Evaluation: Toss Up

I don't usually post in these much, but this is one I do want to weigh in on...

Should the values of the tossups change? Should they all be worth the same amount?

I don't mind the Toss-Ups escalating in value as the show goes on, to add drama or whatever. The difference in money at least helps to distinguish one from the other and indicate how far along we are in the game.

As far as their current amounts, there's no way you'd get away with making them worth less without someone crying foul, it would be too visible a change. On the other hand, making them worth more would further tax an already-tight budget. For reference, last season Wheel gave away $11.1 million over 195 episodes. If you added even $1,000 in total value to the Toss-Ups (added to one, split between two, or however), that's $195,000 extra cash that is almost guaranteed to be given away over the season - a prize budget increase of around 1.75%. Given that we didn't even get road shows this season due to tight budgeting, any significant increase in one area would have to be offset by a decrease elsewhere.

Why is the first tossup even there when all it does is give the winner the right to be interviewed first? (And awards the same amount for just showing up?)

There's no denying that TU1 is the lowest-valued puzzle of the entire show (the other Toss-Ups are worth more by design, and all spinning rounds have a house minimum that means they're worth at least as much if not more). However, it does play several not entirely insignificant roles.

First, that thousand bucks, unlike the Pity Thousand (TM), does count towards a final score (WoFTracker question for Wayo: can you tell us how many games were won by the TU1 winner, with a margin less than $1,000?). Second, it provides an outlet for the writers to throw in an early themed puzzle for a quick plug (Hey America, it's a Disney week! Yay sponsors!), which frees up later puzzles to be something more generic and challenging. Third, it opens the show proper (not counting the intro) with immediate action, not a minute-plus of talking heads. Last, but not altogether least: TU1 can provide a little confidence booster for the player/team which solves it - maybe they never score again the rest of the show, but there's something to be said for taking the first bite at the apple.

Myself, I could do without TU1, opening the show with the interviews (red to blue, as in the old days) and then starting the action with what is currently the second Toss-Up (themed, if necessary), if we must have Toss-Ups at all. But there are clearly some good reasons for TU1 to be there which most people (myself included, until now) don't always consider.

What place does the Toss-Up have on the show when it doesn't even involve the titular wheel?

Players get: more chances to show off their solving skills, even if they aren't doing the spinning that the show is famous for. They get to see three puzzles in about the same amount of time as one spinning round would take (maybe less, I don't keep accounting of the time) and the total payout for those puzzles is about on par with an average instance of one spinning round.

Viewers get: more chances to match wits with the players. Even though the format is different as far as spinning, a solve is a solve pretty much throughout the show. When the viewer outsolves the players, that gives them a confidence boost (building fanbase), invests them in the gameplay (building ratings), and maybe even spurs them to try out for the show (building a better player pool).

Writers get: more openings to fit puzzles on the show, whether they be themed puzzles or not. Maybe they're a shorter form than we would like them to be, but not really any worse than some of the old shopping-era puzzles on the original three-line board.

Producers get: budget consistency. Instead of having one spinning round that might be high or might be low, they have three short puzzles that are (almost) always the same amount, with the only changes being decreases. It's easier to plan for $6,000 a night in toss-up cash than it is to try and guess if a certain round will yield $2,000 or $20,000 worth of winnings.

The wheel gets: to sit there and look pretty. Maybe Toss-Ups take away from our spinning time, and maybe some of the longtime fans like us don't like that, but we're pretty much going to have to grin and bear it. Like them or not, the Toss-Ups are here to stay. They may get shuffled about a little bit, but I don't see them ever being removed from the show's format entirely.

Because nine times out of ten he'll land on $500.

Let's go...

Should the values of the Toss-Ups change? Should they all be worth the same amount?
I think that the values are fine as they are. We could think that the $1,000 TU is irrelevant, but... isn't also $1,000 the minimum for a normal round? I would only increase the value in team weeks and make it worth $2,000, to match the house minimum (and probably bumping the second one to $2,500, only for the sake of having different values in every TU). That's what I would change in "La Ruleta": all Toss-Ups but sponsored ones are worth €100, from the first to the last.

However, let me make my own reflexion: sometimes I think that it's unfair that a player who solves a Toss-Up with only one letter showing wins the same as one who solves it when there are all the letters revealed but one. If I was Harry or any directive of the show, I would make Toss-Up really awarded puzzle-solving skills in some way. For example, making that every Toss-Up started with some value and, for every letter revealed, the prize would decrease a little. That would make that the earlier the player solves, the more (s)he would win.

Why is the first Toss-Up even there when all it does is give the winner the right to be interviewed first? (And awards the same amount for just showing up?)
What makes "Wheel" different of other game shows (or, at least, the Spanish game shows I've watched) is that, before interviewing players, there is a bit of action. I don't know if it happens to you, but I don't really like interviews because they make that the game starts later. However, when there is a part of the game before interviews, I feel already inside the game and I don't really care about them. Probably the $1,000 prize is irrelevant for players as we've mentioned previously, but the dynamic of the game changes.

What place does the Toss-Up have on the show when it doesn't even involve the titular wheel?
Toss-Ups are so fast that they don't really disturb the main part of the show that it's the Wheel rounds. They give options to good puzzle-solvers to show off and they don't make the game as monotonous it could be without Toss-Ups. And it's a fast way of breaking ties, better than doing a second Speed-Up round as they used to do before introducing Toss-Ups.

^But aren't numbers still drawn to see what positions they get?

Always good to have a backup plan.




I never thought about this. Now, it all makes more sense. I will now stop complaining about the $1,000 toss-up & house minimum being worth the same amount.

Merged consecutive posts.

With S37 introducing the Triple Toss Up, I'd like to give my evaluation based on the history of the Toss Ups in general. First off, rather than part Jeopardy!, part Scrabble Speedword is more like what these are. Originally there were only two per show, then three, but now with a grand total of five, we're pretty much at the tipping point where these start to eat into what the show is supposed to be about- The Wheel. This means we'll be less likely to see the $5,000 space landed on late in the game and forget the talk about adding those non-TDV four figure amounts any time soon.

That said, while that is an issue that I oppose, my biggest gripe is that the player who starts the Prize Puzzle round is not the one who solved the second Toss Up. This can also work at their disadvantage there because that round also features the Express, and that of course can lead to a lot of runaway games (get well Alex) heading into the Final Spin, and $2,000 seldom is the difference in the final score anyway. 

In my opinion, the Toss Up before the interviews is unnecessary, and having it for only $1,000 can lead to False Dignity Thousands in some cases. The $2,000 Toss Up before R1 is fine for practicality, though of course your mileage may vary regarding the strategy I mentioned above. It still openly leaves the pre-R1 Toss Up to be themed like the one before the interviews currently is. The Triple Toss Up values are OK, since this avoids the FDT and also allows a better chance to have a shot at a comeback. I do like the common themeing that isn't necessarily related to the show's theme week too. But if you still have the single as well as the TTU, it still rewards puzzle solvers more than it ever did, which can lead them to perhaps solving more BRs by building some confidence.