Trivia for
"Wheel of Fortune" (1975)

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• The category "Same Name" was introduced in the 1988 season.
  
  
• Was the first game show to be closed-captioned.
  
  
• The show initially was a game show on the NBC Daytime Schedule (1975-1989, 1991), but it didn't explode in popularity until a nighttime syndicated edition came out in 1983. At first it had a small clearance, only reaching 59 markets, but the show caught on and by the end of 1984, it was the most popular show on syndicated television, a title it has kept since.
  
  

• The show's nighttime edition was so popular and such a ratings machine that it caused the cancellations of many nighttime syndicated editions of daytime game shows, including Tic-Tac-Dough, The Joker's Wild, Name That Tune, and the former number one nighttime syndicated show, Family Feud.
  
  
• The puzzle board, one of the concepts of "Wheel of Fortune", was devised from the popular game "Hangman".
  
  
• When recording their 5th-6th year at CBS Television City, the puzzle board had its light border changed in the fall of 1994 to the spring of 1995, keeping the same frame. Later, when moving to Sony Pictures Studios in the fall of 1995, the board was changed to the one when Wheel is taping a show elsewhere in the United States. This board was used until early 1997.
  
  
• The first letter Vanna White ever turned on the show was a "T"
  
  
• Edd Byrnes originally auditioned to be the first host of the show, however it was Chuck Woolery who became the first host.
  
  
• The category "Before and After" was introduced in 1989.
  
  
• While the daytime version has always had returning champions, the syndicated nighttime version adopted returning champions in 1989. The syndie version stopped doing returning champs in 1996.
  
  
• The 1975-1983 theme was written by Alan Thicke and was titled "Big Wheels".
  
  
• The old trilon puzzle board was retired in February 1997 and was replaced with a new one using touch screens.
  
  
• Pat Sajak and Vanna White tape a whole season in less than forty days including road trips, promotions, and commercials.
  
  
• Originally, contestants who won rounds used their cash to buy prizes. That was changed to the now familiar concept of contestants building a cash bank. The shopping round was dropped in 1987 for the syndicated edition, and 1989 for the daytime edition.
  
  
• The bonus round premiered in 1981 on the daytime edition. Originally, contestants chose to play one final puzzle for a grand prize they selected from five on stage. They chose five consonants and a vowel. In 1988, they were spotted five consonants (R,S,T,L,N) and one vowel (E), and chose 3 more consonants and one vowel. In 1989, the prizes were hidden under letters W H E E L, and the contestant picked a letter, winning whatever prize the letter concealed. That changed in 2001, to where contestants spun a mini wheel that selected the prize.
  
  
• From 1989-1997, the show had returning champions, allowing them to stay on the show for up to three days. During the 1997-1998 season, that was switched to the top three winners of the week playing a special show on Friday. By 2000, that was dropped and once again contestants played just for one show.
  
  
• The show was originally called "Shoppers Bazaar" and included a wheel that was much bigger and had loud light and sound effects.
  
  
• The 1983-1989 theme was written by Merv Griffin and was titled "Changing Keys". The 1989-1992 theme was a jazzier remix of "Changing Keys", and the 1992-1994 theme was a slower remix of the 1989-1992 remix. The 1994-1997 theme was a big-band version of "Changing Keys" performed by Mort Lindsey's Orchestra, and the 1997-2000 theme was a slower remix of "Changing Keys" of big-band and rock mixed together.
  
  
• Chuck Woolery's last week hosting was also the first week of the four-row puzzle board. Wheel had previously used a three-row board.
  
  
• To kick off the show's 21st season, the whole set received a makeover. The result... the set became "neonified" with a new puzzle board boarder, neon lights around the wheel, and a new backdrop behind the contestants. The bonus wheel was also "neonified" too.
  
  

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