Wheel of Fortune (U.S. syndicated game show)

Wheel of Fortune is a television game show hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White. Despite the name, WoF is not related to Soldier of Fortune or Wheel of Time. Instead, it's a glammed-up version of Hangman. Years ago, the host was Chuck Woolery, and the money the contestants won had to be used to shop amongst prizes on the TV show.

A fill-in-the-blank puzzle is displayed on a grid of video displays in front of the players.

Play

Three players take turns. On a turn, a player can spin the 24-sector wheel, buy a vowel, or attempt to solve the puzzle.

Spin

If the pointer lands on the wheel's "Lose a Turn" space, the player's turn ends. If the pointer lands on "Bankrupt", the player loses all earned cash and prizes, and the player's turn ends. If the pointer lands on a cash value, the player gives a consonant (W and Y count as consonants), and if it exists in the puzzle, Vanna reveals all instances of that letter in the puzzle, and the player receives the cash value multiplied by the number of instances of that letter. (If the letter does not exist, the player's turn ends.) If the pointer lands on a prize, the player gives a consonant, and play progresses in the same manner as for a cash space, except the player receives only

Buy a Vowel

If a player has at least $250 in cash, he can pay $250 to have all instances of a single vowel (AEIOU) in the puzzle revealed. If the letter does not exist, the player's turn ends.

Solve the Puzzle

Once enough letters have been revealed, a player will attempt to read the solution to the incomplete puzzle. If the solution is incorrect, the player's turn ends. Only the player who correctly solves the puzzle pockets the earnings from the round.

Speed Round

Pat: "I'll give the wheel a final spin." As the wheel is spinning down: "You give me a letter, and you'll have five seconds to solve the puzzle. Vowels worth nothing, consonants worth" the value of the space on which the pointer lands.