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Post by wheelwatcher89 on Feb 26, 2012 1:19:39 GMT -5
As you all know Harry Friedman has made numerous changes to the show since he took Nancy Jones' job in 1995, but which ones do you think were nessesary? Which ones were change for the sake of change?
I think the electronic puzzleboad was definitely the best one Friedman made. And as much as I hated it, I think the single template was nessesary because there were no more 10 minute stopdowns. (Though the early color scheme was Fugly)
The removal of "Changing Keys", having theme weeks EVERY single week, and the Free Play wedge were just change for the sake of change.
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tenpoundhammer
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Feb 26, 2012 1:32:19 GMT -5
The changes in general don't bother me. As long as they're still spinning a Wheel and solving word puzzles, it's still Wheel of Fortune to me.
Probably the only "change" that bugs me any is the Prize Puzzle, and that's only because some of the answers they use for it are just asinine.
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Post by woffan4ever on Feb 26, 2012 10:00:21 GMT -5
Obviously the biggest and best change was revamping the Bonus Round to offer $100k and now a million. $25,000 just wasn't cutting it anymore. It was, in my opinion, the best and biggest change made with except for the puzzle board. I've never had a problem with theme weeks as long as they don't get too wacky. I do agree that the prize puzzle needs a serious revamp. It's stale as stale can be. Also, I feel that the wheel should be beefed up and the amount of cardboard should be reduced. Harry has made some great changes. I don't agree with all of them but most of them are/were necessary. Sent from my Android smartphone. Damn autocorrect....  |
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Post by MarioGS on Feb 26, 2012 16:29:07 GMT -5
Definitely the Toss Ups. Not necessarily the number of them played, but it was a much better idea to decide who starts the game and/or who is guaranteed to start two rounds rather than solely drawing numbers at random. Also, like Dylan said, increasing the top prize to at least $100,000. I'd also add increasing the minimum to $30,000. I enter has a problem with theme weeks as long as they don't get too wacky. Huh?  |
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therealcu2010
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Post by therealcu2010 on Feb 26, 2012 16:43:59 GMT -5
I think Dylan's got a few bugs to work out of his phone... I also agree that the electronic puzzleboard was a necessity, along with the increase in values (though the price of vowels really should have went up). I don't really mind the Toss-ups, either...though I've always found the first one rather pointless and awkward, and would rather just have two... |
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Post by WarioSajak on Feb 27, 2012 5:23:46 GMT -5
Disregarding the overhaul of Shopper's Bazaar -> Wheel Of Fortune, getting rid of Buy A Vowel was probably the first thing they did that was actually necessary. Every single recollection I've seen, no matter how contradictory, suggests the wedge was unnecessary and just complicated matters. And it actually gets worse if you're playing either of Milton-Bradley's home games -- land on it after all vowels in the puzzle have been revealed? The booklet doesn't cover that! (There's also no rule about "no more vowels" or "only vowels left", but that's obvious to do.) I thought the Toss-Ups were a necessary change, as well. Certainly better than the Preview Puzzle... The set overhaul in December 1981 seemed more out of necessity to give away more and simply look nicer...although I do wonder if all they did was recycle the three-line board; I've seen quite a few shots that suggest it. No argument about the change to monitors in 1997. Faster tapings and a better chance at lively audiences. Yeah, constant theme weeks and Trip Puzzles are unnecessary. So is restricting non-cash prizes to just trips and cars. As you all know Harry Friedman has made numerous changes to the show since he took Nancy Jones' job in 1995, You ever look up the definition of "bombastic"? I honestly think that's what caused Nancy's departure...although I personally find "bombastic" to aptly describe the show these days. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2012 21:20:10 GMT -5
Be prepared, my list will be exhaustive:
What I think were necessary changes (before Friedman):
*Removal of Buy A Vowel (for the reasons WarioSajak stated and numerous others)
*Giving RSTLNE standard in the Bonus Round, while asking contestants to choose three more consonants and one more vowel
*Replacement of the Free Spin wedge with a single token (so that contestants could not rack up several Free Spins at once)
Unnecessary changes (before Friedman):
*The brief return of $50 and $75 to the daytime Wheel when it moved to CBS. (cheap, cheap, cheap!)
*Cutting the price of vowels in daytime, also with the move to CBS (another example of being cheap).
*The overhauled melody for 'Changing Keys' for Season 12.
Necessary changes (during Friedman's tenure)
*The move of the show's home base to Sony Pictures Studios (so that it wouldn't have to share the same studio with The Price is Right, although this was probably planned long before Friedman came in).
*The singular, entire-show template (reduced the work the crew had to do by eliminating the task of lifting each piece off the Wheel then placing the next templates on it during break.)
*The electronic puzzleboard (for obvious reasons)
*Toss-Ups (allows for more puzzles in a single episode)
*The addition of $100,000 cash for a Bonus prize, and later $30,000-$50,000 (so that there wouldn't be such a gap between the basic cash prize and the big one.)
*The increase of the Mystery Wedges' face value to $1,000.
*Switching production to high definition (gotta keep up with the times, you know).
*The Wild Card
*Switching to $500 cash (now $1,000) to give to contestants who didn't win anything instead of parting gifts.
*The increase in the minimum dollar value, first to $250, later $300 (although there are too many $300 spaces on the Wheel now.)
Unnecessary changes (during Friedman):
*The sparkly-green $1,000 wedge (especially when the 1996 single template had a regular yellow $1,000 they could've used.)
*The removal of returning champions (makes no sense that returning champs was eliminated altogether from Wheel, yet Jeopardy! eventually abolished its five-day limit altogether.)
*Theme weeks every single week
*Taping nearly every week worth of shows out of airing order (kind of goes along with the removal of returning champs and Friday Finals.)
*The over-reliance on cardboard to pick up in recent years
*The almost-exclusive use of blue and green for the 'neon' on the set (puzzleboard and video wall frames, and the Wheel)
*The Prize Puzzle
*"What Are You Doing?" (because of the gimme gerund letters in puzzles of this category)
*Limiting the non-cash prize offerings to trips and cars (no wonder the show is stale as it is now!)
*The retirement of Changing Keys (supposedly done so that they wouldn't be paying residuals to Merv, but I'm sure they're still paying residuals to his estate for the melody of the Jeopardy! theme and Think music.)
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