Wheel of Fortune (Australian game show)

In May 2008, the Nine Network revived the show in a revamped form known as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, hosted by former Home and Away actor Tim Campbell,[1] with Kelly Landry as co-host.[2] and airing from GTV-9 in Melbourne. The biggest highlight featured in the revival was the grand prize of $1,000,000, alongside an increased standard top prize of $200,000, and players actually playing for the cash they win. At the premiere, the number of $200,000 wedges on the bonus Wheel was one and increases by one each episode until the prize is won.

To win the aforementioned grand prize, the contestant must land on the Million Dollar Wedge (a two-pegged red-orange wedge with the label "$MILLION", sandwiched between two one-peg Bankrupts), and solve the puzzle in the first round. The contestant must then win the entire game without hitting Bankrupt during any portion of the remainder of the game, unlike other prize wedges which was kept even after a puzzle solve. If the contestant wins, one $200,000 space will be replaced with the $1,000,000 space; the contestant must both land on that space and solve the bonus puzzle successfully in order to win the grand prize.

Despite an initial report stating that Burgess and Xenides disliked the show, calling it "dry",[3] Xenides gave positive feedback stating that it was "refreshing" and she loved the "... very cool colours ... and the opportunity of winning a million dollars, that's excellent." She also stated that John was "probably misrepresented."[4]

Ratings for the new series were expected to top now-rival Deal or No Deal, and to lead-in to the 6:00 news. However, there were low ratings, peaking at 700,000 viewers on the first night. From then, viewership went on a decline, and by the end of its short run, Wheel had on average 450,000 viewers a night, compared to the almost-1,000,000 watchers for Deal. Due to this steep ratings decline, the series was cancelled on 27 June 2008, after only five weeks on air.[5]

Despite its short-lived run for five weeks, format owner and producer Sony Pictures Television later adopted the format in the American syndicated version at the start of its 26th season on 8 September 2008 replacing a similar $10,000 wedge in use since 1994.

The format remains the same as the original version, as the contestant must solve the puzzle after acquiring the aforementioned wedge, then win the game without landing on Bankrupts throughout the remainder of the game. Unlike the Australian counterpart, the wheel in the American version has 72 pegs with 24 spaces that are each three pegs wide, thus the Million Dollar wedge is designed as a three-peg wedge (one-pegged green wedge sandwiched in between two one-pegged Bankrupt spaces; the wedge has a sparkling design), and it can be acquired in any of the first three rounds during gameplay.

The Bonus Round in the American version also involves spinning a wheel to determine the prize in play (in an envelope which was not revealed until the round's conclusion), but using a smaller 24 two-pegged space wheel, and only one space had an envelope that carried the standard top prize of US$100,000. When the Million Dollar wedge is in play, it is replaced with the US$1,000,000 prize, while other prizes are untouched and are still available to be won.

To comply with Broadcast Standards and Practices of both producer Sony and its distributor CBS Television Distribution, along with the American game show regulations that mandate a contestant has a legitimate chance to win the grand prize, if the space is not selected in the round, the host will display the envelope location on the wheel after the round has ended in to show the contestant could have won the prize if the spin stopped at the location. The procedure only occurs during a spin with the US$1,000,000 envelope in play.[6]

The Celebrity Primetime special, which premiered on January 7, 2021 on ABC instead of syndication, also adopted the Million Dollar Wedge but unlike the Australian counterpart which follows the same rules as the original, the American version had four wedges played during the rounds except the first, and all the wedges are flipped prior to the start of each round (without displaying the Bankrupts); to ensure that other contestants had an opportunity to claim the wedge, once a contestant picked up the wedge for the round, the other three wedges functioned as a US$1,000 space until it was landed on a Bankrupt (or did not solve the puzzle), prohibiting the contestant to take any extras. Each Million Dollar Wedge is replenished after each round, regardless if it is picked up or not.[7] During the Bonus Round, the contestant still plays for up to US$100,000 for their charities, with a distribution of four envelopes instead of one; when the Wedge is in possession, only one US$100,000 envelope was replaced and is still unveiled on the location at the end of the round if the envelope is not landed.[8][9]

As of 2021 (with Season 37 suspending production early in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), a total of eight contestants had landed on the US$1,000,000 grand prize envelope, among which three contestants (the first top prize win took place five weeks into the season on 14 October 2008, the second occurred on 30 May 2013, and a third one happened a year after on 17 September 2014) had successfully solved the puzzle and won the bonus.[10]

The game uses a wide variety of categories for its puzzles. Some are generic, such as "Place" or "Thing." Puzzles frequently refer to popular culture or common items encountered in everyday life.

Starting In 1994

• ‘BEFORE AND AFTER’
• ‘STAR AND TITLE’
• ‘STAR AND ROLE’
• ‘ARTIST/S AND SONG’

Starting In 1995

• ‘BLANK’
• ‘CLUE’
• ‘SLANG’
• 'WHERE ARE WE?'

Starting In 1999

• ‘PEOPLE’

Other categories include BUILDING, and LIVING THINGS, TRUE OR FALSE?, EVENT, PHRASE.

The wheel has 96 pegs with 24 spaces that are each four pegs wide. These spaces represent cash values (in multiples of 5 instead of 50 in the American version), including one silver coloured “Top Dollar” wedge, prizes and penalty spaces, three strategic elements for use in the game. The wheel also features two additional spaces that are specific to particular rounds of the game (see below).

A player who does not land on a penalty space asks for a consonant. If it is not in the puzzle, play proceeds to the next player. If the letter appears in the puzzle, the hostess reveals all instances of the letter and the player receives either cash or a prize. Unlike the American version, however, the amount of money won is a flat rate and not multiplied by the number of instances of the letter. The only exception is when a red letter appears in the puzzle that, upon being called, results in the amount the player landing on being doubled. Calling a letter that has already been called results in the loss of one's turn. A "used letter board" is positioned off screen for the contestants to see to aid in their guesses. All descriptions of players being credited with cash or prizes in the remainder of this article assume that the player calls a consonant which appears in the puzzle. A player who lands on a value is credited with that amount.

• 
  The 1981-1985 round 1 layout, with $240 as top value.
• 
  The 1981-1985 round 2 layout, with $460 as top value.
• 
  The 1981-1985 round 3 layout, with $1200 as top value.

• 
  The 1990-1994 round 1 layout, with $400 as top value.
• 
  The 1990-1994 round 2 layout, with $750 as top value.
• 
  The 1990-1994 round 3 layout, with $2000 as top value.

• 1981-1985: $240 – $460 – $1,200
• 1985-1990: $360 – $690 – $1,800
• 1990-1994: $400 – $750 – $2,000 (first used on Episode #2,000)
• 1995-2000: $500 – $1,000 – $2,000 (From 15 July 1996 until October 1996 and again from 1999 to 2000, $1,000 was used in rounds 2 and 3, while $2,000 was used in round 4)
• 2000-2008: $750 – $1,500 - $2,500 (Like the previous amounts, $1,500 was used in rounds 2 and 3).

A player who has sufficient banked cash during the current round may choose to buy a vowel prior to spinning the Wheel. The cost of the vowel, $50, is deducted from the player's score and all instances of the requested vowel in the puzzle are revealed, if any. The player's score is reduced by $50 regardless if the vowel is in the puzzle or the number of times the vowel appears. If the purchased vowel is not in the puzzle, the player loses their turn in addition to the aforementioned cost. Multiple vowels may be purchased until either the supply of vowels is exhausted or the player's bank falls below $50; after which the player either spins the wheel or tries to solve the puzzle.

• Flip-Up/Toss Up Puzzles - Introduced in 2004, these gave control of the wheel to whoever solved the puzzle, but did not add any money to the contestant's score. The Flip-Up before the second round is a Prize Puzzle, awarding a prize related to the puzzle. On Million Dollar Wheel Of Fortune it was called Toss Up because the show opens with the contestant becoming the first to spin and for launching into next round. Prize Puzzle was called Cash Up because of a chance to win $500 after guessing the puzzle. The Toss-up puzzle was based on the American version starting in 2001.
• Free Spin - Available only in the first round, the Free Spin wedge allowed a contestant to continue his or her turn in the event of solving a puzzle incorrectly, selecting a letter that is not in the puzzle, or landing on Bankrupt or Lose a Turn. From July 1996 the Free Spin wedge was replaced with a dollar space with a golden token placed at the top of the said wedge with black "Free Spin" text, meaning a contestant would both receive a Free Spin token and select a letter in the puzzle for that dollar value. The Free Spin was awarded regardless if letter was put on the board or not. Based on the namesake wedge in the American version until 2009 (where it was replaced by Free Play).
• Bankrupt - The black Bankrupt space ended a player's turn and loses their money currently earned for the round. Any money won from a prior round was not affected by it (except from 1996 to 1998, when this feature is not available after the show's 1996 revamp). Between 1981 and 1996, the Bankrupt space would appear once in round 1, and twice in rounds 2 and 3. Starting from July 1996, the number of Bankrupt spaces in round 2 (and round 3 with the second Bankrupt appearing in round 4 for a brief period in 1996) was reduced to one. When the four-round format returned in 1999, an additional Bankrupt was added to the existing round 2 template for use in round 3, thus making it one Bankrupt space each in rounds 1 and 2, and two each in rounds 3 and 4. Said template was first made in post-Round three prior to 2009 in the American version, after which the "two Bankrupts spaces" was permanently intact in all the rounds.
• Lose a Turn - Ends the player's turn without affecting their current round's winnings. The Australian version is one of several foreign adaptations to employ multiple Lose a Turn spaces on a single template with a second Lose a Turn space appearing in Round 3 (or Round 4 from July–October 1996 and 1999–2006).
• Red Mystery Letter - Between 1993 and July 1996, and again from 1999 to 2006, a consonant that appears in red on the puzzle board doubles the money awarded for choosing that letter.
• Surprise Wedge – Introduced in 1995, the Surprise wedge featured a Mystery prize won by the contestant who picked up the wedge and solved the puzzle on the same round. After the show was moved to Sydney, the Surprise wedge was abandoned until 1997, where it would appear on a sporadic basis.
• Goodie - Used from July 1995 – July 1996, this automatically awarded a pre-determined prize to the first person who landed on it for the night. This did not rely upon the contestant correctly guessing a letter, it was awarded for the spin. The concept was reinstated in October 1996 with the introduction of the Top Dollar Prize.
• Bonus Wedge - Introduced in 1994 and lasting through 2006, landing on this space and correctly guessing a letter resulted in the contestant winning the bonus prize. Originally a golden wedge with black text, the 1996 revamp saw it turn into a silver token with blue text at the top of a wedge. It was later replaced at the beginning of the 1997 season by a full blue wedge and the word "Bonus" in glittery text. Bonus would always be added to the wheel at the start of the second round.
• Top Dollar Prize - Worked the same way as the Goodie wedge. During the later months of the Barber era in 1996, the first person to spin up any top dollar amount during the course of the night was awarded a small prize. Similar to the Goodie wedge, it was awarded for the spin, and did not rely upon the contestant correctly guessing a letter. Prizes ranged from CD's, videotapes, concert tickets, small packages (CD and concert ticket for example) and the electronic Wheel of Fortune game which made by Tiger Electronics and licensed by Croner. On Million Dollar Wheel Of Fortune, the Top Dollar wedge is a flashing white space as the wheel in that version was fully illuminated with full colour LED lighting.
• Bonus Puzzle - Introduced in 1995, the Bonus Puzzle concept was embedded with puzzles that fell into the categories of Clue, Blank, and later Where Are We and True Or False. The contestant who solved the puzzle on the board was then given the chance to solve the Bonus puzzle for a $200 bonus.
• Mystery Wedge (Space) – Between 2003 and 2008, similar to the American version, round two featured two $500 spaces marked with a stylized question mark placed on the wheel. If a player landed on one of these mystery wedges and correctly guessed a letter in the puzzle, said contestant was given an option to risk their current winnings by 'flipping' the mystery wedge (contains either a Bankrupt or a special prize (would be awarded if the contestant solved the puzzle)), or took a buyout with a $500 per consonant. After one mystery wedge had been flipped, the remaining wedge functions as a regular $500 space.
• Car Wedge - used between 2000 and August 9, 2002, this was a rather convoluted feature that seldom (if ever) had any outcome. A contestant would need to spin the "car" wedge marked with the logo (such as Proton and Daewoo), choosing the correct consonant and pick the wedge up, then solve the puzzle without landing on the Bankrupt. The contestant have to do the process twice during the first three rounds in order to win the car. The format would later be adopted in the American version between April 2011 and June 2019, simply known as 1/2 Car plates (contestants have to acquire both car plates within the first three rounds (second and third since 2015) during the game, then solve the puzzle to win the car).
• Million Dollar Wedge - Introduced in the 2008 revival, the wedge had a "$MILLION" (ONE MILLION in the American version) two-pegged space sandwiched by two small Bankrupts, similar to the $10,000 wedge in the American version. The wedge do not have a monetary value but requires the player to solve the puzzle during the round upon picking up. Unlike other prize wedges, the wedge remain in the contestant's possession throughout the entire game and is still susceptible to Bankrupt hits; the wedge enables a contestant to play for $1,000,000 during the bonus round if the player wins the game with the wedge intact.

From 1981 to 1996, money earned in each round was used to shop for prizes. Any remaining cash also counted towards the player's final score. When this was removed in July 1996, contestants were given a set prize upon solving a puzzle. By the end of the year upon solving a puzzle, contestants could choose one of three prizes offered to them. This would continue until 2004 when it was reduced to two prizes.

The Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, now follows the game format similar to the original American version since 1987, as the scoring system now based on actual cash money, and solving a puzzle allowed that player to bank any cash accumulated up to that point.

At some point, when time is running short, a bell rings to indicate the Final Spin of the Wheel. The host spins the Wheel and all remaining consonants in the puzzle are worth the value of the spin. The player in control has his/her arrow determine the round's value, compared to the red player's podium on the American version. The players take turns calling one letter each including vowels (no cost/value). If the called letter appears in the puzzle, the player has five seconds after the hostess stops moving to try to solve the puzzle. If a player has a Free Spin, he/she can still use it to keep her turn in the speed-up round. Unlike the previous rounds, contestants may give multiple guesses within the time limit. On several episodes, there have been more than one speed-up round.

Like the American version, if a penalty space is hit the host spins again, barring any scores if a Bankrupt is hit. Unlike the American version (where all prizes are removed from the wheel before the start of the fourth round), if a prize space (except the Car wedge) is hit, the first player to call a letter receives the wedge, along the value underneath it, and claims the prize if the player solved the puzzle. The value under the prize wedge becomes the value for the rest of the round. The exception was the Car wedge which is automatically unclaimed, as the host simply removes it from the wheel to reveal its value for the rest of the round.

Record-breaking champions include:

• Donovan Newton, $63,110 August 1996 (during the Tony Barber era)
• Dell Edwards, $68,000 12 July 2001 (amount unknown, rounded off)
• Moita Lindgren, $72,917 August 24 & 27, 2001 (mathematical mistake)

At the time of going to air, champion Luke Seager (2004) was the 4th biggest winner of all time, and the second longest champion in terms of nights on air represented. Luke credited his longevity on the wheel (10 nights) to the fact that most newcomers to the show did not comprehend the importance of controlling the wheel. His reign as champion still rates amongst the highest ratings period the program has ever enjoyed.

• Ernie Sigley (July 1981 - June 1984)
• John Burgess (June 1984 - July 1996)
• Tony Barber (July - December 1996)
• Rob Elliott (January 1997 - December 2003)
• Steve Oemcke (January 2004 - December 2005)
• Larry Emdur (January 2006 - July 2006)
• Tim Campbell (May 2008 - June 2008)

• Adriana Xenides (July 1981 - November 1996, July 1997 - June 1999)
• Kerrie Friend (January 1997 - July 1997)
• Sophie Falkiner (July 1999 - December 2005, as a long-term replacement for Xenides)
• Laura Csortan (January 2006 - July 2006)
• Kelly Landry (May 2008 - June 2008)

• Steve Curtis (July 1981 - December 1982)
• John Dean (January 1983 - December 1985)
• John Deeks (January 1986 - December 1995, January 1997 - July 2006)
• David Day (January - July 1996)
• Ron E. Sparks (July 1996 - December 1996)
• Simon Diaz (May - June 2008)

• Kerrie Friend (November 1996, one week; 1997, seven months)
• Terasa Livingstone (November 1996, one week)
• Cecilia Yates (December 1996, one week)
• Bridget Adams (December 1996, one week)
• Sonia Kruger (1998, two weeks)
• Tania Zaetta (December 1996, one week; 1999, two weeks)
• Mel Symons (2003, two weeks)