I am sure this series will eventually make it across the border. The food, toys, cars, mega corporations etc of this interesting franchise program eventually was made available here.

Well, I finally got to see this episode thanks to a friend with a U.S. dish. It was amazing! 

Here are a few takeaways I never knew about two of the most famous game shows on earth.

1) The original title for "The Price Is Right" was "Auction-Aire." The network hated the name and changed it. It was spawned in the middle of the quiz show scandals and they didn't really trust it - so they put it on in the mornings, when most quiz shows before the scandals aired in primetime. It quickly became one of the biggest rated shows in that daypart.

2) The original name dreamed up by creator Merv Griffin was "What's The Question?" But when it got to air, it became the name it's known by today - "Jeopardy!" 

3) When Griffin was explaining the concept to NBC, he made a board that looked similar to the one we know today. But during a test, his cameraman discovered that the board was so big, they couldn't show it all at once in the shot. So they had to reduce some of the categories and shrink it to the size it remains to this day. 

4) The network was not such a big fan of yet another question and answer show, even if it was really answers and questions. So Griffin, who loved to wager on the horses, decided to include a "Daily Double," to add risk to the show and more drama. Yes, you could win money - but you could also easily lose it with one bad bet. 

5) Wheel of Fortune originally forced contestants to go spend their winnings by going "shopping" for prizes, including a useless ceramic dog. That's why the original concept was named "Shoppers Bazaar," a monicker that, fortunately, would not last. 

6) Originally the giant wheel was mounted upright, but it proved so awkward, they decided to lay it flat. But half the time the electric board with the letters that turned themselves didn't work right on their own. So they added a hostess whose job it was to make sure those letters were revealed when the players guessed them. That's where Vanna White eventually came to fame. That's also what inspired Mark Goodson to add the spinning of the Big Wheel in the Showcase Showdown in his Price Is Right. 

7) One last fast fact. The giant wheel they spin on Wheel of Fortune weighs about 2,400 pounds, over 1 ton. 

It was a terrific hour but not a single mention of Chuck Barris, which is a sad oversight! On second thought, given the qualitry of "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game" and of course, "The Gong Show," maybe that was the right move after all!

RA: As a follow up to the "7 Facts you might not have known"....to point #7: There is only 1 wheel. If the show travels(and yes, that includes live shows not taped for later broadcast), the wheel comes along. They don't have a backup wheel. SPEAKING of Wheel, I was aware of the shopping aspect in its earlier days. Sale of the Century(at least the NBC 80s version)have much of the same, in both regular game play and the bonus round.

Last edited by ckg927 (August 10, 2026 7:30 pm)

RadioActive wrote:

I was never a Wheel of Fortune fan, but that stupid shopping thing at the finale always seemed really dumb to me - forcing you to use the money you won to buy stuff you didn't really want or need. I'll decide where my winnings go, thank you very much. 

It's better now, although I rarely if ever watch it. 

Jeopardy is a far better show. 

Agreed. But the studio audience for Wheel is HUGE compared to the Jeopardy one.

Speaking of Jeopardy, here's the answer to the question none of us ever thought to ask. 

Do ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants Get Bathroom or Food Breaks? How It Works