a T.”
Chayas: 3 S’s
K & K: N

_ _ R _ _ S S _ _ N
S _ _ _

Kchristshan is given $3,400 and a PERMISSION SLIP to the Bonus Round.

PENALTY BOX DUDS BANKRUPTS REPEATS
Round 1 B (K & K)
Mystery Round E (Masons) Chayas
PP/Express Round I, L (Chayas); T (K & K) I (Masons)
Speed-Up T (Masons) N/A
8 TOTAL 6 1 1

FINAL SCORES
Chayas: $3K | K & K: $23,948 cash & Italy WC | Masons: $2K MDW

GRAND TOTAL: an underwhelming $28,948
NO BANKRUPT TRASH

Uh-oh, I think our skunking for this week has been sealed because of that DREADED list…

  • PHRASE
  • THING
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Fan Friday Word of the Day: NATURE (enter for your chance to win a Collette tour of Patagonia)

$100K Bonus Round

After we see Kchristhan’s mom Ruth and daughter Kerrington, Kennedi lands on AMERICA’S. Opening setup…

_ _ _ N _
_ L _ _ E S

VDCOP gives them…

_ O _ N _
P L _ C E S

We’ve been saved! After Kchristshan added “I’m” in front of the answer and running around before being told to come back and say what’s up there, they get an additional $40K towards GOING PLACES on their trip to Italy, giving them a final total of $63,948 cash & trip!

Postgame Chat: What a great way to end the week, according to Vanna. Fan Favorites is always a lot of fun and the way they do it is that Vanna and Pat go door to door all over the country and they ask people their choices. If you weren’t home when they got there, they apologize. But maybe they’ll see you next year.

MY RATING: 7 (C)