Singapore's Wheel of Fortune

Thank you for the information you've shared with us. As I love checking out international versions of Wheel of Fortune, this is a version of that I've always been trying to know more about. I've also been wanting to make recreations of all the Wheel layouts used. I do have some pictures of this version, but not much else.

Even so, there actually was a time where Singapore's Wheel did indeed have some two-digit values. You can see pictures in this post at Facebook.






And please don't worry about the size of the preview images. All you have to do is click on them and they will show up full size in a new browser tab. Same story for the Facebook post I just provided.

As for Singapore airing our version of Wheel, I doubt there's anything wrong about discussing it in this thread. You don't have to go into detail about what happened each episode since that's discussed elsewhere here, but if you want to point out highlights such as when Singapore exactly started airing it and when each season started and ended airing, I think that would be fine to discuss in this thread.

Finally, as for your specific version, please, I would definitely love to learn more about it. Again, I appreciate what you've given us so far.

Thank you germanname1990 and MarioGS for the comments to my first thread.

After successfully creating my first thread, I thought that I would move on to discuss about the broadcast history of Syndicated Wheel in Singapore but the words "Wayback Machine" came across my mind. Hence, I decided to give it a shot to see what happened as I searched MediaCorp Channel 5's website back in 2002 and 2003. It turned out that there's more information about the show including the format, the rules of the game and the images from the show. I will leave the broadcast history to a later post after I completed the compilation of the Singapore version of Wheel of Fortune, or Wheel of Fortune Singapore (WOFS).

(All information and screenshots credit to Wayback Machine and the websites from the then-MediaCorp Channel 5)

• The show is aired every Wednesday to Friday at 9 pm (GMT +8) from May 8, 2002 to April 2, 2003.
  
• There are two versions of the show. Version 1 airs between May 8 and September 6 while Version 2 airs between September 11, 2002 and April 2, 2003.
  
• Bernard Lim and Eunice Elizabeth Olsen are the host and co-host while Tony Orchez (Radio DJ) is the announcer.
• The main sponsors of the show are DBS Bank (One of the major banks in Singapore) and Harvey Norman (A furniture and electronics store opened in many countries including Singapore).
• Minimum three rounds are played.
• The dollar sign is not shown on the scoreboards.
• There is no Jackpot Round in this version.
• The multiple letter rule is in effect.
• Multiple prize wedges are placed on the wheel in one round. Prizes offered include pendants, home décor vouchers, Nokia handphones, hotel vacation, DVD players and many more.
• A Surprise wedge is used despite Syndicated Wheel retired it in Season 16 (Australian version is also using it, if I am not wrong). This can be evidenced by the top winners section of the website.

• W-H-E-E-L envelopes format is used when the contestant plays the Bonus Round. Bonus Round prizes offered include Harvey Norman furniture vouchers, television, refrigerator, exercise equipment, Air France tickets and S$6,200 Rasa Sentosa Suite. The biggest Bonus Round prize ever offered is Northwest Airlines tickets worth S$17,000 and it is won three times (July 10, August 22 and 30).
• During the Bonus Round, if the contestant accidentally calls one of the RSTLNE or repeats any of the consonants that he or she has previously chosen, the buzzer will sound (I remembered that when I watched the show) and he or she will not be given a chance of choosing another consonant or vowel. (According to a viewer’s post on the show’s message board, the contestant (Louisa) who appears on May 22, 2002 show only has two consonants and one vowel to help her with after she accidentally calls a repeated letter possibly from the RSTLNE package)

• If the contestant solves the Bonus Round puzzle, the prize that he or she wins will not be returned to the holder, and cannot be played by anyone else. If the puzzle is not solved, the prize envelope will be returned to the holder and may be played again on the next show. Prize envelopes may or may not be reshuffled after the prize envelope is returned to the holder.
  
• Instead of four playoffs, there are actually five playoffs played (Two playoffs are played during Version 1). Except for the first playoff which is played for a S$45,000 car, the others are played for S$25,000 cash. During the playoffs, the contestant only needs to solve one more puzzle in order to win the grand prize.

• Despite Season 19 of Syndicated Wheel is airing in Singapore at that time, there is no Toss-Up rounds played ("Just before the show we drew numbers who would start our game)
• The minimum and maximum dollar values on the wheel are S$100 and S$500 respectively (According to another viewer’s post on the show’s message board, there are no S$350, S$400 and S$450 on the wheel).
• Vowels are worth S$50.
• A “Free Spin” disc is on the wheel in all rounds.
  
• I could not recall whether there are three prize wedges on the wheel in Round 1, but I could recall that when the prize wedge is picked up by a contestant, the announcer will read the prize copy and the value of the prize before the game resumes. The prize wedges only have letters on it, no image.

• A S$1,000 wedge is added to the wheel in Round 3. It works similarly to the $10,000 wedge or the Million Dollar wedge, it features three segments and each only one peg wide - a white S$1,000 in the middle with a Bankrupt on the either side.
  

• Special weeks that are done during Version 1 of the show:
  • June 19 - 20, 27 - 28: World Cup Week (in celebration of the 2002 World Cup)
    
  • July 12: Playoff #1 (Playing for a S$45,000 City-red Opel Corsa)
  
  
  
  
  
  • July 24 - 26: Music Week with radio DJs and English Norwegian boy band, a1 playing with civilians
  • August 7 - 9: Celebrity Special (August 9 was Singapore’s 37th National Day)
  • September 6: Playoff #2 (Playing for $25,000 cash)
    
  
  
  

Screenshots of Version 1 (Although you are unable to see the actual wheel configurations, you would have noticed that the colors used during Version 1 is different from the ones used in Version 2)


     

  

Version 2 (September 11, 2002 - April 2, 2003

 

• A new logo is used in the opening to reflect the new version. I recall that the opening theme is also updated during the new version.
• Puzzle board screens are updated with the Wheel logo that we normally see on the current puzzle board of Syndicated Wheel.

• Two toss-up rounds are played. One is played before the first round and the other one is played before the second round. Each toss-up round is worth S$200.
• The minimum and maximum dollar values on the wheel are S$200 and S$800 respectively.
• Vowels are increased to S$100.
• A “Free Vowel” wedge is added on the wheel.
  • When a contestant lands on that wedge, he or she has to call a letter that is in the puzzle in order to collect the “Free Vowel” wedge.
  • A contestant may use the "free vowel wedge" on his or her turn. A vowel will then be revealed on the puzzle board. The contestant does NOT choose his or her preferred free vowel, it will be provided. The contestant should only indicate that he or she wishes to use his or her “Free Vowel” wedge.
  • If he or she lands on "Bankrupt", he or she loses all of his or her money and/or prizes for that round. The “Free Vowel” wedge may be carried over and used during any round of a show, except during the Speed-Up or Bonus Rounds. It is the contestant's responsibility to let the host know when he or she wishes to use his or her “Free Vowel” wedge.

• Before the start of Round 1, the announcer will first read the prize copies and the values of the prizes.
• A S$1,000 wedge is “upgraded” to S$3,000 wedge in Round 3. It works similarly to the $10,000 wedge or the Million Dollar wedge, it features three segments and each only one peg wide - a white (?) S$3,000 in the middle with a Bankrupt on the either side. According to the viewer's post below, the viewer criticized the show for the budget even after the "upgrade"

• The show adds in the home viewers contests beginning the first episode of Version 2. Each episode, a partially revealed puzzle will be shown twice. Viewers can submit their solution via text messaging or 1900 hotline between 9 pm and 12 midnight. One lucky winner will be chosen each episode and he or she will win S$500 cash. All correct entries received will be entered into the grand draw during the November 1, 2002 playoff where one lucky winner will win either S$5,000 or S$25,000 cash.
• Special weeks that are done during Version 2 of the show: 
• October 2 - 4, 2002: Children’s Week (Between age 10 and 14? I can't remember)
• November 1, 2002: Playoff #3 (Playing for S$25,000 cash, also a home viewers contest where someone at home can win S$25,000 if the studio contestant does not solve the Bonus Round puzzle. Otherwise, it is worth S$5,000. According to a newspaper article which is locked, the studio contestant fails to solve the Bonus Round puzzle and a then-29-year-old lady wins S$25,000)

• December 19 - 20, 25, 2002: Christmas Special
• January 1, 2003: Playoff #4 (Playing for S$25,000 cash)
• February 5 - 7, 2003: Lunar New Year Special
• February 12 - 14, 2003: Valentine’s Week (Originally scheduled to be on only February 13 and 14)
• February 26 - 28, 2003: 40 Years of Television (MediaCorp was celebrating its 40th year of television in Singapore. Hence the theme)
• March 5 - 7, 2003: Oliver Giveaway (?)
• March 19 - 21, 2003: Bachelor’s Week
• April 2, 2003 (Finale): Playoff #5 (Playing for S$25,000 cash) (Originally scheduled to be on February 28)

• Celebrity Week, originally scheduled to be on March 12 - 14, 2003, is removed from the schedule for unknown reasons.

On their first version of the website, there is a Wheel Trivia section which featured interesting trivia such as the "BUTTINSKY" incident. That section was later removed when the show moved into Version 2.

    

In my opinion, the amount of cash and prizes offered on WOFS was of a smaller scale because at that time, the Singapore version of WWTBAM? and The Weakest Link were also on the air with the former, you have guessed it, offering S$1,000,000 in cash. However, it was still a good attempt after airing 124 episodes, which is the second longest running game show in Singapore, the first being the Singapore version of The Pyramid Game which aired in the early 90s to early 2000s. In my opinion, the cash and prizes offered in WOFS can be easily compared with Roda Impian.

Here are the links if you are interested (Pardon if any of the links doesn't work): 
Version 1 
Version 2 
Version 2 (April 2003)

Thank you for taking your time reading this thread. Hope that the images are placed neat and tidy. Next, I will be finding my document on the broadcast history of US version of Wheel in Singapore.

(Spoiler alert: MediaCorp Channel 5 is indeed a family-friendly channel. Shows that are rated 16 and above, or NC16 and above, cannot be shown on free-to-air television due to the broadcasting guidelines. Either the show will be heavily edited or will not be shown on television at all)

I'd like to provide an update on what I've found for WOFS when I clicked on the websites provided by tvfrequencyfan . Three episodes (Two from Version 1, one from Version 2) are available in the archives, but those require me to go down on site in order to view those episodes for a better quality. At the time of writing, I've tasks on hand so unlikely for me to go there within this period.

As I searched WOFS in the archives website, I found a 30-second preview of a March 27, 2002 MediaCorp Channel 5 evening news program which provided the headlines of the day as well as WOFS Version 1 at the end. The last 10 seconds of the video shows the Round 3 wheel (with the B-S$1,000-B space and no prize wedges), the puzzle board and a contestant solving the puzzle. The images may not be of high quality, but it gives a full picture of how WOFS looked like when it was produced between 2002 and 2003.

The screenshots below, I believe, were taken during a mock game of WOFS which was not aired on television.

(All information and screenshots credit to MediaCorp Channel 5's News 5 Tonight (March 27, 2002) extracted from National Archives of Singapore)

Version 1's Round 3 wheel spinning in progress











A close-up shot of the wheel



The puzzle board and the category strip. Notice the number "5" appearing on the puzzle board which I doubt any version has done that.



A contestant wins S$600 after solving the puzzle above. Notice the dollar sign in front of the number 6 as that does not appear on the scoreboard when it aired on television.



Version 1's wheel configurations for Round 3 are as follows (Beginning the brown S$100 space based on the second last screenshot, spinning clockwise):

Brown $100
Blue $200
Lose A Turn
Green $150
Pink $100
Orange $200
Brown $150
Blue $100
Bankrupt
Yellow $100
Blue $300
Pink $100
Dark orange $150
Green $100
Bankrupt-$1,000-Bankrupt (Unknown value underneath in Rounds 1 and 2)
Light orange $150
Pink $250
Yellow $100
Blue $150
Dark orange $200
Bankrupt
Pink $100
Brown $150
Light orange $250 

Hope the above information helps.

Hi everyone. It's been a long time posting this thread.

Due to work and other commitments, I was unable to visit the National Archives since the last update in August so I will not be updating on the Singapore version of Wheel. Instead, I will be posting about the American Wheel airing in Singapore. From here on, I hope that I can provide the latest updates on the airings of American Wheel in Singapore based on the Mewatch TV guide (Part of Mediacorp) and also any changes in our airings as compared to the US (provided if I have the time to watch the episode airing on Mediacorp Channel 5).

Before I provide any latest updates, here's the history of American Wheel airing in Singapore (All screenshots credit to NewspaperSG, Singapore's TODAY Newspaper and Mewatch).

June 11, 1991 - The first airing of American Wheel in Singapore on SBC 5 (Then-Mediacorp Channel 5) at 7 pm. I found November 20, 1991 at first, but thanks to NewspaperSG, I managed to find more earlier newspapers. I was born in the mid-90s, so I'm not sure which season did it air at that time. However, if we were to assume that Singapore was two years behind from the US airings, it could be Season 7. At that time, it only aired every Tuesdays and Wednesdays.



January 2, 1992 - American Wheel extended to air on Thursdays



July 17, 1994 - American Wheel moved to 6 pm, airing Mondays to Fridays. Back then, 6 pm to 7 pm on SBC 5 were American Wheel and The Pyramid Game (Singapore version).



Around 1997 (The earliest newspaper found dated March 18) - American Wheel briefly moved to 6.30 pm. Singapore's Pyramid was on hiatus.



Around 2002 (The earliest newspaper found dated May 8) - American Wheel continued to air at 6.30 pm. That was the time where Season 19 was aired if you remembered some of the YouTube videos uploaded in the past. Before American Wheel, it was The Price is Right with Bob Barker at 5.30 pm.

Around 2003 - American Wheel briefly went into hiatus due to the airing of Singapore Wheel.

After April 2, 2003 - American Wheel returned after Singapore Wheel aired its final episode. I remembered that because there was an advertisement of the Singapore hosts promoting the return of American Wheel few weeks before the finale. Season 20 was aired during that time, IIRC. Repeats were also aired in the mornings.

February 23, 2005 - American Wheel aired for the last time in Singapore before going into hiatus. Months before the final airing, Mediacorp Channel 5 were airing reruns of Season 20. The final repeat aired the next day. No mention was made about the finale on the newspaper, but IIRC, there was a scroller about the pre-emption of Wheel during the last few airings. Seasons 21 - 24 were not aired.





June 3, 2008 - As part of Mediacorp Channel 5 rebranding, American Wheel was brought back and Season 25 was aired, airing Tuesdays to Thursdays at 7.30 pm. The Price is Right with Drew Carey was also part of the rebranding package.



August 6, 2008 - American Wheel went into a brief hiatus for unknown reasons. The Price is Right continued to air.

June 10, 2009 - American Wheel returned and continued where it left off.



Around 2010 - Season 26 premiered after airing the final episode of Season 25. On May 3, 2011, Mediacorp Channel 5 aired two new episodes of Wheel between 6 pm and 7 pm. That lasted until May 26, 2011 where the American Wheel went into hiatus again. Seasons 27 - 29 were not aired.





October 30, 2013 - American Wheel was brought back again. Season 30 was aired, airing Tuesdays to Thursdays at 7.30 pm.



Below were the premiere dates and finale dates for the respective seasons of American Wheel in Singapore:

Season 30 - October 30, 2013 - December 15, 2014
Season 31 - December 16, 2014 - December 3, 2015 (7.30 pm between December 16 and 22, 2014. Began to air Mondays to Thursdays at 7 pm from January 5, 2015)
Season 32 - Not aired due to unknown reasons
Season 33 - December 4, 2015 - November 2, 2016 (The season where Singapore caught up with the US airings)
Season 34 - November 3, 2016 - October 25, 2017
Season 35 - October 30, 2017 - November 8, 2018
Season 36 - November 8, 2018 - January 29, 2020
Season 37 - January 30, 2020 - January 11, 2021 (The first season where episodes were not in airing order to accommodate the holiday season such as Secret Santa and winter-themed weeks. Any discussion on the holidays outside the holiday season were edited out)
Season 38 - January 12, 2021 - February 16, 2022
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season 1 - June 21, 2021 - July 1, 2021 (Airing Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30 pm, right after Syndicated Wheel)



Season 39 - February 17, 2022 - July 31, 2023 (Final episode was on February 28, 2023; Reruns were aired between March 1 and July 31)
Season 40 - August 1, 2023 - ?
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season 2 - July 3, 2023 - September 11, 2023 (Airing Mondays at 7.30 pm; Donny Osmond/Jeff Garlin/Amber Riley was skipped due to mature themes, scheduled to air January 1, 2024 at 11.30 pm)





(P.S. I wouldn't mind creating a separate thread on the American Wheel airings in Singapore)