genius2751
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Post by genius2751 on Mar 29, 2014 10:05:19 GMT -5
So we just recently got out of a shutout in Girlfriend Getaways. Here's a few new themes that were initially bad (I'm not gonna count road shows)...
Weekend In New England 2006 (S24, shutout AND probably the WORST week in the Toss-Up era)
Going Green 2008 (S25, nearly a shutout)
Pet Lovers 2008 (S25, also nearly a shutout...right after Going Green)
Dads & Grads 2008 (S25, should've been a shutout)
Going Green 2009 (S26, nearly a shutout)
Fall Foliage 2009 (S27, should've been a shutout)
Dads & Grads 2010 (S27, shutout)
Wendy's Family Week 2011 (S28, shutout, another UGLY week)
Fun & Fit 2011 (S29, 4-day shutout, very bad week)
NBA Week 2013 (S30, shutout)
Girlfriend Getaways 2014 (S31, shutout)
Now let's see my take on these weeks...
-Weekend In New England...that was the week of December 11, 2006. If you look it up on Game Show Kingdom, you'll find out why it was so bad.
-Going Green hasn't done much better, BR-wise. Pet Lovers has improved dramatically!
-Haven't seen a week to salute the fall season since Fall Foliage.
-Family Week from the studio isn't that great of an idea, IMO.
-Fun & Fit has improved dramatically as well!
-Why didn't they have NBA Week with celebrities?
What about you guys? What are some weeks on Wheel you weren't fond of?
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Mar 29, 2014 10:08:51 GMT -5
I'm not fond of theme weeks in general.  |
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genius2751
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Post by genius2751 on Mar 29, 2014 10:11:07 GMT -5
I mean I like the ideas of the themes but the gameplay isn't so good most of the time.
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WooWho
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Post by WooWho on Mar 29, 2014 11:31:48 GMT -5
I'm just curious--and this goes for anyone who wants to reply in this thread--what makes a theme week "bad"?
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mechamind
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Post by mechamind on Mar 29, 2014 11:35:30 GMT -5
One way I could think of a theme possibly being bad is if a page was taken out of the "Drewcase" archive of TPiR.
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genius2751
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Post by genius2751 on Mar 29, 2014 12:34:12 GMT -5
Josh, what makes a theme bad is if the gameplay is bad.
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therealcu2010
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Post by therealcu2010 on Mar 29, 2014 14:00:44 GMT -5
All of them. |
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genius2751
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Post by genius2751 on Mar 29, 2014 14:04:55 GMT -5
I meant to say that Family Week from the generic stage isn't so good.
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StrangerCoug
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Post by StrangerCoug on Mar 29, 2014 14:44:32 GMT -5
I think genius2751's idea of what constitutes a bad theme and my idea of what constitutes one are entirely different. He seems to be more statistical, while my brain's working more subjectively. (Being more of an old-school fan of Wheel, I feel like therealcu2010's post rings true to me—Wheel does not need theme weeks. They're used only sparingly on Jeopardy!.)
As for specific themes that come to mind, I think Las Vegas and Sandals are both overdone, and this is coming from a sucker for everything Vegas. There are times I don't feel like looking at rows and rows of slot machines and blackjack tables.
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WarioSajak
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Post by WarioSajak on Mar 29, 2014 15:51:29 GMT -5
See, I thought this was gonna be about the show's music, and was prepared to list the usual "all Speed-Up music and anything since Merv retired", but theme weeks? No clue. -Why didn't they have NBA Week with celebrities? Because seven years ago, Friedman decided he doesn't like giving money to charities unless he can control how much is removed from his wallet? Seriously, I have no idea why Wheel hasn't had celebrities playing since 2007. They'll have them in the studio, sure, and even have them pose at the Wheel as if they were playing, but they never do -- either the celebs don't actually want to play, or Wheel's allergic to celebs playing for charity. Of course, none of this applies to Jeopardy!, which really shouldn't surprise anybody at this point. I'm just curious--and this goes for anyone who wants to reply in this thread--what makes a theme week "bad"? The themed puzzles. For some weeks, particularly those sponsored by Sandals, they're painful; for others, like Dad's Week and Girlfriend Getaways, the puzzles play to the respective "dad" and "girl/girlfriend" stereotypes so much that it hurt. Doesn't help that Friedman approved all these puzzles, which may suggest something in the case of the latter: Sad that these puzzles are all just female stereotypes, it's honestly a laugh to the face of women's rights on some of these, sigh... It also doesn't help that the Trip Puzzle feels like Harry's personal trolling grounds more often than not. |
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Post by wipeoutman33 on Mar 29, 2014 17:47:12 GMT -5
I honestly thought that Tennis Week from May 30-June 3,2011 was very dull.
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germanname1990
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Post by germanname1990 on Mar 29, 2014 18:58:15 GMT -5
I don't like the 1994 theme! It killed the "Changing Keys" theme by leading to its demise! Wait, we're discussing week themes and theme music? Oh, okay. Sorry.
To be honest with you, I really can't think of a themed week I don't like, just ones that I do like. Some themed weeks have a limit as to who can play, but overall, they really don't affect the gameplay all that much, unless of course they experiment with new ideas like the Half-Car tags from Season 28's Road Trip week, and the $65,000, $75,000, and $85,000 envelopes from Season 29's Big Money week.
With all that said, I don't see why one should focus on despising themed weeks, even when a bonus round shutout occurs. I do, however, see every rhyme and reason why one should focus on liking other themed weeks. For example, I love Chicago week, and I like "Wheel Around the World" Week. I remember that throughout Season 23, they checked out international versions, even when it wasn't "Wheel Around the World" week, probably because it was the first week of that season. That season, along with YouTube's debut on the Net provoked my interest in checking out international versions. Recent "Wheel Around the World" weeks, however, have become more monotonus, especially since the number of foreign versions is very small, and they keep showing the same versions season after season.
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Post by insertusernamehere on Mar 29, 2014 19:28:20 GMT -5
At this rate I hardly care about them, but to me it's slightly annoying that a good majority of the themed weeks seem to be made just to have a themed week.
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genius2751
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Post by genius2751 on Mar 29, 2014 22:49:42 GMT -5
Good point! Maybe that's what I'm trying to say...
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Mar 30, 2014 1:21:29 GMT -5
I'm more optimistic about it. Strip away the window dressing and the show is still there. They're still playing Hangman with a wheel. Some of the puzzles are stupidly contrived to fit the theme, but it's not THAT often an impediment to solving. (Girlfriend Getaways notwithstanding — ugh, that was some terrible writing all around.) Some of the themes just seem kind of dull and uninspired, but again, the dull ones don't really get in the way much.
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