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Hosts
Ernie Sigley (1981–1984)
John Burgess (1984-1996)
Tony Barber (1996)
Rob Elliott (1997–2003)
Steve Oemcke (2004–2005)
Larry Emdur (2006)
Tim Campbell (MDWOF/2008)
Graham Norton 2024-present
Co-Hosts
Adriana Xenides (1981–1996, 1997–1999)
Kerrie Friend (1996–1997)
Sophie Falkiner (1999–2005)
Lauara Csortan (2006)
Kelly Landry (MDWOF/2008)
Fill-In Co-Hosts
Kerrie Friend (1996–1997)
Terasa Livingstone (1996)
Cecillia Yates (1996)
Tania Zaetta (1996,1999)
Sonia Kruger (1998)
Mel Symons (2003)
Announcers
Steve Curtis (1981–1983)
John Deeks (1984–1995, 1997–2006)
David Day (1996)
Ron E. Sparks (1996)
Simon Diaz (MDWOF/2008)
Broadcast
Wheel of Fortune (1981-84)
Wheel of Fortune (1984-86)
Wheel of fortune aus
Wheel of Fortune Australia 1994
Wheel of Fortune (1995-2002)
Wheel of Fortune (2003-06)
Seven Network: 21 July 1981 – 28 July 2006
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Nine Network: 26 May 2008 – 27 June 2008
Mystery
Channel 10: 2024-present
Packagers
Grundy Organization (1981–2006)
CBS Studios International/Nine Network (2008)
Whisper North (2024)

(Celebrity) Wheel of Fortune (later Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune and Wheel of Fortune Australia respectively) was one of the most popular and formerly long-running game shows of all time where three contestants spin a wheel and guess letters to solve a "Hangman"-typed puzzle and win prizes.

An earlier unrelated show also titled Reg Grundy's Wheel of Fortune had been broadcast on the Nine Network. That version had been developed by Reg Grundy as a radio game show before it transferred to television in 1959.

History[]

In 1981, the Grundy Organisation purchased the rights to American singer, songwriter, and producer Merv Griffin's successful game show Wheel of Fortune. The new show began airing on the Seven Network on 21 July 1981, and was produced at the studios of ADS-7 in Adelaide. The show's production moved to SAS-7 when ADS and SAS swapped network affiliations and channel frequencies at the end of 1987.

In 1996, as part of an attempted major revamp with the remaining of the show's famous theme music and sounds, the program relocated from Adelaide to Seven flagship ATN-7 in Sydney. Along with a new set, new music, faster game format and modified rules, John Burgess was sacked from his twelve-year stint as host and replaced by Tony Barber. By the time that Burgess' final episode went to air it had become common knowledge that the show had relocated and that changes would occur. However, Burgess' final words referred only to the show's relocation, thus suggesting that he was at the time oblivious to his sacking.

The following Monday after Burgess' final episode, Tony Barber began as host despite much controversy. Beside the fact that viewers did not appreciate the fact that Burgess was sacked without a chance to say goodbye on air, viewers had difficulty accepting the new rules except for Barber's energetic hosting style. Additionally, Burgess had made media appearances saying how he had been badly treated and only found out about his sacking accidentally when a Grundy executive had to cancel a golf date with him because he was needed at the studios to continue work on the new format. The ratings for the first two nights appeared promising to begin with but plummeted badly from then on. Some ground was regained after Seven and Grundy's in an embarrassing about-face reinstated as much of the old rules as possible after the first five weeks. It regained further ground presumably due to audience curiosity when Adriana Xenides took sick leave in November 1996, but neither move was enough to return it to a credible position as far as ratings were concerned. A 5pm nationwide news bulletin that replaced Family Feud on 1 July, also proved fatal for Wheel and the network. On 27 November 1996, the Seven Network issued a press releases in which Barber announced his resignation from the show. In his 2001 memoir Who Am I, Barber later explained that he was removed from the position by the network and was offered future projects with the network in exchange for agreeing to the press release. The future projects however never came to pass. Burgess has claimed (also backed up by Barber in his memoir) on many occasions that he was offered the job back with a heavy pay raise and declined, but the Seven Network denied this story. In any event, Burgess was quickly given a contract by the Nine Network to host the game show Catch Phrase (later retitled Burgo's Catch Phrase) that would be Wheel of Fortune’s rival for a few more years.

Adriana Xenides, who had been the show's co-hostess and letter-turner since its premiere, fell sick — ultimately suffering from depression and what she called a "physical breakdown".

Barber appeared at the start of the 1997 series premiere to introduce and hand the show over to Rob Elliott with former Perfect Match hostess Kerrie Friend replacing Xenides for the next seven months.

On 18 June 2006, the Seven Network announced that they had stopped broadcasting of the program with the last episode airing on 28 July, just one week after celebrating 25 years on Australian television. The final episode was filmed on 23 June at Channel 7's Epping studios. One of the contestants on the final episode was Edith Bliss, former field reporter for Simon Townsend's Wonder World, who won the game and effectively became the show's final, undefeated champion. From the Monday following the final episode, M*A*S*H reruns returned to the timeslot. Following the finale, Seven also aired 20 unaired episodes from 2005 at the 10am timeslot. These were hosted by 2004 host Steve Oemcke, and clearly produced before it was decided to rest the show in 2005.

2008 revival: "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune"[]

In May 2008, the Nine Network revived the show in a revamped format known as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, hosted by former Home and Away actor Tim Campbell, with Kelly Landry as co-host, and airing from GTV-9 in Melbourne. The biggest changes in this version included the possibility to win a new grand prize of $1 million, alongside an increased standard top prize of $200,000, and players actually playing for the cash they won while the "shopping" format has been eliminated in this version for good. This version ran from 26 May until 27 June 2008.

To win the said grand prize, the contestant had to earn the Million Dollar Wedge (a two-pegged wedge, sandwiched between two one-peg Bankrupts) and solve the puzzle in the first round. Then, the contestant had to play the entire game without hitting Bankrupt during any portion of the remainder of the game, win the game, and reach the Million Dollar space on the Golden Wheel, and win the Bonus Round, in order to win the prize.

Despite an initial report stating that former host & co-host Burgess and Xenides disliked the show, calling it "dry", 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."

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.

Gameplay[]

Main Game[]

Before the taping began, the players would draw numbers to determine their positions on stage. Play proceeded from left to right from the viewer's perspective: from the red player to yellow, then to blue, then back to red. The red player would have the first spin in Round 1, the yellow player would have the first spin in Round 2 and the blue/green player would have the first spin in Round 3. From 1999 to 2003 when the format consisted of four rounds plus the bonus round, the red player would take the first spin in Round 4.

From July 1996 until 1998, the host would ask a trivia question and the contestant who buzzed in with the correct answer would have the first spin. During this time the red podium was reserved for the carry-over champion as there was an opportunity for any contestant to have the first spin. The process used during this period was a form of continuous play. For example: If the red player buzzed in to start Round 1, but the yellow player solved the puzzle the blue player would have the first spin in Round 2.

From 2004 to 2006, the flip-up puzzle was used to determine who would be in control. If the yellow player buzzed in with the correct answer, then the yellow player would have the first spin for Round 1, the blue player would have the first spin in Round 2 and the red player would have the first spin in Round 3. Another flip-up puzzle would be used to determine who would be in control for round 4. Like the July 1996–1998 era, the red podium was reserved for the carry-over champion.

Categories[]

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

Starting In 1994

  • ‘Before & After’
  • ‘Star & Title/Role’
  • ‘Artist(s) & Song’

Starting In 1995

  • ‘Blank’
  • ‘Clue’
  • ‘Slang’
  • 'Where Are We?'

Starting In 1999

  • ‘People’

Other categories included Building, and Living Things, True or False?, Event, Phrase. Some unique categories combining two different categories were used, such as Person & Event and Person & Sport, the latter similar to Star & Role.

Spinning the Wheel[]

The wheel had 96 pegs with 24 spaces, each of which was four pegs wide. These spaces represented values, including one silver coloured wedge for the top value, prizes and penalty spaces, three strategic elements for use in the game. The wheel also featured two additional spaces that were specific to particular rounds of the game (see below).

A player who did not land on a penalty space would ask for a consonant. If it was not in the puzzle, play proceeded to the next player. If the letter appeared in the puzzle, the hostess would reveal all instances of the letter and the player would receive either the amount landed on. Calling a letter that had already been called resulted in the loss of that player’s turn. A "used letter board" was positioned off screen for the contestants to see to aid in their guesses. All descriptions of players being credited in the remainder of this article assume that the player called a consonant which appeared in the puzzle.

Top dollar values[]
  • 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 1999–2000, [$]1,000 was used in rounds 2 and 3, while [$]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)

From July 1996 until July 2006, the scores, while still referred to as “dollars”, were essentially points which determined the winner of the game.

Buying a vowel[]

A player who had sufficient banked score during the current round could choose to buy a vowel prior to spinning the Wheel. The cost of the vowel, ($)50, was deducted from the player's score and all instances of the requested vowel in the puzzle were revealed, if any. The player's score was reduced by ($)50 regardless if the vowel was in the puzzle. If the purchased vowel was not in the puzzle, the player lost his or her turn in addition to the aforementioned cost. Multiple vowels could be purchased until either all the vowels were used or the player's bank fell below ($)50. At that time, the player had to spin the wheel or try to solve the puzzle.

Special Features[]

  • 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 was a Prize Puzzle, awarding a prize related to the puzzle, like the original American version. On Million Dollar Wheel Of Fortune it was called Toss Up because the show opened with the contestant becoming the first to spin and for launching into next round. The Prize Puzzle was called Cash Up because of a chance to win $500 after guessing the puzzle.
  • Free Spin - Available only in the first round, the Free Spin wedge allowed a contestant to continue his or her turn in the event of solving a puzzle incorrectly, selecting a letter that is not in the puzzle, or landing on Bankrupt or Lose a Turn. From July 1996, the Free Spin wedge was replaced with a space with a golden token placed at the top of the said wedge with black "FREE SPIN" text, meaning a contestant would both receive a Free Spin token and select a letter in the puzzle for ($)250, later ($)280 in late 1996, ($)200 in early 1997, ($)135 in in late 1997, and finally ($)150 from 2000. The Free Spin was awarded in any case whether a letter was in the puzzle or not.
  • Bankrupt - The black Bankrupt space ended a player's turn and resulted the loss of all score earned. Anything that was secured by solving a puzzle was immune to Bankrupt (except for a period from 1996 to 1998, when securing was not an option after the show's 1996 revamp). From 1981 to 1996, the a single Bankrupt space would appear in Round 1, with another space added from Round 2 onwards. From July 1996 onwards, 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 was re-introduced 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.
  • Lose a Turn - This wedge terminated a contestant's turn, but did not result in any loss of score. The Australian version was one of several foreign versions 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 to October 1996 and 1999 to 2006).
  • Red Mystery Letter - From 1993 to July 1996 and again from January 1997 to 2008, a consonant that appeared in red on the puzzle board doubled the money awarded for choosing that letter.
  • Surprise Wedge – Introduced in 1995, the Surprise wedge gave a chance for a contestant to win a major prize during the main game. To win the prize, contestants would have to correctly guess a consonant in the puzzle and then correctly solve that round's puzzle. The wedge returned for some time in 2001 and returned on August 12, 2002 until the end of that year and returned in mid-2006. In 2008, the Surprise wedge was only featured in Round 1.
  • Goodie - Used from July 1995 to July 1996, this wedge automatically awarded a pre-determined prize to the first person who landed on it for the game. This did not rely upon the contestant correctly guessing a letter, it was awarded for the spin. The concept was revived in October 1996 with the introduction of the Top Dollar Prize.
  • Bonus Wedge/Token - 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 random wheel space. It was later replaced at the beginning of the 1997 season by a full blue wedge saying "BONUS" in glittery text. This wedge would always be added to the wheel at the start of the second round.
  • Top Dollar Prize - This worked in the same way as the Goodie wedge. During the later months of the Barber era in 1996, the first person to spin up the top value during the course of the game was awarded a small prize. Like 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 Wheel of Fortune handheld game.
  • 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. A successful solve resulted in a bonus of ($)200 awarded to the player's score.
  • Mystery Wedge (Space) – From 2003 to 2008, Round 2 would feature two ($)500 spaces marked with a stylised question mark placed on the wheel. If a player landed on one of these wedges and correctly guessed a letter in the puzzle, said contestant could either opt to have ($)500 added to his or her score, or 'flip' the mystery wedge. One mystery wedge contained a Bankrupt; the other contained a prize that would be awarded if the contestant solved the puzzle. After one mystery wedge had been flipped, the remaining wedge only served as a 500 space.
  • Car Wedge/Token - Introduced in March 13, 2000 to 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 car's manufacturer (Proton, Daewoo, etc.), correctly guess a letter in the puzzle, remove the wedge from the wheel, keep it in his or her possession and solve the puzzle without spinning up Bankrupt. The same contestant would then need to complete the same steps with a second Car token marked with the car model in a later puzzle in order to win the car. If the final spin landed on the Car Wedge, it was out of play and nobody would get the wedge, and the host just removed it from the wheel to reveal its value for the rest of the round. It was placed on the blue 150 wedge for Round 1, green 180 for Rounds 2 and 3.
  • Million Dollar Wedge - Introduced in the 2008 revival, this space contained a $1,000,000 space surrounded by two small Bankrupts. If a player landed on and acquired it, solved that puzzle, did not hit any Bankrupts for the remainder of the game, and subsequently won the game, a $1,000,000 prize wedge would be added to the bonus round wheel.

Solving a puzzle[]

From 1981 to 1996, solving a puzzle allowed the player to used the money earned in each round to shop for prizes. Any remaining cash also counted towards the player's final score. From January-July 1996, if a player didn't solve a puzzle, they lost the money for that round. When shopping 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. On Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, played for real money, solving a puzzle allowed that player to bank any cash accumulated up to that point.

Speed-Up Round (Final Spin)[]

At some point, when time was running short, a bell would ring to indicate the Final Spin of the Wheel. The host would spin the Wheel and all remaining consonants in the puzzle were worth the value of the spin. The player in control had his/her arrow determine the round's value. The players would take turns calling one letter each. A vowel could also be called at no cost. If the called letter appeared in the puzzle, the player had five seconds to try to solve the puzzle. If a player had a Free Spin, he/she could still use it to keep her turn in the speed-up round. Unlike the previous rounds, contestants could give multiple guesses within the time limit. From 1999 onwards, it was possible for more than one speed-up round to be played.

If a penalty space was hit the host would spin again, not affecting any scores if a Bankrupt was hit. If a prize space was hit, the first player to call a letter would receive the wedge, along the value underneath it, and had to be the one who solved the puzzle in order to win it. The value under the prize wedge became the value for the rest of the round.

Winning the Game[]

The player with the highest score at the end of Round 4 (Round 3 before 1996) won the game. Challengers who did not have the highest total at the end of the game were given consolation prizes; originally, they also lost any prizes bought during the show. This only lasted for a brief time.

Major Prize Round: The Golden Wheel[]

The winner of the day had a chance to win a major prize. To win it, they had to solve one last puzzle; to help them, they were allowed to call out a specific number of consonants and one vowel they hoped were in the puzzle. The contestant was given two consonants and one vowel to select, but the contestant could earn an additional consonant for every [$]2,000 scored in the main game. Theoretically, enough ([$]38,000) could be earned so as to call every consonant. The winning contestant then had 10 seconds to think over the puzzle before solving it; later they could give as many guesses as they could. If a champion was unable to solve the puzzle, that score was carried over to the next episode; once a major prize was won, the value was reset back to zero.

Originally, the prize was announced at the beginning of the show. By 1987, the winning contestant spun a Golden Wheel which now had major prizes on it, including a new car. The prize that the wheel landed on was the one that was played for.

The round sometimes tweaked its format. In some episodes, the contestant got common letters on the board, such as R, S, T, L or N, and E, and providing more consonants and a vowel. On the 20th Anniversary week in 2001, the contestant was given two vowels. On some Celebrity Week episodes, the Golden Wheel was not used.

At the start of its inception in 1987, there were two gold-silver car wedges on the Golden Wheel. On the 1,500th episode in 1988, the number of car wedges was increased to three. On a few occasions, they had a temporary jackpot system in which the number of car wedges were increased by one each day it was not won. The car never, however, regularly appeared on the wheel more than three times. On some Family Week shows in 1995, the Golden Wheel had no car wedges.

On 15 July 1996, the Golden Wheel was replaced with a selection of five envelopes. About five weeks later due to lack of public support, the Golden Wheel returned and the number of car wedges decreased to two (featuring a Hyundai Elantra sports-wagon).

From 13 March 2000 to the end of 2004, a new element was added to the Golden Wheel: a progressive jackpot, starting at $2,000 and increasing $100 every day it was unclaimed. There were two "Jackpot" slivers on one of the "Car" wedges, and the player had to land on it, then solve the puzzle to win both the cash and the car, most of which at this point were from Proton and Daewoo. The highest jackpot won was $25,000 on 7 June 2001 (added to a Daewoo Tacoma, a combined prize of almost $50,000). This, and the $5,000 prize on Show 5,000 (see below), was one of only two cash prizes offered on the show.

From 2004 to 2006, The Golden Wheel saw the amount of car wedges decreased to two when it featured a Renault and finally three with a Mitsubishi to the closing of its run on the Seven Network.

In 2008, the standard top prize increased to $200,000 (a car remained as secondary grand prize), and an additional space for the prize was added to the wheel for every night it was not won. If a player acquired the Million Dollar Wedge in the main game, and managed to win the game, it replaced a $200,000 wedge.

Celebrity weeks[]

Occasionally celebrities would play for home viewers, with those viewers earning the prizes and total of the amounts their winning celebrity spun during the game in actual cash. At the end of the week, all those winning home viewers were entered in a drawing to win a car.

There was also a weekly series airing in 1990 and 1991 called Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Play was the same as celebrity weeks, with home viewers winning everything their celebrity won, and the Golden Wheel played as normal.

1991 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune

The 5,000th episode[]

On 21 March 2006, "Wheel of Fortune" celebrated a major milestone, as its 5,000th episode went to air on the Seven Network. An extra element was added to the special show: the chance to win $5,000 in cash. Two yellow "$5,000" wedges were added to the Round 1 wheel. A third was added to Round 2's wheel. If a contestant was to spin it up and select a correct letter, they would have 5,000 added to their score, but to win the actual money, they had to solve the puzzle (in the same way as the Surprise and Mystery Wedges). In Round 2, one of the contestants did spin up the wedge and the Surprise Wedge and solved the puzzle, winning over $10,000 in cash and prizes for that round. The other wedges were removed for Round 3.

Champions[]

Record-breaking champions included:

  • Donovan Newton, $63,110 August 1996 (during the Tony Barber era)
  • Dell Edwards, $68,000 July 12, 2001 (amount unknown, rounded off)
  • Moita Lindgren, $72,917 August 24 & 27, 2001 (mathematical mistake)
  • Carl Young, $215,015 June 11, 2008 (only $200,000 winner in the MDWOF era)

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.

Presenters[]

Wheel of Fortune in Australia had many hosts, hostesses and announcers through its long history. They included:

Hosts[]

  • 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)
  • Graham Norton (2024)

Hostesses[]

  • 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)

Fill-in hostesses[]

  • 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)
  • Tania Zaetta (December 1996, one week; 1999, two weeks)
  • Sonia Kruger (1998, two weeks)
  • Mel Symons (2003, two weeks)

Announcers[]

  • 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)

Board Games[]

Various board games were manufactured and released by two different toy companies, all of which were based on the American Pressman Toy Corporation board games.

John Sands/Croner era[]

John Sands made the first edition in 1987 while Croner made three more editions afterwards. The first three editions featured John Burgess and Adriana Xenides on the cover while Tony Barber and Adriana appeared on a revised 3rd edition cover. In 1997, a fourth and final edition featuring Rob Elliott on the cover was released. (NOTE: Tony Barber's edition was technically the "4th edition" of the board game, even though the box lists "3rd edition".) A Junior Edition was also released.

Crown & Andrews era[]

Crown & Andrews made two editions in 2002 and 2004. The first edition featured Rob Elliott, while its second and final edition featured Steve Oemcke. Both editions featured co-host Sophie Falkiner on the cover of the box. (NOTE: According to the 2nd edition box cover it features over "104 New Puzzles".) A "Simpsons" themed edition was also released in 2005. Crown & Andrews has also released the original American version's board games in the mid 2010s.

Timeline[]

  • July 1981 – First episode. The set is identical to the original American version’s 1975-1981 set with a few differences; there is an additional green glitter backdrop placed to the left of the red player’s podium and the puzzle board has an illuminated light box for displaying the category strip.
  • 1984Red, yellow, and green sunbursts replace the green glitter backdrop. The puzzleboard design was unchanged and the trilons were later slightly remodified in colour from green to gold.
  • 14 October 1984 – John Burgess replaces Ernie Sigley as host.
  • 1985 - The top dollar values were increased from $240/$460/$1,200 to $360/$690/$1,800.
  • 1987 - The Golden Wheel is introduced.
  • 1989 – Timeslot changes from 5:00pm to 5:30pm. Family Feud takes over the 5:00pm timeslot.
  • 1990 - Episode 2000 airs, the top dollar values were increased from $360/$690/$1,800 to $400/$750/$2000.
  • Late 1992 – The sunburst backdrops were replaced with circles and quadrants and the green backdrop became turquoise. A new colour scheme for the wheel was introduced. The puzzleboard design was updated with three overlapping circles with gold rings inside.
  • 14 October 1994 – John Burgess celebrated his 10th anniversary as host. The set background changed from blue to yellow.
  • 1995 – The theme music was updated, and a brand new logo was introduced along with the “Wheel! Of! Fortune!” audience chant. The set background colour changed back to blue. Also, during this time, the category was now shown as on-screen graphics replacing the illuminated light box on the puzzleboard. The top dollar values for Rounds 1 and 2 were increased from $400 and $750, respectively to $500 and $1,000, respectively. The top dollar value for Round 3 remains unchanged at $2,000.
  • 29 January 1996 – The 1996 season premiere commenced with a new puzzleboard consisting of an extra row of 13 trilons added to the existing three rows of trilons, making 52 in total. John Burgess had shaved the moustache, and David Day became the new announcer following John Deeks' departure to host Family Feud.
  • 15 July 1996 – The show changed its location to Sydney with Tony Barber replacing John Burgess as host as well as a new set with the wheel mounted on a 20 degree incline. The turquoise backdrop became blue. The Golden Wheel was replaced with envelopes. The format changed to four rounds plus the bonus round. New theme music was introduced. Ron E Sparks replaced David Day as announcer. The bonus round was played in front of the wheel instead of behind the wheel from the yellow podium (This would continue once the wheel was spun following the re-introduction of the Golden Wheel).
  • 19 August 1996 – There were minor changes to the new set. The Golden Wheel and the former theme music returned. The attempt was made to have both themes co-exist together with a derivative of the new theme music used to introduce the new contestants each night. The sound effects associated with the former theme music also returned. The on-screen visuals also underwent minor changes around early-September, bringing with it an on-screen timer in the bonus round.
  • October 1996 – Following the Family Week special, the format changed from four rounds back to the original three. The Bonus Prize/First Round Top Dollar concept was introduced, and the prize-shop was reintroduced where contestants would choose a prize out of the selection of three offered to them upon solving a puzzle. The co-existence of both themes ceased in favour of the reintroduced theme music and associated sound effects.
  • 18 November 1996 – Kerrie Friend replaces Adriana Xenides who takes a sick leave.
  • 6 January 1997 – Rob Elliott replaced Tony Barber as host. Kerrie Friend returned to the puzzleboard as a long-term replacement for Adriana Xenides until July. John Deeks returned to the booth as announcer.
  • 1999 – A new set was created for the show, with new graphics and a new puzzleboard resembling the American version’s 1997-2003 set. The format was changed back to four rounds plus the bonus round and the Surprise wedge returned to the wheel.
  • May 1999 – Sophie Falkiner replaced Adriana Xenides as hostess. Later that year, the Surprise wedge was removed from the wheel until 2002.
  • 13 March 2000 – The Car Wedge was introduced on the wheel beginning its run with The Proton Wedge. The top dollar values were tweaked to ($)750, ($)1,500, and ($)2,500 respectively. A cash jackpot started being used, starting at $2000, rising by $100 every night until it was won (highest ever won was $25,000)
  • June 2000 – The 4,000th episode was shown on 13 June. Four car wedges were introduced on the Golden Wheel. Every puzzle has a Red Mystery Letter.
  • 2003 – The Bonus, Surprise, and "car" wedges were removed. The Mystery Round was introduced along with the Mystery Wedges. Red Mystery Letters now become increasingly common, sometimes appearing in every puzzle.
  • May 2003 – The set background changed to purple. The show's logo was changed. The bonus round was played in front of the video wall next to the puzzle board instead of in front of the Wheel. The show is now filmed in high definition widescreen.
  • 9 February 2004 – Steve Oemcke replaced Rob Elliott as host. The puzzleboard was refitted with LCD screens replacing the trilons. Flip Ups and Prize Puzzles were introduced. The score displays were revamped, with LED eggcrate displays replacing the seven-segment vane display. Timeslot changes back to 5:00pm as part of the Wheel and Deal hour, with Deal or No Deal taking the 5:30pm slot.
  • Late 2005 – Larry Emdur and Laura Csortan replace Steve Oemcke and Sophie Falkiner as host and hostess after it was announced by Sunrise hosts David Koch & Melissa Doyle.
  • 30 January 2006 – The show returned to air after a year's hiatus, and the cash jackpot was retired. The whole set was revamped with the remaining of the letters' font, the theme music and the wheel. The show moved to Pyrmont from Epping's studios. The puzzleboard was given a major change, with a blue border that changed colour, and featured light animation, similar to the American version’s current puzzleboard. LG flat screen plasmas replaced the Contestant Trapezoid backdrops that animated during events on the show, such as landing on Bankrupt, bell sound, or solving the puzzle. The Surprise wedge also returned to the wheel.
  • March 2006 – The show celebrated its 5,000th episode with multiple chances to win $5,000.
  • July 2006 – The show celebrated 25 years on Australia television on 21 July, and ended its run on the Seven Network a week later on 28 July. 20 unaired episodes were aired featuring Steve Oemcke, Sophie Falkiner and the old set (see the 2004 section) from 2005, before it was shelved.
  • May 2008Wheel of Fortune was picked up by the Nine Network now known as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune and hosted by Tim Campbell. The show ran only five weeks on air due to low ratings and negative reviews, including one where Burgess and Xenides had an argument about why they both disliked the show.
  • September 2023 – News broke that the format is getting revived and will be hosted by Irish talk show host Graham Norton. Instead of being filmed in Australia, the new version will be filmed in Manchester, England (with Australian expatriate contestants) where a new British version of the format will be filmed and will be also hosted by Norton.
  • October 2023 – Network 10 confirms it will air the show in 2024.

Trivia[]

This is the second-longest running version of Wheel of Fortune, after the American version, and the longest-running foreign version overall.

This is also the longest-running game show in Australia, beating Sale of the Century by four years.

The 2024 version is the first and only version to have never had a female co-host at all since the electronic puzzleboard automatically reveals the letters by itself.

Music[]

  • Main (1981-1995) – "Roda Impian" by Jack Grimsley
  • Main (1995 – July 1996, then August 1996 – 2004 and 2006) - Updated version of "Roda Impian" by Jack Grimsley"
  • Main (July 1996) – Unknown
  • Main (2008) – Unknown
  • Main (2024) – "Changing Keys (2.0)" by Merv Griffin

Additional Page[]

Wheel of Fortune (2)/Gallery

Inventor[]

Based on the American game show of the same name by Merv Griffin.

Links[]

The Australian 'Wheel of Fortune' page (via Internet Archive)
Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune site (via Internet Archive)

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