BAVRecapTeam
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Post by BAVRecapTeam on Nov 23, 2011 20:47:21 GMT -5
Time to begin our three-episode salute to the Big Apple, aka NYC.
EPISODE #5508 - WHEEL LOVES NEW YORK
Tape Date of the Week: September 15, 2011
$1,000 Tossup - LANDMARK
_ _ E / _ _ _ _ _ L _ N
_ _ _ _ _ E
Michael quickly solves THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE. Our panel on this Wednesday...
Michael Smith: Beverly Hills hotel worker who first met Vanna when he was in 2nd Grade from Los Angeles (originally from NC)
Alicia Splies: bilingual service representative for a Social Security office who had a bone marrow transplant when she was about two years old from Appleton, WI
Vicki Robinette: surgery center recovery nurse from Bakersfield, CA
$2,000 Tossup - PLACE
_ _ _ A _ C A S T
B O _ T _
Michael's two for two w/ BROADCAST BOOTH.
FEATURED NYC TRIP: sponsored by "Arthur Christmas", the one that's worth $5,500
Jackpot Round - BEFORE AND AFTER
The category wipe for this short week is provided by a taxi.
Michael starts w/ the T for the green 1/2 KIA and an H for $2,500. After some work, he BANKRUPTS on the MDW's left side to lose the plate and $4K. Alicia's first spin yields LAT. Vicki duds out on the Jackpot w/ an R. Soon enough, the board reads...
T H E / B I _
A P P L E
_ _ _ P L I _ _
Michael eats THE BIG APPLE DUMPLING for the house minimum.
SOLE DUD: R (Vicki)
BANKRUPT: Michael
LAT: Alicia
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,800
Pre-Round 2 Scores
Michael: $4K
Alicia and Vicki: $0 each
========
Mystery Round - HUSBAND AND WIFE
Alicia begins w/ two T's, but then hits LAT for the second time tonight. Vicki does some work and retrieves the Wild Card in the process w/ two C's, but she too gets LAT. Michael picks up the TicketsNow.com gift tag w/ five R's...
_ A T T _ E _
_ R _ _ E R I C _ / &
S A R A _ / J E S S I C A
_ A R _ E R
...and then solves MATTHEW BRODERICK & SARAH JESSICA PARKER to add that to his bank.
LATs: 2 (both ladies)
Pre-Round 3 Scores
Michael: $5K
Alicia and Vicki: $0 each
========
PRIZE PUZZLE Round - THINGS
S O O T _ I N _
S _ A / T R E A T M E N T S
Vicki dominates (the I was put up via FP) and solves SOOTHING SPA TREATMENTS for $5,750, and a trip to the Maruba Resort Jungle Spa in BELIZE worth $7,720, a total of $13,470 that round.
TRIP SPIN ID: BS7728233 (Becky S.)
PERFECT ROUND!
Pre-Tossup #3 Scores
Michael: $5K
Alicia: $0
Vicki: $13,470
========
$3,000 Tossup - OCCUPATION
_ N T _ Q _ E
D _ _ _ E R
Alicia finally gets on the board w/ ANTIQUE DEALER.
Round 4 - PHRASE (full $1,300 speed-up round)
N _ / _ T R _ N G _
_ T T _ C _ _ _
Alicia knows that there's NO STRINGS ATTACHED on the $5,200 that she won this round.
DUDS: L (Alicia), M (Vicki)
FINAL SCORES
Michael: $5K cash and gift tag
Alicia: $8,200
Vicki: $13,470 cash and Belize + WC
TOTAL MAINGAME WINNINGS: $26,670
========
$100,000 Bonus Round
On this shortened week, the car at stake is a Volvo C30. Vicki hands Pat the envelope from the first A of AMERICA'S.
Category: PHRASE
Here's how we begin...
_ _ _ / T _ E
R _ _ _
M, P, D and A are called first before she makes H (wha?) as her WC choice...
_ _ _ / T H E
R A _ _
She loses, and she won't be taking this OFF THE RACK -- the Volvo, meaning our BR car record this season drops to 0-8. That sends her home w/ $13,470 cash and trip.
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WayoshiM
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Post by WayoshiM on Nov 23, 2011 20:51:39 GMT -5
I didn't care much for this one... actually, it was all-around pretty terrible.
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an007
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Post by an007 on Nov 23, 2011 20:52:05 GMT -5
Not too good of a start on this short week.
R1: Not a good BANKRUPT, and not good of Michael to leave the G's unrevealed.
R2: Pitiful job by Michael to spin only once for the gift tag. The H's and K's were unrevealed thanks to your consonativity, sir.
R3: Nice job by Alicia after getting bad luck in the 1st two rounds.
Bonus Round: Apparently, Vicki was thinking OFF THE RAMP like me, but I got this one when the M was a dud. But still, why did she have to waste the H?!
EPISODE RATING: 5 out of 10
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Post by mcbridebobby on Nov 23, 2011 20:54:14 GMT -5
Vicki needed the F's & the C to have become the first BR car winner all season long.
Score: 6
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2011 21:00:23 GMT -5
But still, why did she have to waste the H?! It took Vicki long enough to call the first two letters, so I can imagine the only letter she could think of was H... aren't you supposed to know the alphabet to get on this show? |
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Nov 23, 2011 21:01:36 GMT -5
R1: Consonative example #1... R2: It may be a category "we don't see all that often", but we did see it last week. I was anticipating something even rarer. Consonative example #2... R3: At least a decent round... R4: I got this with just the Ts. BR: Just when I thought she wasn't going to pick the H...and it had to be her Wild Card letter. At least the thing got used again. Why can't we give away the good cars?  All of tonight's contestants seemed like TPIR contestants, people who don't watch the show and don't get the idea on how to properly play it. Michael was so clueless on how to play. In R2, he was just like "Um, I'll solve, I guess..." then "What is this?" referring to the gift tag. Seriously? You're solving and you don't even know what you're winning? Alyssa Alicia had an interesting story, but she didn't know how to play Speed Up. "May I--oh, G." She seemed like she was going to solve, then went for the G instead of the double S.  Vicki seemed so pressured in the BR. She had such a hard time choosing letters and she probably just decided to get it over with and hope the H would help, which it obviously didn't. One man in the audience really seemed to like Vanna's dress with all that whistling. Too bad they weren't good during the game, though, except for the real groans at the car reveal. The answer reveal sounded canned once again... I didn't think that "Arthur Christmas" promo would ever end... Pat's "nice rack" comment was hilarious, but a bad show to start off the three-day theme of my home state.
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whammy007
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Post by whammy007 on Nov 23, 2011 21:04:25 GMT -5
The first two-thirds of the show really frustrated me, and here's why:
Third-Place Player:
> Won 4 rounds (2 toss-ups and 2 regular rounds)
> The two regular rounds he won were both house minimum (or its equivalent in gift)
Second-Place Player:
> Won 2 rounds (1 toss-up and 1 regular round)
> The regular round was the speed-up
Tonight's Big Winner
> Won just one round (the Prize round)
> Without the trip, she finishes in second place
The conclusions that we should take from this little comparison are:
1. Softness/consonativity/spinglerism is, as a general rule, NEVER rewarded. The only real exception to this is if you have already established a big lead and are playing keep-away.
2. The Prize Round is very much broken. There needs to be some kind of stipulation on the awarding of the trip (so that the players actually have to EARN it). If the Jackpot and Mystery gimmicks must be earned, then so should the Prize Puzzle if it's going to be a regular round from here on in.
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Nov 23, 2011 21:06:01 GMT -5
I had no idea on the bottom word in the BR. I think I've heard that term like twice ever. Also, I totally skipped over C when spouting RA__ gibberish.
And why is it always the only letter I ignore that's key?!
Edited the last sentence. Caps, multiple punctuation marks and large fonts are NOT necessary.
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Post by xaver on Nov 23, 2011 22:39:00 GMT -5
I didn't get the BR either. I thought it was OFF THE ROAD at first, but couldn't think of anything when the A showed up, so just tried many other random 3 letter words (FIX THE..., BUY THE...) when it was in fact OFF  |
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therealcu2010
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Post by therealcu2010 on Nov 23, 2011 22:46:31 GMT -5
2. The Prize Round is very much broken. There needs to be some kind of stipulation on the awarding of the trip (so that the players actually have to EARN it). If the Jackpot and Mystery gimmicks must be earned, then so should the Prize Puzzle if it's going to be a regular round from here on in. Either that, or make the prize be a true "bonus" prize, and not add it to the players' score. Only the money earned will count on the scoreboard. |
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WarioSajak
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Post by WarioSajak on Nov 23, 2011 22:55:52 GMT -5
The summary and comments told me everything I needed to know -- this was a trainwreck, and the only reason Vicki won is because of the incessant "need" to force a trip into someone's winnings. 2. The Prize Round is very much broken. There needs to be some kind of stipulation on the awarding of the trip (so that the players actually have to EARN it). If the Jackpot and Mystery gimmicks must be earned, then so should the Prize Puzzle if it's going to be a regular round from here on in. The UK version had a special prize that was awarded if a certain red letter was revealed and the contestant solved the puzzle right then. Something like that could work for the Prize Puzzle. |
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Nov 23, 2011 22:59:58 GMT -5
That was basically their version of the Jackpot. The prize was 500 pounds, and the red letter was called the "cashpot letter".
The problem with getting rid of the PPs altogether is that people would finish with around 7K much more often, and it could make the show look cheap. For those who don't follow the "Game On!" section, my rule for the PP is that you must solve before more than 60% of the puzzle is revealed in order to get the prize.
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whammy007
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Post by whammy007 on Nov 23, 2011 23:11:36 GMT -5
My main gripe against the PP has always been that it was really something for nothing. I think by making it a set round, they're on their way to fixing that, but they need to make the players actually earn their prize. If they did that and didn't always force-theme the puzzles in that round (last night's was horrible, tonight's was still sort of themed but much better), then I wouldn't mind the Prize Puzzle quite so much.
Personally, I like what you've done with the 60% threshold on your show, Mario - it imposes a condition over and above the usual stumbling backwards into a solve. While I don't think the percentage rule will make it onto a real show, it gives the Prize Round a flow that it really lacks on the air.
Also, as a sidebar, I believe the cashpot letter was only 100 pounds - not much, but then again, the UK version played for points (and prizes for the round winners), so any cash at all was a big bonus.
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therealcu2010
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Post by therealcu2010 on Nov 23, 2011 23:15:41 GMT -5
The show already looks cheap...removing the PP wouldn't hurt that any.
I still think the best solution is to remove the PP and put the prize back on the wheel in Round 3...the prize is still there, up for grabs, but the player must EARN it.
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Nov 23, 2011 23:17:10 GMT -5
You're right, Scott. It was 100 pounds.
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WayoshiM
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Post by WayoshiM on Nov 24, 2011 2:31:55 GMT -5
The show already looks cheap...removing the PP wouldn't hurt that any. Do you want more and more four digit winners? I think there would be a huge perception change, and that Wheel is aware of it... |
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WarioSajak
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Post by WarioSajak on Nov 24, 2011 8:21:34 GMT -5
The show already looks cheap...removing the PP wouldn't hurt that any. No, the show is cheap. They actually have a video on their site for their prize coordinator, who does nothing but talk about trips and cars (but mostly trips). They offer tons of money, but somehow can't afford to pay royalties for "Changing Keys" or make a set that doesn't look like almost every primetime game show since 1999? Trips and cars are more likely to be turned down for one reason or another than, say, kitchen appliances or a complete bedroom...and I suspect that's why Wheel has very rarely deviated from the stale "four kinds of prizes" mentality (trips, cars, cash, and that single $1,000 Gift Tag). I've mentioned on here before that their Twitter account avoided responding to my question. It seems that at least sometimes, Wheel loves to spend money on everything but the contestants. Until this season, they awarded $50,000 cash to any Spin I.D. winner who also had an active Sony Card, which on some nights was the largest number viewers saw. Still, though, one man's opinion.  |
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therealcu2010
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Post by therealcu2010 on Nov 24, 2011 10:52:24 GMT -5
Cars are very sellable...nobody in their right mind would turn one down when they can turn around and sell it.
Trips, on the other hand...yeah, I'm sure they are expecting most to get turned down. It also seems as if the show has a lot more sponsored prizes than they used to, too. However, I'm sure there are plenty of contestants who take their trips...and, thus, the show has to pay for each of those (unless they're sponsored).
If anything, removing the PP prize and returning it to the wheel might actually help the budget situation more (since they are no longer giving away a guaranteed prize each show), and thus allow them to look less cheap in the long run.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2011 13:18:32 GMT -5
I aree with the PP getting removed... they should just put another wheel prize in for R3 and retire the Gift Tag after R2, that's for making room.
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Nov 24, 2011 14:43:05 GMT -5
Here's another idea for a PP alternative: have R3 always be a trivia puzzle, so players can still win extra for solving the puzzle, but it must be earned.
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