April 7, 2014 recap (for Joe)

Joe, oh my goodness! I go to UIC too! This is my last semester there before I get a Bachelor's in history. I was expecting you to have won more since you were this week's featured player, but I nonetheless congratulate you on your $9300. Still, I have that burning question. Did you not know the Prize Puzzle?

Also, how much do you get from the show after taxes? Just so I have an idea about what to expect for an Illinois player.

I knew ORDERING and POOLSIDE, but didn't know BEVERAGES. I was hoping to keep spinning and hopefully let it come to me. I literally paused for a few seconds where Pat asked me to Spin or solve, but they edited it out where it looked like I immediately spun. I was afraid of hitting bankrupt again after the first one. The bankrupt spin in round 2 was literally going to be my last spin before solving. I wanted to get above $4k or hit the other half car.


They are withholding 7% for California, but I thought I remembered somewhere that Illinois and California have a reciprocity agreement to not tax each other's residents. If true, I'll have to just pay 5% for Illinois at the end of the year. As for Federal, I will most likely not have to pay after writing off my school expenses.

You did great tonight Joe! You probably should've called the G in R3 but all 3 of you did very well! Stacy would've won by a landslide had she not dudded out on the 2nd 1/2-CAR, but can you believe she only needed the Mystery Round (Rome included) to win. Whaddaya plan to do with your winnings?

As for the BR, I had that with the ER in OVER-. Too bad it wasn't solved. Hey, $12,750 + Rome isn't so bad.

My rating: 6

I like when they have College Week from the studio.

Will you withdraw that remark, Mr. ultimaganon? I *am* one of those modern players and I resent your snide comment.

(takes deep breath)

That being said, Joe, well done to you! Nine grand and change is nothing to sneeze at. I think you were clearly the best player up there, it's just a shame the wheel wasn't too kind to you.

You're a quiz bowl player? I played in high school, but that was the end of the line--USC didn't have a team. Any intentions on gunning for Jeopardy! in the future?

No, I won't withdraw it, but I will clarify. I mean MOST modern players. You do have a few gems here and there, but on the whole players in the modern era just aren't as good as players prior to 2005-ish.

My comment was not directed at ten96lt or you, or any other players who actually have a strategy. What I can't stand is when players stand up there, call letters that have already been called, don't buy vowels, don't spin for more stuff and in general don't use common sense.

If that clarification does not suffice, then I don't know what to say. That's my opinion. If you wanted to argue, you should've brought it to a PM.

Thanks! Ugh my damn phone and auto-correct today. (Jeopardy next*)

I would have most likely passed on the PP trip, but Italy would've been nice.

Also for those that didn't read the tweets. In case you didn't know, the wheel is equipped with sensors to detect if the wheel moves in any direction besides the normal rotation. During the break after R3, the producers came to me and told me that they were getting reports from the control room that their sensors were detecting me moving the wheel from my bankrupt reactions and asked I try not to pull if I hit it again. Maybe that's what made me memorable.

Now there's something new we learned, the wheel has sensors. Guess that's also how they determine the wheel is, in fact, balanced and not biased to land in a certain section over the rest of it. That thing's a lot more complex than we think it is.

Look at it this way, Joe, hitting Bankrupt is like a Wheel contestant's rite of passage!

It is opinion eligible because we don't have the detailed statistics for every single show that has aired since the premiere. We only have statistics on recent years, so your point is moot.

Yeah, I probably would be nervous, but a lot of contestants don't seem prepared at all before they get out on stage. That's what I'm talking about.

Why all the hostility?

If this is your stand against me having an opinion, then it's a very lousy one.

EDIT: Maybe it's my stubbornness, but I still WILL NOT retract my comment. Sorry if you disagree with me, and it was not my intent to offend, and I like watching the modern show, but I'm allowed to have my opinion that the show isn't as good now as it was prior to 2005-ish and that the players don't play as well.

And about the pressure Prizes, then why does it appear that there are fewer errors on shows in past seasons than in more recent ones? Those people were under the same pressure, so sorry, I am not buying that argument.

Allow me to just say my piece on the matter. Thanks.


The thing is that most (it seems) contestants don't research letter frequencies, the best Bonus Round strategies, and the history of the Trip Puzzle like we do -- in fact, I'd wager that some of them aren't/weren't aware that there's places where those things are done. Contestants should be on Wheel to play the game, have fun, perhaps make new friends...and hopefully not give a Nonsense Answer on coast-to-coast television, but that's nerves for you.

There's positives and negatives to studying and not studying, both before the auditions and after being selected for the show.


While what Ryan said is true, they weren't under the same kind of pressure. Yes, there were lights and cameras and a studio audience and timers for decisions and the fact it was on national television...but that's not what I'm referring to.

From about 1975-87, Wheel seemed to be a considerably more carefree and "loose" game in a pretty small and "cozy" studio in beautiful downtown Burbank, which I've likened in the past to a "living room" feel -- "Hey, come on in! We're all friends, playing a silly game of hangman-meets-roulette for some play money to spend on these knick-knacks we found at a Gucci yard sale. " Playing for cash upped the tension a bit, as playing for cash tends to do, but it was still more focused on being fun -- a mindset that continued through the Television City era (daytime retaining more of said feel due to its lower stakes) and well after moving to Culver City. Sure, the prizes were big, but they were always interesting because of their variety.

What seems to have happened since about the mid-2000s, and particularly after adding the $1,000,000 prize in 2008, was that the "type" of pressure changed -- what used to be "Hey, it's a silly little game. Don't worry if you make a mistake. " was becoming "Primetime network game show-style atmosphere! Lots of money and prizes on the line! OMGMILLIONBUX! Spoiler-filled promos!" (etc.) more and more. I believe the "type" of pressure put on contestants has changed because the show's own "attitude" has changed.

The biggest difference between then and now, and what I think has also contributed heavily to the "new type of pressure", is that social media allows Wheel to dangle so many carrots in front of the contestants -- "Look at all the money and prizes you could win! You could be famous on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.! You might even get to write this week's contestant blog!" Combined with said social media presenting the likelihood that mistakes will be preserved online using titles like "WORST WOF SOLVE EVER!!!"...honestly, it's not really a surprise that players today seem to be more nervous and make more mistakes compared to those who played during the first 30 or so years.

(For the record, I'm not insulting or trying to insult anyone who's been on or tried out for the show. I'm merely pointing out why players would be more likely to make mistakes in recent seasons, and how it compares to those who played before the widespread use of social media.)