Post by pakman on Mar 31, 2019 22:26:09 GMT -5
I'm wrapping up the first Big Money Week on Wheel with the final recap for this week! So far only one bonus prize has been won, so let's see if we can finish off the week with another win!
Preview Puzzle
Category: Thing_ A R A _ _ _ T
The answer, which Pat once again does not get, is PARAKEET.
Suzanne Gordon is from New York City, New York. She designs and creates her own crafts and then sells them as centerpieces.
Grant Williams is from Halstead, Kansas. He is active in the Halstead Chamber of Commerce and is the public address announcer at the high school basketball games. He is also married with one daughter and a second child on the way.
Jeff Ladiere is from Nashville, Tennessee, but is original from western Massachusetts. He moved to Nashville recently to pursue a career as a songwriter. To put bread on the table he is also a sales associate and likes to exercise and spend time with his dogs.
The Puzzler round is the first round tonight.
Round #1
Category: Phrase
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
Suzanne drew #1, in what was actually a solemn ceremony, according to Pat, so she goes first. But Suzanne ends up feeling solemn when she hits BANKRUPT.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
Grant’s up next, but can’t cash in on $600 after calling a dud S.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
Just like that we’re at Jeff, who finds a $700 L. He then picks up $300 thanks to a solitary C before buying three E’s. He also nets $600 with the help of two M’s on $300.
_ E L C _ M E
_ _ M E
Jeff’s ready to solve WELCOME HOME, which puts him on the board with $1,350. But can he add $3,000 to that with the Puzzler?
Puzzler Round
Category: Event
_ _ U N _ O N
Jeff easily solves REUNION, picking up $3,000 more and making his first-round total $4,350.
Suzanne - $0
Grant - $0
Jeff - $4,350
It’s now Charlie’s moment to shine as he talks about the first prize being added to the wheel. It’s an Ikea shopping package, worth $2,500.
Round #2
Category: Fill in the Number
_ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / #
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Grant gets the round going, but like round one, it starts off on a bad note when he hits LOSE A TURN.
_ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / #
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Jeff, on the other hand, has tremendous luck when he hits $2,500 and finds three T’s. He goes for another spin and nets $2,000 with four N’s on $500. Jeff gives the wheel another spin and hits the Ikea SHOPPING package, which he picks up with an L. He decides to buy two E’s before calling a dud R on $300.
_ / T _ _ L E _ _ _ _ N
_ _ N T _ _ N _ / #
T E _ _ _ _ _ N _
Suzanne has some good luck by quadrupling her $600 haul with four S’s, but it turns to bad luck when she calls a dud H on $300.
_ / T _ _ L E S _ _ _ N
_ _ N T _ _ N S / #
T E _ S _ _ _ N S
Grant’s string of bad luck continues when he calls a dud M on $900.
_ / T _ _ L E S _ _ _ N
_ _ N T _ _ N S / #
T E _ S _ _ _ N S
Jeff continues to do well by finding two P’s on $350. He then buys four A’s, followed by five O’s. He collects $300 on a B, then buys the final vowel in the puzzle, a single I. But with just one letter left in the puzzle, Jeff is stumped, and calls a dud F on $300.
A / T A B L E S P O O N
_ O N T A I N S / #
T E A S P O O N S
It’s a break for Suzanne, who picks up $300 on a C.
A / T A B L E S P O O N
C O N T A I N S / #
T E A S P O O N S
Suzanne simply reads off A TABLESPOON CONTAINS # TEASPOONS. She has $2,700, but will she increase that by $3,000 by identifying what that number is? Suzanne knows it’s 3, and with $5,700, she has now taken the lead from Jeff.
Suzanne - $5,700
Grant - $0
Jeff - $4,350
Charlie introduces the Jackpot round sponsor as Hot Pockets before also introducing the new prize being added to the wheel; a trip to Caribbean Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada worth $5,750.
Round #3
Category: Phrase
_ _ / _ _ _ _
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ _ / _ _ _
Jeff is looking to redeem himself after last round, so he gets things going by finding two T’s on $300. But his redemption run is short-lived when he hits LOSE A TURN.
_ _ / _ _ _ _
T _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / T _ / _ _ _
Current leader Suzanne does an impression of Jeff by also hitting LOSE A TURN.
_ _ / _ _ _ _
T _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / T _ / _ _ _
“I’m afraid!” Grant says as he grabs the wheel to spin. Luckily he has nothing to be afraid of after calling a solitary H on $800. He buys two E’s, then hits the same $800 space and this time finds four S’s. But Grant didn’t like feeling left out, so he hits the LOSE A TURN to make up for it.
_ E / _ _ S S
T H E / S _ _ _ _ _ S
_ _ / T _ / _ _ _
Jeff’s back at it, but he can’t cash in on $600 thanks to a dud L.
_ E / _ _ S S
T H E / S _ _ _ _ _ S
_ _ / T _ / _ _ _
Suzanne hits the JACKPOT and calls two N’s, but it’s still a little early to solve, so she spins again and picks up $500 on a solitary P. She then lands on the CARIBBEAN trip, but in her excitement, she calls a repeated H, exclaiming, “Oh, shoot!” once she realizes what she did.
_ E / P _ S S
T H E / S _ _ _ N _ S
_ N / T _ / _ _ _
Grant picks up $300 on a single W, then buys some vowels. He gets two A’s, three O’s and a single U. The CARIBBEAN trip is hit again, and this time it actually gets picked up with a solitary V.
W E / P A S S
T H E / S A V _ N _ S
O N / T O / _ O U
Grant decides it’s time to solve and calls WE PASS THE SAVINGS ON TO YOU. He had $3,300 in cash, and combined with the $5,750 trip to Grenada, he’s the new leader with $9,050.
Suzanne - $5,700
Grant - $9,050
Jeff - $4,350
All three players are taking home some money tonight, and all three are still very much in this game, especially with the $5,000 being added to the wheel.
Round 4
Category: Fictional Character
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
Suzanne kicks off the round by picking up $900 on a solitary R, but a dud S prevents her from cashing in on $400.
_ _ _ _ R
_ _ _ _
Grant’s luck in round three may have been a fluke, as he lands on LOSE A TURN.
_ _ _ _ R
_ _ _ _
Jeff finds a solitary L worth $600, then finds an F for $800. He then buys two E’s.
E L _ E R
F _ _ _
Jeff solves ELMER FUDD, picking up an additional $1,150.
Suzanne - $5,700
Grant - $9,050
Jeff - $5,500
But we’re not done yet. There’s still time for some more gameplay, so the show marches on.
Round #5
Category: Thing
_ / _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Grant starts off the fifth round by picking up $400 on a solitary R, then buys an A before being told to spin again. However, Grant’s inconsistent luck makes him hit BANKRUPT, causing him to lose his $150.
Jeff reaches for the wheel, but as he starts spinning…
DING DING! DING DING!
…Pat reaches out and stops the wheel, then asks if that means it’s his turn to spin. He says, “Time is running out, and so is my career!” The final spin lands on $900, which means each consonant is worth $1,900 when the $1,000 is added into it.
_ / _ _ _ _
_ _ _ A _ _ R
Jeff – 1 N
Suzanne – 1 S
Grant – 1 T
Jeff – 1 C
Suzanne – No P
Grant – No G
Jeff – 1 K
Suzanne – No L
Grant – No H
Jeff – No I
Suzanne – No M
Grant – 1 W
_ / N _ C K
S W _ A T _ R
Grant realizes it’s a V NECK SWEATER and solves before the buzzer rings, adding $3,800 to his lead.
Suzanne - $5,700
Grant - $12,850
Jeff - $5,500
Despite some back luck on the wheel, Grant was able to overcome it and is going to the Bonus Round with $12,850!
Pat doesn’t go over them, but the remaining bonus prizes are a collection of new gold dollar coins, an annuity, gold and silver bars and the $25,000 cash.
W – H – E – E – L
Grant picks L.
Bonus Round
Category: Thing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
With the R, S, T, L, N and E:
_ _ N _ _ _ _ E
Grant picks D, M, P and O.
_ _ N D P _ P E
Pat says Grant has a shot at this, and while he guesses SANDPIPE, WANDPIPE, LANDPOPE and LANDPIPE, none of those are it. It was actually a WINDPIPE. Pat says he wanted to squeeze it out of Grant, but he couldn’t. Grant also will not be going home with the GOLDEN DOLLARS, but he is going home with $12,850, which includes a trip to Grenada, so I don’t think he’s too disappointed.
Additional Notes:
- It appears that at least two null cycles were edited out of this episode. In round one, Jeff calls and L, and on his next spin he calls a C. After the C is called, Pat says, “There you go, one C,” which tells me that three wrong letters were probably called. And in round four, Suzanne is shown taking her first spin. The camera pans up and the wheel looks like it’s going to stop on the yellow $300 next to the $5,000 space, but suddenly it cuts to the red $900 which is nowhere near that space. The fact that both puzzles (WELCOME HOME in round one and ELMER FUDD in round four) had very few of the "common" letters kind of adds support to this.
- There should have been a hyphen in the fifth round puzzle, and it should have read V-NECK SWEATER.
And Big Money Week is in the books! Next I’ll be recapping the first complete week in my collection; Ultimate Adventures Week! I’m especially excited to finally recap one episode that features a very infamous speed-up round with some behind-the-scenes drama. (I think that’s the first one on my list, but I’ll have to double-check) And I won't spoil anything, but this coming week features some highly entertaining and memorable contestants.
