WHEEL OF FORTUNE, TELEVISIONS #1 SYNDICATED SERIES, CELEBRATES ITS MILESTONE 25TH SEASON WITH ALL NEW SHOWS STARTING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Culver City (August 23, 2007) - WHEEL OF FORTUNE, which has ranked as television's #1 syndicated series every year since its premiere, marks its historic 25th season with all new shows beginning on Monday, September 10, 2007.
The season-long celebration kicks off with WHEEL OF FORTUNE returning to the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York to tape three weeks of shows. For the first time, WHEEL OF FORTUNE is partnering with PEOPLE, the world's most popular magazine, for "PEOPLE Celebrity Week," a star-studded week of shows that will feature actors, musicians and sports icons, each paired with a fan. While the fans play for cash and prizes, the celebrities will spin the wheel for their favorite charities. Other theme weeks to be taped in New York include "Best Friends Week," featuring New York-area buddies playing together; and "Heroes Week," honoring firefighters, police officers, paramedics and more from the Tri-State Area. These three weeks of shows will air November 5-23.
During the entire season, viewers will be treated to rarely seen flashbacks of unforgettable moments with hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White. Additionally, the show will feature special congratulatory messages from America's favorite television, film, music and sports stars. Viewers will also be able to videotape and upload their congratulatory messages to WHEEL OF FORTUNE's website.
"All of us at Wheel of Fortune' are extremely proud of having reached this amazing milestone anniversary. We plan on celebrating all season by adding exciting new game elements, giving away more cash and prizes and rewarding our viewers for their loyalty in even more ways," said Executive Producer Harry Friedman.
In celebration of the landmark anniversary, WHEEL OF FORTUNE is introducing the "25" wedge, which will be available in the second round of the show. When the wheel lands on this wedge, the contestant has the chance to win a special prize in multiples of 25, such as 25 gift certificates each worth $100.00.
Throughout WHEEL OF FORTUNE's 25 seasons, the show has been synonymous with big money. Now, contestants will have the opportunity to take home even more cash as Round three of the show will be the "Big Money! Round." At the start of this round, a unique, state-of-the-art electronic monitor will be featured on the upper portion of one of the wedges. When the wheel starts spinning, this monitor will randomly shuffle and stop on $5,000, $7,500, $25,000, Lose A Turn or Bankrupt. If a contestant lands on one of these cash amounts, calls a correct letter and goes on to solve the puzzle, the dollar amount is added to his/her total. This exciting new addition marks the first time a wedge will change during the game.
The ever-expanding list of puzzle categories will have fresh additions this season: "What Are You Doing," which features familiar activities; "What Are You Making," which consists of ingredients found in popular recipes; and "Fictional Families," describing two or more related fictional characters.
In March 2008, WHEEL OF FORTUNE will travel to Chicago, the hometown of Pat Sajak, and tape 15 episodes from the Navy Pier. The three weeks of shows will air in May 2008.
An impressive 47 million people watch WHEEL OF FORTUNE every week and its ratings rival most prime-time shows.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE can be seen on over 200 stations across the country and is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically and internationally by CBS Television Distribution, a unit of CBS Corp.
