WoF Recap: February 3, 2020

Salutations, everyone! It is I, Nickskapower, and I am here to fill in for andynwof for today, tomorrow and overmorrow. Here I go w/ my first recap…

EPISODE #7126: GREAT AMERICAN CITIES (SOUTH FLORIDA)

$1K Tossup: LIVING THINGS

_ _ _ _ G E
B _ O S _ _ M S

John loves the smell of ORANGE BLOSSOMS. We are meeting the players from left to right tonight…

John Cieply: nuclear medicine tech that does cardiac stress tests daily and an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan married to Dory w/ 2 kids and 3 grandkids from Miami, FL

Corain Cash: web developer at a digital marketing agency and mom of 3 kids raised in Nassau, Bahamas from Sunrise, FL

Elda Vallina: ES teacher married to Armando w/ 2 kids from Miami, FL

Oh, and guess what? They have the Collette Vacations plug between the first and second Tossups! UGH. -_-

$2K Tossup: THING

_ H _ / R I G H T
_ _ S _ E R

Corain gives THE RIGHT ANSWER.

FEATURED TRIP: European Cruise from celebritycruises.com worth $10,372
Gift Tag: Florida State Lottery

Round 1: FOOD & DRINK (biggie alert)

After Corain and Elda BANKRUPT back-to-back on the MDW‘s right side and next to TD, respectively, John says a $1,300 pair of T’s and two E’s, but then the same BANKRUPT that Elda got to forfeit $1,050. Next, Corain says a $500 R, four A’s, two $650 N’s, two O’s, a pair of S’s for the Gift Tag, followed by the LaT. Afterwards, Elda picks up the MDW w/ two L’s (we DO have a reaction from the audience this time). One $500 Y later…

A L L – Y O _ –
_ A N – E A T
S T O N E
_ R A _ S

…she eats these ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT STONE CRABS for the house minimum.

BANKRUPTS: 3 (whole panel)
SOLE LaT: Corain

Mystery Round: BEFORE & AFTER

Elda FPs three E’s, followed by two T’s for $1,400 and three S’s on the MW next to $650 before she wisely declines (because that’s the BANKRUPT one) but then the LaT gets hit again. Second, John lands on the other MW, but says M for mistake. Third, Corain lands on the same MW that Elda(that’s thrice one of the MWs have been hit this round) and says an R… but she goes for it. Next, Elda buys an O before saying a $1,600 pair of Y’s… but then she makes a FATAL PURCHASE of U to squander $5,500. After John LaTs out and Corain spots a $600 K…

K E Y
_ E S T
S _ _ E / S T O R Y

…I highly doubt that there will be a 1961 drama/crime movie called “KEY WEST SIDE STORY“, but I know she solves for the house minimum.

DUDS: M (John), U (Elda)
LaTs: 2 (Elda, John)
SOLE BANKRUPT: Corain

John: $1K/Corain: $3K/Elda: $1K MDW

You know we’re in terrible shape when we have scores like this going into R3…

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PP/Express Round: WAYD?

John calls up an obvious N for the WC, two I’s and a G before hopping on the EXPRESS…

Next Choices: T, CRASH w/ the sole dud vowel of E (he loses $2,250 and the WC)

After Corain BANKRUPTs next to $650, Elda spots a $600 S, an A and an O, but then the fourth LaT of the game. After John says a $1,400 L pair and the last vowel of two U’s…

L O _ I N G / _ _
_ I _ S T / L U A U

…he says “LOVING MY FIRST LUAU” for $1,150 and a trip to Hilton Waikoloa Village courtesy of flightguru.com worth $7,714.

SOLE LaT: Elda
BANKRUPTS: 2 (John, Corain)

John: $9,864 cash & HI/Corain: $3K/Elda: $1K MDW

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Triple Tossup: PLACE

1.

_ _ _ – W _ Y
S _ _ _ _ _

John quickly gets out of this ONE-WAY STREET.

2.

_ _ _ – _ _ Y
_ _ _ _ _ _

Corain pulls a Robert Santoli like I did w/ TWO-WAY STREET.

3.

S E S _ _ E
_ _ _ _ _ _

This should have been under TV TITLE, but Corain solves the educational children’s television series, SESAME STREET. Although, if you use “three-way street” in L.A., it would be just fine. 😛

Speed-Up: PHRASE

Consonants are worth $1,700 apiece, so that’s not good news for Elda.

Corain: N
Elda: Two I’s
John: T
Corain: G
Elda: No R
John: Three L’s
Corain: Two K’s
Elda: Two S’s

S _ L L I N G / L I K _
_ _ T _ _ K _ S

…she solves SELLING LIKE HOTCAKES, but only for $3,400.

DUDS: R (Elda)

FINAL SCORES
John: $11,864 cash & HI/Corain: $7K/Elda: $4,400 MDW

GT: a modest $23,264
BANKRUPT TRASH: $1,050 (we don’t count the MW buyout)

The categories on offer for this man are…

-PHRASE
-THING
-WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

FYI, the BR Category in sea green is the category that was chosen by the contestant.

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$100K Bonus Round

This week’s CUV is a red 2020 Cadillac XT4 Sport provided by Vera Motors from Florida (starting price is $43K+). After we meet the wife, John‘s strong spin lands on the P. Superman wears one of these…

_ L _ _ _ N _
_ _ _ E

The CAMP strategy (CMPA) fills in something completely…

_ L _ _ _ N _
C A P E

…the entire last word, but he nails FLOWING CAPE no sweat and leaves w/ a much better final total of $48,864 cash & HI.

MY RATING: 6

WoF Retro Recap: May 25, 2005

Thanks to Thetrismix on YouTube for uploading this late S22 episode.

EPISODE #4283: WHEEL GOES TO THE MOVIES

This was the last time they did this particular theme week. And Pat and Vanna were walking on the red carpet when they made their entrance.

$1K Toss-Up: SHOW BIZ

B A S E _ / _ _ / A
T R _ E / _ _ O _ Y

If you add the words “This Film Was…” in front, you would get a similar puzzle used on Halloween in the current season (and Joyce Smith threw away $14,150 including the $10K MW to BANKRUPT). Kelli said “…BASED ON A TRUE STORY” to score first among this midweek panel…

Kelli Kinney: married for 2 years to her high school sweetheart and works for a credit union on the Fort Lewis military post from Lacey, WA

Dennis Chin: recent grad from law school at the University of the Pacific who speaks six languages (English, Cantonese, Spanish, Italian, French, and German) from San Leandro, CA

Barbara Casanova: registered nurse for the largest healthcare provider in the US and also serves as their union president married to Ray w/ 8 kids and 2 grandkids from Mabelvale, AR; she’s also a doll collector w/ almost a thousand Barbies and a Vanna (but no Pats!)

$2K Toss-Up: RHYME TIME

_ E Q U E _ S / &
_ R E Q U E L S

Dennis unfortunately left out the &, and Kelli’s two for two w/ SEQUELS & PREQUELS.

Gift Tags: ebay and Fandango

Round 1: SONG LYRICS (PRIZE PUZZLE)

She opened w/ a $900 S pair, two T’s to add $600, six E’s, but then R for rats while on the Free SPIN. Dennis spun just once for five N’s on the eBay gift tag (I really hate BIG WASTES like that one right there)…

_ / _ _
S _ _ T E E N
_ _ _ N _ / _ N
S E _ E N T E E N

…and recited “I AM SIXTEEN, GOING ON SEVENTEEN” for the gift tag and a Trafalgar SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR (includes visits to Vienna, Salzburg, and Bavaria plus $1K in spending money) worth $6,700. Oh, and Pat had trouble connecting the trip to the puzzle, so the camera crew took another shot of the board. And the scoreboard operators forgot to add a thousand to Dennis’ total so far this game.

SOLE DUD: R (Kelli)

FEATURED PRIZE: SONY home entertainment system (SONY Graham Vega HDTV, SONY DVD dream system, and one year of DVD rentals from NETFLIX) worth $4,516 (NETFLIX) (this prize was placed on the red $800 since the prize wedge is red)

Jackpot Round: THE 70’s

Dennis quickly BANKRUPTed next to Jackpot and Barbara struck out w/ N for negative while on the Fandango gift tag. Kelli picked up the NETFLIX package w/ three Ts, but the same BANKRUPT took it right back. Dennis next picked a $1,200 S pair, four R’s to double up, four A’s and three E’s, but then the sole dud vowel of O. Barbara followed w/ a $600 M pair, but the other normal BANKRUPT struck. Kelli then scooped up $10,500 worth of three L’s…

M A R T _ A L / A R T S
_ _ L M / S T A R
_ R _ _ E / L E E

…and IDed MARTIAL ARTS FILM STAR BRUCE LEE for all that money.

DUDS: N (Barbara), O (Dennis)
BANKRUPTS: 3 (everybody)
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,700

Barbara: ZIPPO/Kelli: $13,500/Dennis: $7,700 cash & gifts

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Mystery Round: EVENT

The prize up for grabs was $10K from SonyCard.

The scoreless Barbara started w/ a $1,200 N pair, but then the BANKRUPT near $3,500. Second for Kelli were five T’s for $1,500, three E’s, a $900 H pair, buys of A, three O’s, and U, a $1,650 R trio, a $400 G, and four I’s to clean out the vowels. But the same BANKRUPT cleaned her out of $3,650. Dennis then “buys” a $900 W and a $350 F…

T H R O W I N G
O U T / T H E
_ E R E _ O N I A _
F I R _ T / _ I T _ H

…and though he wasn’t THROWING OUT THE CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH (he stumbled a bit on the fourth word before correcting himself), he’s won $1,250.

BANKRUPTS: 2 (ladies)

Barbara: TOUGH LUCK/Kelli: $13,500/Dennis: $8,950 cash & gifts

Had the prize wedge been in the normal spot, Dennis’ subtotal would have been $13,116 ($384 off the lead).

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$3K Toss-Up: ON THE MAP

C E _ A _ / _ A _ I D S
I _ W A

Dennis pinpointed CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

Round 4: TITLES (yes, the plural form)

First from him were a $500 T, a $350 N, two E’s, but the R failed somebody again. Barbara next picked a $550 S, but then L for loss (she almost got the LaT). Kelli then lit up a $1,600 M pair and two I’s, but it’s S-U time…

_ _ _ / S _ _ _ T I M E
& / _ I N E M _ _

…and the remaining consonants were worth $1,550 each. She then chose a single C…

_ _ _ / S _ _ _ T I M E
& / C I N E M _ _

…and solved premium TV channels HBO, SHOWTIME, & CINEMAX for $2,900 extra.

DUDS: R (Dennis), L (Barbara)

FINAL SCORES
Barbara: $500 GOOSEEGG/Kelli: $16,400/Dennis: $11,950 cash & gifts

GT: $28,850
BANKRUPT TRASH: $9,966 cash & SONY entertainment

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Bonus Round

Both cars on this set were convertibles — a maZDa Miata and a Ford Mustang GT. Kelli brought along hubby Alex and her grandparents (Carv & Cliff), then she lands on the ****.

Category: PHRASE

Opening layout…

_ E E _ _ N _
_ _ S _

PMCI added two more to the first word…

_ E E P I N _
_ _ S_

While I’m KEEPING BUSY maintaining my site, she’s won the $25K for a final all-$ total of $41,400.

In regards to the R3 puzzle, Pat’s involved w/ several minor league baseball teams in SoCal and Arizona. He would throw out the ceremonial first pitch in Surprise, AZ and those people who came to the game received a bobblehead of the host.

MY RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: December 24, 1996

BJ Mason informed me yesterday that there was a S14 episode I missed and this was part of Christmas week back then (click HERE  for video; it mistakenly said 1995).

EPISODE #2617: CHRISTMAS WEEK

The Tuesday players before Christmas (and Pat was wearing Vanna’s yellow shawl)…

Michael “Mike” Levine: bassist and keyboardist for the rock band Triumph married to Rosie for 23 years w/ 15-yr.-old son Matthew from Toronto

Romy Sperling: special ed teacher w/ a son Cameron learning the alphabet from this show from Reseda, CA

Scherrie Prince: sophomore at Texas State University studying psychology from Louisville, MS

Round 1: PROPER NAME

Michael and Romy said instant duds of T and S, respectively. Going to Scherrie already who called up a $500 R pair, an H for the SURPRISE, two E’s, but then a baddie of G. Back to Michael who picked a $250 Y, an $800 B, the last vowel of A, and a $900 L pair to complete the board.

H A L L E
B E R R Y

He read this actress’s name correctly for $1,700.

DUDS: T (Michael), S (Romy), G (Scherrie)

FEATURED PRIZE: set of Rosenthal Christmas cups worth $2K

$10K Round: NEXT LINE PLEASE

Romy unfortunately learned the T didn’t exist in this puzzle, either. Second, Scherrie picked three L’s for $1,650, but she BANKRUPTed out next to the purple $500. Third, Mike repeated the T while on the Free SPIN. Back to Romy who chose a $400 D, four O’s, but then S for sorry. Scherrie followed w/ a $2,500 N, a $600 W, a $550 H, but then a dud vowel of I. Mike lost his second turn quickly w/ the G. Romy then uncovered six P’s for $1,500 to clean out the consonants…

P _ O P L _
P _ O P L _ / W H O
N _ _ D/ P _ O P L _

She recited “PEOPLE PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE” for $1,650…and she got the $2K bonus for saying “…are the luckiest people in the world” (that’s from Barbara Streisand’s “People”).

DUDS: T (Romy), S (Romy), I (Scherrie), G (Mike)
SOLE BANKRUPT: Scherrie
SOLE DQ: Mike’s T repeat

Mike: $1,750/Romy: $3,650/Scherrie: NIL

Jackpot Round: EVENT

A $500 N got Scherrie started, followed by a $750 T trio, a $1K H pair, two E’s, but then the LaT. Second for Mike were a $2,700 R trio, but then the same BANKRUPT. Third in Romy’s favor were a $1,600 S pair, two A’s and I’s, a $700 M, and a $1,200 C pair. Board…

C A R _ I N _ / T H E
C H R I S T M A S
T _ R _ E _

She was CARVING THE CHRISTMAS TURKEY for another three grand.

SOLE LaT: Scherrie
SOLE BANKRUPT: Mike
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,250

Mike: $1,750/Romy: $6,650/Scherrie: BAD LUCK

Round 4: THING

Mike led off w/ a $250 N, a $1,200 R pair, but then the BANKRUPT near the blue $500 to lose $1,450. Over to Romy who picked a $250 T, a $900 S, two E’s, an $800 M pair, a single A, and an $800 P pair. The board read…

_ E R M _ N T
M A P _ E / S _ R _ P

Add the word “real” in front and you would get the answer that was used on Jason McKenney’s episode on Oct. 8 of our current season); she had some VERMONT MALE SYRUP for $2,250 and a new total of $8,900.

SOLE BANKRUPT: Mike

Round 5: OCCUPATION

The LaT nailed Romy from the get-go. Scherrie next picked a $5K T, but time’s running out…

_ _ _ _ _ T
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

…and the remaining consonants were worth $600 each.

Scherrie: D (DUD)
Michael: R ($600)
Romy: D repeat
Scherrie: 2 S’s
Michael: N
Romy: M
Scherrie: L ($6,800)
Michael: C ($1,800)

C _ R _ _ T
S _ L _ S M _ N

Mike solved CARPET SALESMAN for $1,800; Scherrie unfortunately left behind $6,800.

DUDS: D (Scherrie)
SOLE LaT: Romy
SOLE DQ: Romy’s D repeat

FINAL SCORES
Mike: $3,500/Romy: $8,900/Scherrie: PARTING GIFTS

GT: $12,400
BANKRUPT TRASH: $5,800

Bonus Round

The non-cash prizes that week were a Christmas stocking, Rock n Roll Camp, Acura, and the Discover Santa package. Romy chose the H.

Category: THING

Here’s 1/5 of the answer…

L _ _ _ _
_ _ _ R _

MCPO added a few more…

L _ C _ _
C _ _ R M

Her LUCKY CHARM just won her a Christmas stocking! The prizes in that stocking were a camcorder (Panasonic PalmCorder), trip to Hawaii (Hilton Waikoloa Village), and $10K totaling $20,158! Her 1-day total was $29,058 and she would be back for the Friday Finals.

MY RATING: 7