This was the campaign launched by the late Nancy Reagan in the war on drugs, and Marya solved “JUST SAY NO”.
Marya Rodriguez: substitute teacher who loves animals (especially cats and all living things) from Long Beach, CA
Leo Percer: catalog department worker at the academic library at Baylor University who reads six foreign languages married to Lisa for 7 yrs w/ two kids from Waco, TX
Linda Thompson: part owner of a computer business and mother of three who has an identical twin from Miami, FL
Gift Tag: Skagen Denmark
Round 1: PLACE
Marya: $600 N pair, L for lost turn
Leo: S for sorry
Linda: $300 T, three A’s, R for rats
Marya: F for flunk
Leo: $550 M, one O, B for bad
Linda: one D for gift tag, G for goof
Marya: two I’s and U, $600 Y, $550 H, BANKRUPT (lost $1,250)
Leo: $600 W (NMC)
M O U N T A I N H I D _ A W A Y
Leo solved MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY for $900.
FEATURED PRIZE: $2,500 worth of Blockbuster gift cards (SHOPPING)
Jackpot Round: PHRASE
Leo: $600 N, SEVEN T’s for $3,500 more, two E’s and two O’s, $1,200 L quartet, three I’s, two F’s on JACKPOT, four A’s (NMV), BANKRUPT near JACKPOT (lost $4,300)
Linda: $800 H pair, one S for Free SPIN, solve…
A / L I T T L E O F / T H I S / A N _ A / L I T T L E O F / T H A T
She’s DQed for adding two unnecessary BIT words (she said “A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT”). After turning in the FS, she correctly solved “A LITTLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT” for the $800.
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $6,800
Leo: $900/Linda: $800/Marya: $1K
FEATURED PRIZE #2: $5,300 trip to Hilton Hawaiian Village (OAHU)
Round 3: BEFORE & AFTER
Linda: one T for SHOPPING, $7K N pair, one E and four A’s, $1,500 P trio, solve…
_ A N A N A _ P _ _ T / P E A _ _ _ P
Linda solved the hybrid dish of BANANA SPLIT PEA SOUP for $10,500 cash & shopping — PR.
Donna Penley: a lady claiming to be a cowgirl/poet and has three kids, nine grandkids and three great grandkids (she also has three horses and a vet tech for a veterinarian) from Haysville, KS
Darren Garrett: communications manager married to Pam w/ two kids who tried to juggle and a fan of the rock band KISS from Davenport, IA
Allison Denbow: guidance counselor at an elementary school married w/ 9-yr.-old twins from Pembroke Pines, FL
Gift Tag: Meade Telescopes
Round 1: SHOW BIZ
Donna: $1,800 T pair, $5K R pair, one A, L for lost turn
Darren: $550 S, $600 C pair, $700 N, one O, solve…
C A S T _ N _ _ _ R _ C T O R
Darren knew about the CASTING DIRECTOR of this show for $1,600.
FEATURED PRIZE: gift certificate for a computer form MyPoints.com plus Biomorph desk.com desk and chair worth $4,200 (COMPUTER)
Jackpot Round: WHO SAID IT?
Darren: four T’s for $1,600, $600 S, five E’s, D for dud
Allison: $3,200 L quartet, three A’s, no M on Free SPIN
Donna: no C on COMPUTER
Darren: $800 B pair, solve…
_ L _ A T / L _ _ E A / B _ T T E _ _ L _ S T _ _ _ / L _ _ E A / B E E
Darren quickly recited “FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE” for $2,750, and correctly said that quote was by Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay).
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $7,900
Donna: $1K/Darren: $7,350/Allison: NIL
FEATURED PRIZE #2: the $5,300 trip to Hilton Hawaiian Village (OAHU)
Round 3: THINGS
Allison: $7K T pair, three E’s and A, $600 S pair, two R’s for OAHU, SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE of I ($12,150 cash & Oahu at risk)
Donna: $3,500 L, $900 Z, four P’s for $14K more, $900 C, $7K N pair (NMC), solve…
P R E T Z E L S P _ P C _ R N / & P E A N _ T S
Donna munched on some PRETZELS, POPCORN, & PEANUTS for $26,300!!!
Donna: $27,300/Darren: $7,350/Allison: NADA
Toss-Up #2: RHYME TIME
_ K Y – H _ G H
Darren solved SKY-HIGH.
Speed-Up: SAME NAME
Don’t look now, Donna — it’s $6K per consonant!
Darren: 3 T’s Allison: H Donna: L Darren: S
T _ T _ _ / & S _ _ T H _ _ L _
Darren solved TOTEM & SOUTH POLEfor $24K and the comeback win!
PENALTY BOX
DUDS
LaTs
BANKRUPTS
DQs
Round 1
L (Donna)
Round 2
D (Darren), M (Allison), C (Donna)
Round 3
I (Allison)
Round 4
NONE
FINAL SCORES Donna: $27,300/Darren: $32,350/Allison: PARTING GIFTS
GT: $59,650 NO PENALTY SPINS!
Bonus Round
Darren chose the first E for “Everybody’s having a really good time”.
Category: ON THE MAP
This is a Scottish city…
_ L _ S _ _ _
PCBO only added the vowel…
_ L _ S _ O _
After going way off w/ ALUSION, he only got theGLA part of GLASGOW and lost the Lexus RX300.
Here’s some info on this week according to the timeline:
On this week of shows, viewers had a chance to win five years of vacations for a family of four in Hawaii plus a Lexus RX300 and $25K. Ten first-prize winners got to sit in the audience during the Hawaii episodes in February. Other prizes include $500 Sony Card shopping sprees and Hershey’s chocolate gift packages. Home viewers may submit an entry form from the November 12 newspaper and include at least three of the bonus puzzles from that week.
EPISODE #3366: HERSHEY’S POT O’ GOLD SWEEPSTAKES
Toss-Up #1: AROUND THE HOUSE
C O F F E E – _ A B L E _ _ O K
There shouldn’t be a hyphen, but Kari’s right w/ COFFEE-TABLE BOOK.
Kari Romey: stay-at-home mom married to youth pastor Doug w/ two girls and expecting a third one from Roanoke, IN (Pat mistakenly Virginia at first)
Destiny Daniels: student at Mesa Community College seeking a degree in computer engineering who loves acting in the theater from Tempe, AZ.
Henry Cabrera: police officer and school resource manager for D.A.R.E to 5th graders at Coconut Creek Elementary who’s engaged from Coconut Creek, FL
Gift Tag: Festina
Round 1: LANDMARK
Kari: three T’s for $2,700, H for halt
Destiny: three N’s for $1,050, one E, S for sorry
Henry: $300 R, D for dud
Kari: $550 L, two A’s, one Y for Free SPIN, $700 F, four I’s and O, $400 V (NMC), solve…
T R E V I F O _ N T A I N I N / I T A L Y
She’s not confident, but the TREVI FOUNTAIN IN ITALY is correct for $3,600.
FEATURED PRIZE: $2,500 express.com shopping spree (ON-LINE SHOPPING)
Jackpot Round: FILL IN THE BLANK
(NOTE: The Jackpot readout has a skinny font.)
Destiny: $300 N, two T’s on JACKPOT, two E’s, $500 G, $800 R pair, three I’s, H is no good again
Henry: $450 D, LaT
Kari: $300 S, $450 L, two A’s (NMV), $800 M, solve…
? – R E A D E R ? / S _ A T I N G ? / L I M I T
She solved ?-READER ? SKATING ? LIMIT for $1,300 and correctly said speed for the bonus answer.
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $8,900
Kari: $8,900 FS/Others: $0 each
FEATURED PRIZE #2: trip to Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki worth $5,300 (OAHU)
Round 3: PHRASE
Henry: $400 S, $1,800 R trio, three T’s for ON-LINE SHOPPING, one L for OAHU, $800 N, F for flunk ($10,800 cash & prizes at risk)
Kari: $2,400 H trio, $900 G, three E’s, $800 Y, one O and U, $600 P, solve…
Y O U R / H E _ R T ‘ S _ N / T H E / R _ G H T P L _ _ E
Seems like YOUR HEART’S IN THE PLACE, girl, and you’ve won $3,950 more.
Kari: $12,850 FS/Others: ZERO a head
Toss-Up #2: PROPER NAME
T E D D A _ _ _ N
Henry IDed former “Cheers” actor TED DANSON to finally score.
Speed-Up: PEOPLE
Consonants were worth $1,600 apiece.
Henry: 2 R’s Kari: 2 N’s Destiny: T Henry: W Kari: S Destiny: 3 E’s Henry: L (DUD) Kari: M (DUD) Destiny: H (DUD) Henry: P (DUD) Kari: D (DUD) Destiny: C (DUD) Henry: F (DUD) Kari: Y Destiny: K
N _ T _ _ E N E W / Y _ R K E R S
Destiny solved NATIVE NEW YORKERS to also avoid the parting gifts and take home $3,200.
PENALTY BOX
DUDS
LaTs
BANKRUPTS
DQs
Round 1
H (Kari), S (Destiny), D (Henry)
Round 2
H (Destiny)
Henry
Round 3
F (Henry)
Round 4
L, P, F (Henry) M, D (Kari) H, C (Destiny)
FINAL SCORES Destiny: $3,200/Henry: $1K/Kari: $12,850
GT: $17,050 NO BANKRUPTS!
Bonus Round
This week’s non-$25K prizes…
$25K in gold coins + a year’s supply of Hershey’s Pot O’ Gold chocolates
2000 Volvo C70 CV convertible ($47K+)
Lexus RX300 ($38K+)
Volkswagen Cabrio GL ($20K+)
Kari chose the H.
Category: PEOPLE
Good head start…
S _ _ _ _ T R _ L
CPDO pretty much gave her the second word…
S _ _ P _ T R O L
…but she botched the first word w/ SUN and said SKY two seconds after the buzzer; it was SKI PATROL and she lost the gold coins and chocolates.
Lenny Arellano: sales analyst for a communications company married to Lara w/ a 3-month-old daughter (Alyssa) from Austin, TX (orig. from Laredo)
Richard Loop: seaweed technician (he keeps the shores clean) and an assistant coach for the kid’s league Pompano Beach Tigers married to Mary w/ three kids from Pompano Beach, FL
Kristan Cunningham: interior designer engaged to Scott (they have a dog Floyd Lloyd) from Valley Village, CA
Gift Tag: MyPoints
Round 1: THINGS
Lenny: $400 S, $800 T, E for end of turn
Richard: L for lost turn
Kristan: $1,100 R pair, N for negative
Lenny: $400 P, solve…
P _ R T _ _ _ _ _ R S
Lenny solved PARTY FAVORS for $1,350.
FEATURED PRIZE: 1wk. stay in a stateroom aboard the haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach worth $3,600 (HALLOWEEN)
Jackpot Round: THE 70’s
Richard: $800 T, four S’s for $1,800 more, three A’s and eight E’s, D for dud
Kristan: $550 L, $1,200 R trio, D repeat on $3,500
Lenny: $600 J, $7K M pair, four I’s, solve..
J A M I E / L E E _ _ R T I S / _ E _ I _ S R E I _ _ / A S S _ R E A M / _ _ E E _
Lenny solved “JAMIE LEE CURTIS BEGINS REIGN AS SCREAM QUEEN” for $7,350.
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $15,100
Lenny: $9,700/Others: $0 each
FEATURED PRIZE #2: Wurlitzer 1015 jukebox worth $8,995 (JUKEBOX)
Round 3: PHRASE
Kristan: $10,500 T trio, no R on MyPoints gift tag
Lenny: one G for $10K, $550 V, three O’s, $400 D, three I’s and three E’s, $500 W, last vowel of A, $1K N pair, solve…
I ‘ V E / G O T / I T D O W N / T O / A _ _ I E N _ E
I’VE GOT IT DOWN TO A SCIENCE, and so did this guy for $11,450 more!
Lenny: $21,150/Others: ZERO a head
Toss-Up #2: FICTIONAL CHARACTER
B R _ _ M _ _ L D _
Lenny’s still perfect w/ BROOM HILDA.
Round 4: BEFORE & AFTER
Lenny: $900 N pair, D for dud
Richard: BANKRUPT near $500
Kristan: $900 S trio, one T for HALLOWEEN
SPEED-UP
S _ N _ / _ _ S _ _ _ T _ _ N _ S
Consonants were worth the $1,300 minimum.
Kristan: M Lenny: H (DUD) RIchard: G (DUD) Kristan: 2 R’s Lenny: 2 K’s
S _ N K / _ R S _ _ M T R _ N K S
Lenny completed the maingame sweep by solving SINK OR SWIM TRUNKS for $3,500!
PENALTY BOX
DUDS
LaTs
BANKRUPTS
DQs
Round 1
E (Lenny), L (Richard), N (Kristan)
Round 2
D (Richard)
Kristan‘s D repeat
Round 3
R (Kristan)
Round 4
D, H (Lenny) G (Richard)
Richard
FINAL SCORES Lenny: $25,650/Others: PARTING GIFTS EACH
NO BANKRUPT TRASH
Bonus Round
Lenny chose the first E from W-EEL (singing meow).
Category: THING
Stingy RSTLNE help…
_ _ _ _ _ _ T
He WIPED OUT of the game w/ CDMA and wasn’t even close w/ FALLOUT. And this should’ve been FICTIONAL CHARACTER, because the answer was BIGFOOT, and he didn’t nearly double his winnings.
MY RATING: 7
The next week after this one was their first of three weeks in Washington D.C., which I already covered.
Since the Season 38 Saturday Reruns page is complete, here is the list of Season 39 Saturday Reruns.
Legend
The symbols and colors mean the episode…
🟢 …featured a Grand Prize Win
🔴 …featured a Grand Prize Loss
🔵 …reran at least once previously
🟣 …featured a $10KMW Win
💲 …featured a Million Dollar Bonus Round
…was recapped by JPGenius
…was recapped by Skipps Largo
…was recapped by Adam Alam
…was recapped by Nickskapower
♂️ …featured an all-male panel
♀️ …featured an all-female panel
September 17: June 3, 2022 (Gone Fishin’ Day 5)
This was a pretty decent episode to conclude this mostly abysmal week, though it could’ve been better if not for Iran Pope’spainful BANKRUPT in the Mystery Round to lose $4,400 plus the $8K houseboat prize. Calvin Cha, who forgot to pick up his White Thing while doing the Final Spin, was the big winner with $25,969 cash & prizes. He chose EVENT as his BR category and had almost half the letters already…
_ N / E _ _ _ _ _ E S T
CHPI and D filled in something completely…
_ N / E P I C _ _ E S T
…the entire second word and AN EPIC QUEST ended w/ him winning the Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend worth $31,300, giving him a final total of $57,269 cash & prizes.
In the end, we saw clips of Vanna going fishing.
🔴September 24: October 4, 2021 (originally scheduled for October 6)
This episode was moved up from its originally intended air date of the 6th. We also had the first$6KFinal Spin of the season and late in that round, we had this setup…
T _ K _ N G / _ / W _ L K _ N / T H _ / W _ _ _ S
Darcy DuGal flubbed the last word with WILDS and WINDS before getting the last word correctly too late; that cost her $30K and the victory. David Marsellaforewent calling the last consonant of D and solved TAKING A WALK IN THE WOODS for $18K and the comeback win while Aaliyah Wilson finished in second w/ $21,568 cash & Belize. He chose PHRASE from that TROUBLESOME trio of BR categories. He needed help on that last word…
_ N / _ N / _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ S _ T _ _ N
MPDA was a very good combo…
_ N / A N / A _ _ _ A R D P _ S _ T _ _ N
…but we wereIN AN AWKWARD POSITION, because he BLEW IT w/ AWARD and PAST. I was also glad that he wasn’t the one w/ the MDW, because…
…
…
…
…HE WAS THE FIRST $100K LOSER OF THE SEASON. I’m sorry, sir, but there should have been NO EXCUSE for you not to get this one.
October 1: Day 3 of America’s Game I on the set of Week III that aired November 10
As was the case in 2019 and 2020, this episode is pre-empted on several ABC affiliates, including all O&O’s, due to the Country Music Association Awards red carpet special. On KABC-TV in Los Angeles, this and the rest of the week’s episodes are aired on a one-day delay. According to contestant Desire from the November 12 episode, neither Wheel nor KABC notifies Los Angeles-based contestants of this change.
We had our second $6K Final Spin this game, and all three players finished with five figures, but it’s Rachel Newhouse who won the most w/ $32,350. The category she chose for her BR was PLACE and she needed serious help on top…
_ _ _ _ L _ _ _ _ N
CGPA gave her…
_ A _ _ L A G _ _ N
The $39K sunk in this WAVY LAGOON (I was torn between that and HAZY LAGOON) and we had our first TOTAL TAPING DAY WASHOUT that season.
🔵October 8: Day 5 of Great Outdoors originally airing May 20, 2022 (previously reran August 26)
All three players on Friday’s game ended up w/ five figures, but Kevan Kolander won the most w/ $22,440 cash & Barbados. He even agreed with Pat’s remark about him as an “incredibly exhausting” player after R3. He chose THINGS as his BR category and got very stingy RSTLNE help…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
All of his consonants from PYHO were up there…
H _ _ H _ _ Y _ _ P S
He found the HIGHWAY MAPSjust in time for the Ford Edge SEL worth $43,065 and a final total of $65,505 & prizes.
October 15: Day 1 of Teacher’s Week (Sept. 13, 2021 — SEASON 39 PREMIERE)
Allison Winter was dominant this episode winning the game with $42,225 cash & trips to the Mediterranean and Hawaii. What made this maingame victory sweeter is that she swept the Triple Toss-Ups for the $10K bonus! Somsack Chaitesipaseut finished second w/ $8,050 while Bonnie Bailey became an instant $1K GOOSEEGG victim that season.
The category Allison chose was PLACE and here’s the starting help…
_ _ R _ E N _ _ T _
All of her consonants of HGPO are there…
G _ R _ E N P _ T H
She walked down the GARDEN PATH to collect $39K and left w/ $81,225 cash & trips!
October 22: November 15, 2021
In Round 1, after Valerie McElroy bought 3 O’s, Pat remarked, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a DAMN”- this is a G-Rated show, sir! 😡 Later in the Mystery/Crossword Round, we had this setup…
E
X
E
R
C
I
S
E
E
P
L
A
N
_
S
S
Q
U
A
T
S
She decided to go on for the last consonant, but instead, she BANKRUPTed near $650 to lose $4,300. Michelle Swofford then said PLANKS for the house minimum. Fast forward to the Speed-Up round where Michellequestionably chose the P…
N _ _ P _ _ _ T _ N _ _ _ / _ R _ _ _
She had some NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM for $5,100, but fell $700 short of the victory because she didn’t say the C’s.
Valerie was the winner of this episode after surviving a HUGE ONSLAUGHT OF BANKRUPTS (a total of $24,304 cash & Miami was lost to BANKRUPT, the season-worst at the time). She chose PHRASE as her BR category and she needed help on the last word…
_ E / _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L E _
MDHA all made it though the D was a waste…
H E / _ A S _ A M _ _ _ _ L E D
Pat didn’t think she would get this, but HE WAS BAMBOOZLEDwhen she NAILED IT for $39K and a final total of $52,150 cash & trip.
October 29: Day 2 of Margaritaville Resorts Family Vacation (March 29, 2022)
This wasn’t a pleasant game to watch. Brian Novakoff took a gamble late in R2 and paid the price of $5,900 to the LaT. And late in the next round…
C A L M / A N D G E N T L E / _ A _ E S
…he CRASHED w/ a baffling dud of K to throw away $5,650 and the MDW while aboard the EXPRESS. He was thinking WAKES for the last word, which makes absolutely no sense at all. Lonette Washington completed the board w/ the $550 W and $600 V, and would see…
C A L M / A N D G E N T L E / W A V E S
…at the Margaritaville Island Reserve Rivera CANCUN by Karisma worth $8,950. She went on to win the game w/ $21,600 cash & Cancun. Unfortunately, she chose THINGS for her BR and here’s the last letter(s) of each word…
_ _ _ T _ _ _ E S
She WIPES OUT of the game w/ CPMA and D and she’s not even close w/ FAST WAVES, so the $39K stays inside these GIFT BOXES.
🔵November 5: Day 1 of Great American Cities (October 18, 2021 — previously reran July 4)
We started the week w/ a salute to San Diego and Ruth Cellery (the only lady of the panel) played well despite losing the $10K MW in R2 and won w/ $22,688 cash & St. Lucia. She chose PHRASE for her BR, which started as…
_ _ _ _ N _ / _ _ R E _ _ T _ R _ _ _ _
COMD adds just two more…
M _ _ _ N _ / _ _ R E _ _ T _ R O _ _ _
…but she’s MAKING A BREAKTHROUGH to win $39K, giving her a final total of $61,688 cash & trip.
🟢November 12: Day 3 of Big Money 25th Anniversary Celebration (May 4, 2022)
In the Mystery Round, Chanelle Anderson flipped over the MW near LaT… $$$! But she would lose that along with $1,900 in spendable money to the MDW’s left side not long after. Fast forward to the PP/Express Round where we had this board setup…
E _ _ A R _ / O N A _ _ E N T _ R E
Marrian Harms was DQed for adding AN between the last two words. Meanwhile, Chanelle would EMBARK ON ADVENTURE on her CARIBBEAN cruise worth $9,863. Consonants in Speed-Up were worth the $1,500 minimum. Ashish Pal lit up 3 T’s at the start…
_ T _ _ _ T _ _ / _ _ T _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _
…and nailedATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY for a QUICK PR of $4,500, but realized that he solved too early and lost by $263.
Chanelle was the winner with $17,163 cash & cruise. She chose WHAT ARE YOU DOING? as her BR category but only had this to start with…
_ _ _ _ _ N _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _
DCMA added…
_ A C _ _ N _ / _ _ _ _ M / _ A _
While I’m PACKING MY GYM BAG, she would have many reasons to smile because…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…SHE WAS THE FIFTH $100K WINNER OF THE SEASON!!! (Jim: “Chanelle, this is what we call BIG MONEY!”) After the final tally, she leaves with $117,163 cash & cruise!
🔵November 19: Day 5 of America’s Game V (June 10, 2022 — SEASON 39 FINALE; previously reran September 9)
The season ended on the set of Week 35, which had Mike Halpern’s snow angel confetti win.
Early in the Speed-Up, we had this setup after Jasmin Stewart chose 3 R’s…
_ _ R T _ _ T _ _ _ R T _ _ _ _ / _ _ R T _
BACHELORETTE BACHELORPARTY has no chance in heck of fitting, ma’am. -__- Later, Kayla Monick lit up the B…
F _ R T _ _ T _ B _ R T _ _ _ Y / P _ R T Y
A “FORTNITE” BIRTHDAY PARTY sounds interesting if she’s a fan of that battle royale game, but that’s not right. Shortly after, Rob Evors chose 2 I’s (he was about to say A)
F _ R T I _ T H B I R T H _ _ Y / P _ R T Y
The show would be having their FORTIETH BIRTHDAY PARTY next season, and he solved for $10,200. He went on to be the big winner with $34,999 cash & Switzerland trip plus the WC while Kayla became the last $1K GOOSEEGG victim of the season. He wasn’t a fan of any of the category choices, but he had to pick LIVING THINGS. Three letters in the bottom to start…
_ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ N _ _ E S
He was in good shape after going with GHPOD…
P _ _ _ / O _ D _ N G O E S
He tamed this PACK OF DINGOES and won the white MINI S Hardtop worth $36,525, giving him a final total of $71,524 cash & prizes! That helped end the season on a high note!
November 26: Day 1 of that AWFUL Hawaii Week (February 21, 2022)
In Round 1, Rachel Stewart landed on $2,500 and called for an S… there’s SEVEN of them (also the Same Letter) for $18,500. But after buying 4 E’s, she made the SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE of O to put $19,700 at risk. And that’s too bad, because she didn’t win that round. In the PP/Express Round, she landed on EXPRESS and hopped aboard. She filled in the remaining letters in the puzzle and would be INDULGING IN SOME SPA TIME on her ST. MAARTEN trip worth $7,900. Fast forward to this setup in the Speed-Up…
W H _ L E – W _ T _ H I N G T _ _ _
She fell for the TRIP trap and also guessed TIME with $4,950 at stake. After André BradfordFLUNKED OUT with S, John Pantoya lit up the R…
W H _ L E – W _ T _ H I N G T _ _ R
…and solved WHALE-WATCHING TOUR for $3,300.
It only took Rachel one round to win the game, so that’s NOT a good sign for the BR. She chose PERSON has her category and had one letter in each word to start with…
_ E _ _ _ _ _ R _
DPMA gave her…
M E D _ A _ _ R _
…only the first word and she got the other word wrong with PRO, CARD, NERD, and PARK. This MEDIA GURU wouldn’t be giving her another $39K.
December 3: November 16, 2021
This was a shaky episode on the night before Andy went to Hawaii. A total of seven BANKRUPTs (including three in a row in R3) wiped away $16,400, but Gabe Cox was the eventual winner w/ $21,010 cash & St. Lucia thanks to her EXPRESS run and a QUICKPR by solving MY NEW BEST FRIEND w/ just the two N’s.
The category she chose was PHRASE and here’s the end letter(s) of each line…
_ / _ _ _ _ _ T _ / _ _ _ _ E T
MCBA gives her…
_ / B _ _ _ _ T A / _ A C _ E T
Girl, I BOUGHT A JACKET, and found the $39K from the pockets, giving you a final total of $60,010 cash & trip.
December 10: Day 4 of Teachers Week that aired September 16
Though Erendida Cantu and Emily Keeton had a tight match, this wasn’t very pleasant to watch. There was a near Triple Stumper in the second Toss-Up, a total of six BANKRUPTS (including an EXPRESS crash by Emily) and two LaTs. And late in the Speed-Up…
C O _ _ _ R _ N G / _ N D C O N T R _ S T _ N G
Rob Traegler blows the $7,750 game-winning solve w/ CONTOURING AND CONTRASTING, not counting the N’s and T’s carefully. Erendida then says M…
C O M _ _ R _ N G / _ N D C O N T R _ S T _ N G
…we’re COMPARING AND CONTRASTING scores at the end and she solves for her own $7,750 and the victory. After picking EVENT for her BR, the answer to this is what you’re doing if you’re riding in a vehicle to view animals…
_ _ _ N _ / _ N S _ _ _ R _
DPHO is good for…
_ O _ N _ / O N S _ _ _ R _
…only the top line, so she won’t be GOING ON SAFARI w/ the $39K. This puzzle could have made more sense if there was an A.
🔵December 17: Day 4 of Great Outdoors (May 19, 2022 – previously reran August 25)
Thursday’s game wasn’t pleasant to watch. Late in R1…
S _ I M M I N G S U _ _ I N G S A I L I N G
Amy Higgins made a CRITICAL REPEAT of the N to let over $10,550 cash & prizes and the MDW go to waste — oh brother. -___-Rajashree Pandit completed the board…
S W I M M I N G S U R F I N G S A I L I N G
…and read the answer for $1,750. And Amy actually had the word SUNNING in her mind, which is why she repeated the N. After Amy repeated a letter again in R3, she somehow shook off her mistakes and won w/ $15,450 cash & trip to Puerto Rico. Her chosen BR category was EVENT, and she needed some help in the second word…
_ / _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ S _ T
VDMA should do it, though C is no good…
A / _ A M _ L _ V _ S _ T
After A FAMILY VISIT, she won the $39K for a final total of $54,450 cash & trip. BTW, this woman’s a fan of “The Wizard of Oz” (she’s wearing ruby slippers), and some of the scenes were taped in the very studio where WHEEL is filmed.
🎄December 24: Day 5 of Happy Holidays! (Dec. 24, 2021 — EPISODE #7500)
Ugh, this was NOT a very festive milestone at all especially that trainwreck R4. -___- After Glenda Morgan Brown’s unfortunate BANKRUPT in R3, she managed to rally, but fell short of becoming the big winner at $12,600. The big winner was Charlotte Cush w/ $13,274 cash & Bahamas. The category she chose was LIVING THINGand here were the lead-offs…
L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ R _
DMBI all made it…
L _ _ D M _ _ _ I N _ B I R D
Bah humbug — she didn’t quiet down thisLOUD MOCKINGBIRD (she blew the bottom w/ MINIBIRD and MINIATURE BIRD), so she’s the third and final Audi Q3 loser this week.
🎊December 31: Dec. 31, 2021
Rana Aryan was dominant this episode and won w/ $31,450 cash & trip to Costa Rica. The category she chose was WAYW? and this was all she got to start…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
She has a chance after frontloading the alphabet w/ BCDA and making her WC pick M (it won’t be FUZZY PAJAMAS)…
C _ M _ _ _ A _ A M A S
…but she only gets the second word late in the countdown, so the keys to the maZDa MX-30 will stay in this pair of COMFY PAJAMAS.
January 7, 2023: Day 4 of Margaritaville Resorts Family Vacation (March 31, 2022)
This game was mostly lackluster up until the $6K Final Spin. Fast forward to the point where Leslie Stawarz lit up 2 I’s…
F L Y I N G / I N _ / S _ _ _ L _ N _
She solved FLYING IN A SEAPLANE for $24K and the win! She chose LIVING THINGS as her BR category and got some help on the bottom line to start…
_ _ _ / _ _ _ R _ _ / _ _ _ L E S
DMBA added a few more…
_ _ D / _ _ _ R A _ / _ _ A L E S
She spotted a POD OF GRAY WHALES and won the INFINITI QX50 PURE worth $40,250, giving her a final total of $73,800 cash & prizes! And she was the only BR winner of that week.
January 14, 2023: Day 3 of America’s Game II on the set of Great American Cities (January 5, 2022)
After the first half, things started to fall apart beginning in R3. There were two LaTs and three BANKRUPTS incurred by everybody. And in the first of the Triple Toss-Ups…
B _ _ _ N A _ _ N _ / B _ R _ I E S
Doug Michaelleaves out the S at the end of the first word.
B _ N _ N A _ _ N _ / B _ R _ I E S
Thallen Brassel makes the exact same mistake, then Skyler Harris solves BANANAS AND BERRIES. And late in the S-U round…
T H _ / R _ _ A _ T _ _ R
Thinking of Nashville, Thallen goofs w/ THE RYMAN TOUR. Doug then said the Y…
T H _ / R _ Y A _ T _ _ R
…and realizes he has taken THE ROYAL TOUR of SPS for $4,800. In the end, Thallen won w/ $29,250 cash & prizes. She chose AtH for her BR category, and this answer started like this…
N E _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
WHDO is an interesting combination, but I have to stick a fork in her…
N E W / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
She’s way off the mark w/ NEW COFFEE, NEW TENNIS SHOES, NEW CABINET, and NEWCOUNTERTOPS, so the $45K gets sucked up in these NEW VACUUM BAGS.
January 21, 2023: December 28, 2021
This day marked the 40th anniversary when Pat made his debut as the host of this show. As for the game, it was lackluster until Eric Morgan made a late rally by sweeping the Triple Toss-Ups and ended up winning w/ $20,500. He chose F & D for his category and the brand Barilla is best known for making this food…
_ _ _ L E / _ _ E _ T _ _ S T _
He knew it already like we do and says HWPA…
W H _ L E / W H E A T P A S T A
After eating up this plate of WHOLE WHEAT PASTA, he’s got the keys to the 2022 maZDa MX-30 Premium Plus Package worth $38,650, giving him a final total of $59,150 cash & electric SUV.
Corey Woodchester mentioned in the comments that blue contestant Jonathan Epstein-Brenner was actually one of her favorite English tutors back in the day. He was a legal friend of the LGBTQ community and his former coworker was named ‘Austin (female)’.
January 28, 2023: Day 5 of Teacher’s Week (September 17, 2021)
This episode featured two PRs and the first-ever $1,850 Final Spin. Jim Coe was the winner of the game in a nice match with Raquel Anderson. He was the other PLACE taker for the BR that week and got the ending letter(s) of each word to start with…
_ _ _ E T _ _ _ E
PDGO only added the vowel…
_ _ _ E T _ O _ E
He was wrong thinking it’s a HOME (he guessed VALET HOME) late, so Erendida Cantu from the previous episode was off the hook and left behind in this QUIET COVE was $45K.
February 4, 2023: February 18, 2022 — Vanna’s 65th Birthday
The game started off ugly with two LaTs and a BANKRUPT in Round 1 as well as four duds and three BANKRUPTS (including Christine Wood’sMW gamble) in the following round and being nothing above the minimum assuming both opening Toss-Ups are solved. Nate Cimino, however, helped turn things around by landing on EXPRESS and hopping aboard. He won $11,450 and would be LEAVING FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND on his $7,701 Aruba trip- BIG PR! Consonants in Speed-Up were worth $1,900. Fast forward to this…
_ _ _ _ N T I C C _ _ _ _ I _ _
ECCENTRIC COMEDIAN is too big to fit the puzzle, Nate. -__- Christine was next with R…
R _ _ _ N T I C C _ _ _ _ I _ _
…and she realized that “The Other Woman” and “The Wedding Singer” are examples of ROMANTIC COMEDIES for $3,800. Nate was the winner with $24,151 cash & Aruba. It took him a while to decide his BR category but he eventually chose PLACE. Not much to start with…
_ L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E
BCHO added…
_ L O O _ _ C _ _ E
After guessing GLOOMY COVE, he escaped out of this GLOOMY CAVEat the last second for $39K, giving him a final total of $63,151 cash & Aruba.
February 11, 2023: Day 4 of America’s Game II on the set of Week 12 (January 6, 2022)
Take a look at what happened late in R1:
T H _ S / _ A N D _ A S / M A D E / F O R Y O U / A N D / M E
These words come from that famous folk song by Woody Guthrie, but Shafi Khan blew the $2,100 solve w/ “THIS BAND HAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME” — that’s so grammatically wrong, man! UGH. -__- And he went viral as a result of that mishap. Deborah Fleming capitalized w/ “THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME”.
The game appeared headed for disaster, but Shafi turned things around by sweeping the Triple Toss-Ups and collecting $11,550 from the Speed-Up Round to end up with a total of $32,150 cash & France. The category he chose was FUN & GAMES, and these objects are used to strike a ball in billiards…
_ _ _ L _ _ E S
MDCI and H don’t add much but Pat still has faith he would solve…
_ _ _ L C _ E S
…and he was right — Shafi uses the POOL CUES to sink a $39K shot, giving him a final total of $71,150 cash & trip. Nice turnaround right there.
February 18, 2023: Day 1 of Big Money 25th Anniversary Celebration (May 2, 2022)
The week started off rather shaky, but Louis Henry made a nice comeback in the end in a tight match with Jayne Olson. He won $17,050 and chose PHRASE as his BR category. Replace the second word with PAVED and you have a Bonus Puzzle from the awful Hawaii Week…
T _ E _ / _ _ _ N _ T _ E / _ _ _
HPYA was an interesting combo…
T H E Y / _ _ _ N _ T H E / _ A Y
…but he was all over the place with RUN and GRAND for the second word before he just missed it with ROUND. As for the writers, THEY FOUND THE WAY to not award him $39K.
🔵February 25: November 15, 2021 (previously reran October 22)
March 4: Day 5 of National Parks (October 8, 2021)
Here’s what happened late in R2…
L U N C H / & B _ _ M B _ _
Paula Williams made a costly A purchase to let $12,250 cash & collette tour of South Dakota to go to waste — oh brother. Olivia Bentley then capitalized w/ LUNCH & BOOM BOX. Paula made up for that blunder in the next round by winning $20,200 plus a FlightGuru trip to the MEXICAN CARIBBEAN (Paradisus Playa del Carmen) worth $7,300 in that MAJOR PR! She went on to win the game w/ $35,600 cash & MEX. The category she chose was AROUND THE HOUSE and here’s what she had to start…
_ E _ _ _ _ _ _ L T
MHDA gives her two up top…
H E A _ _ _ _ _ L T
…but she only got the first word late, so we’ve got ourselves BACK-TO-BACK SKUNKINGS (also the first time since 2016 this theme week had a skunking) and the $45K stayed wrapped up in this HEAVY QUILT.
March 11: March 7, 2022
Not too good of a front game and $13,400 went into the BANKRUPT trash, but Josh Olson was a good player and won w/ $17,870 cash & trip to Antigua. He chose PHRASE because he wanted to stay out of IN THE KITCHEN. The opening layout…
_ _ _ S E _ _ N _ / R E _ _ _
DHMA gives him besides the obvious…
_ _ _ S E D A N D / R E A D _
He didn’t say it immediately, but 3 seconds in, he’s POISED AND READY to drive off in the Nissan Rogue SV AWD worth $30,045 (that’s just too cheap, IMO) and leaves w/ a final total of $47,915 cash & prizes.
🔵March 18: Day 1 of Great Outdoors (May 16, 2022 — previously reran August 22)
The opening game was lackluster for the most part and take a look at what happened late in R2…
W H E R E / T H E D E E R / A N D / T H E A N T E L O P E / P L A _ _ H E _ _ E R _
Female Pat Sexson said a FATAL DUD of G to leave $11,650 sitting there — oh brother -___- Darroll Jenkins then said two C’s for $1,400…
W H E R E / T H E D E E R / A N D / T H E A N T E L O P E / P L A _ C H E C _ E R _
…and solved “WHERE THE DEER AND ANTELOPE PLAY CHECKERS”. Also, earlier in that round, Pat mistakenly said there were 72 T’s instead of 3. After Darroll later spun $6K in the Speed-Up, Pat completed an $18K BASKETBALL TRICK SHOT to win the game w/ $28,400 cash & Kauai.
The category this Pat chose for her BR was LIVING THING and it started as…
L E _ _ _ _ _ N E
After a long thought between her second and third picks, she WIPED OUT of the game w/ DMGO and fell off the LEAFY VINE, costing her the keys to the Ford Edge SEL.
🔵March 25: Day 4 of Great American Cities (October 21, 2021 — previously aired July 7, 2022)
This salute to South Florida was worse than the Chicago Salute. In the Crossword Round (the clue was FLORIDA _______), Dan Shevlin did most of the work and also picked up the $12K+ trip to Boston…
_
E
V
E
R
G
L
A
D
E
S
_
G
A
T
O
R
S
…but he said a MAJOR DUD of N for negative — oh brother. -___- Two rounds later, Shannon Ford was the first player this season to decline hopping aboard the EXPRESS and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise since her I repeat would’ve caused her to go BANKRUPT.
Amanda Rintel won w/ $16,221 cash & Curacao and chose AROUND THE HOUSE for her BR, which started as…
_ _ T _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _ _ _
She quickly called CDMO…
O _ T D O O R _ _ C _ _ _ _
…and little help on the bottom proved to be her undoing, because she didn’t solve OUTDOOR JACUZZI for $39K.
April 1: Day 1 of America’s Game I on the set of Week #2 (Nov. 8, 2021)
This was one of the last episodes w/ Mike Richards and Karen Griffith on the staff. Both women this game finished with five figures and Helen Yohannes was the big winner w/ $21,067 cash & trip to the British Virgin Islands. The PP mattered for her to win since Jamie Petersen ended up w/ $14K. The category she chose was PHRASE and here’s how this puzzle began…
_ _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ T _ / _ _ E _ S
HMGI gives her besides the obvious…
_ _ _ _ I N G _ I T H / I _ E _ S
The producers have been BUZZING WITH IDEAS on how to stump people in the BR, but she NAILED IT and won the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro worth $41,190, giving her a final total of $62,257 cash & prizes!
April 8: Nov 26, 2021
This was a great match between Roman Luko and Stacy Sheeran. The latter won w/ $26,350 cash & STIHL gift card while Roman ended up w/ $24,200 cash & MEX. Stacy chose PLACE for her BR and she needed help up top…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ E
She’s in great shape after calling GMDO…
_ _ M _ O O G R O _ E
Did she make it out of this BAMBOO GROVE intact? Yes — she’s a hero! Her reward is the keys to the Ford Escape SEL priced at $33,800 for a GT of $60,150 cash & prizes!
April 15: April 1, 2022 (Day 5 of Margaritaville Resorts Family Vacation)
This Saturday rerun would have been appropriate if it were scheduled exactly one year after its original airing. Anyway, this episode began w/ a cold opening of Pat and Vanna’s end of chat segment appears at the beginning already, so no show that day…JUST KIDDING! April Fool’s from them.
After a shaky R1, Heather DiFede and TK Kimura had a close match and the latter won w/ $16,200 cash & D.R. to her $13K cash & GC (there would have been a tiebreaker Toss-Up had Danielle Kasa solved the Speed-Up of CASH IN A FLASH instead). TK chose EVENT and he needed help in the second word, IMO…
_ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L T _ _ _ R N E _
BCDO gives him…
_ / D _ _ _ _ C _ L T _ O _ R N E _
After A DIFFICULT JOURNEY of making it to this point in the game, he gets the second word wrong w/ DESOLATE and DANGEROUS before saying the right one under his breath…but he’s DQed for not putting them together, so he lost $39K.
April 22: October 15, 2021
Late in Round 1, Melissa Budnik found the Same Letter of 6 B’s for $16K. But then she made the SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE of O to throw away $17,600. And Greg Hansen clapped at that big mistake for NO apparent reason- that’s NOT very nice, sir! 😡 In the next round, he flipped over a MW after finding 2 T’s to find $10K on the reverse. But after a lot of work, he made another SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE in the form of I to leave behind $14,250. We got a house minimum solve by Sandy Wadlington as a result. Said lady landed on EXPRESS with $6,900 in her bank and hopped aboard. She filled in the remaining consonant pairs of L and S and would be SPLASHING AROUND IN THE POOL at Papagayo Beach Hotel & Villas in CURACAO with $8,140. She was the big winner with $29,340 cash & trip and chose FOOD & DRINK for the BR. The brand Birds Eye is known for making these…
_ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ E _ _ E _ _ _ E S
CFMU only added…
_ _ _ / _ F / M _ _ E _ _ E _ _ _ E S
She was wrong thinking it was BOX OF, so the $39K stayed sealed inside this BAG OF MIXED VEGGIES.
April 29: April 27, 2022
On the day before Andy went on his spring vacation, the first two rounds were rough to watch (Laura Masor and Alan Alexander left behind $11,850 and $10,150 cash & VA, respectively, in the first round), but Marketa Hardwick made the most of her night and won the game w/ $22,450 cash & Maui. She chose FUN & GAMES for the BR, and this puzzle started as…
_ / T R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L E
CPDA gives her besides the obvious A…
A / T R _ C _ _ P _ _ _ L E
This wasn’tA TRICKY PUZZLE for her, because she solved for $45K for a final total of $67,450 cash & Maui!
May 6: Day 4 of Big Money 25th Anniversary Celebration (May 5, 2022)
Oh boy, this was a NASTY follow-up to the previous night’s $100K win. -__- After the missolves in the first two Toss-Ups, here’s the board for the Crossword Round (the clue was MAGIC ___)…
_
C
A
R
P
E
_
A
A
N
U
M
_
E
R
D
D
Adam Schnurman got CARPET and NUMBER, but flubbed the first down word w/ LAND, costing him $4,800. Vanetta Schoefield also missed the first down word w/ BAND. Darius Thomas Curtis spun once more for the $500 W, and correctly said WAND (this was used as a bonus puzzle in S26 and S29; the former use was solved for $100K). The next round was also a mess w/ five BANKRUPTs. Fast forward to the last of the Triple Toss-Ups w/ the category of LIVING THING…
_ / H _ N / _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E
Darius is way off with A HEN IN A COOP/CHICKEN (LOL), but Vanetta spots A HEN IN A HENHOUSE. After all that chaos, Darius won w/ $21,663 cash & Carnival Cruise. He was the next PHRASE picker and here’s help on the bottom…
_ _ _ _ / _ _ T _ E / _ _ L _ _ E
CKPA provides a key letter (or three) on top…
P _ _ P / _ P T _ E / _ _ L _ _ E
…but he goes off the mark with PEP, POP, and POOP UP THE… (a guess for his son – Pat later scolds him) before yelling PEP UP THE STEP after the buzzer. Since he doesn’t PUMP UP THE VOLUME, he loses $39K.
🔵 May 13: Day 5 of Great American Cities (Oct. 22, 2021; previously reran on July 8, 2022)
Anthone Jackson on Friday’s salute to the San Francisco Bay was dominant and won w/ $30,403 cash & prizes including a trip to Aruba. But there was a controversial judgment call in R3…
T O _ _ _ _ T _ A N D / L O _ A L _
Upon further review, it sounded as if said male player left out the last S in the first word, which might’ve affected the outcome. We’ll never know if the female opposition appealed this ruling. Anyway, he chose PHRASE for his BR, and this long one started as…
_ T / _ _ S / _ / _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _ L _ T _
DHWA gave him…
_ T / H A S / A / H _ _ H _ R _ _ A _ _ L _ T _
In regards to this final board, IT HAS A HIGH PROBABILITY of not being solved…and he got that last word wrong w/ CRATELIGHT and GREAT LIGHT, so he lost the Volkswagen Taos SEL.
May 20: Day 4 of the mostly dismal Gone Fishin’ Week (June 2, 2022)
(NOTE: This episode was pre-empted due to President Biden’s State of the Union address on gun violence.)
We had an interesting situation in the Triple Toss-Ups. Here’s the second one…
_ _ _ _ ‘ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E
Some of you are probably thinking “THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE” when Jason Smith nails that one. As for the last Triple Toss-Up…
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ E
Austin Schlech buzzed in too early.
_ I _ _ L Y I M P _ O _ _ B L E
Jasonblew it w/SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE when the O isn’t right next to the P.
H I _ _ L Y I M P _ O _ _ B L E
Allie Brown made the same mistake for the second word w/ HIGHLYIMPOSSIBLE, so we had our fourth and finalTRIPLE STUMPER from this season. It was HIGHLY IMPROBABLE. Despite that mishap, Jason went on to win the game w/ $27,450 cash & Alaskan Cruise.
The category he chose was FUN & GAMES, and here’s the opening setup…
_ L _ _ _ _ N _ _ N / _ _ _ E R
BMDA and G don’t add much besides the obvious G…
B L _ _ _ _ N G _ N / _ _ _ E R
He hadn’t done any BLUFFING IN POKER (he thought of BLOWING ON WATER) and he lost $39K.
May 27: Day 1 of America’s Game IV on the set of “Celebrating the Local Flavor of…” (April 11, 2022)
On Andy’s 4-year anniversary on the show, the game was rather underwhelming for the most part, but Mark Holmes swept the Triple Toss-Ups and went on to win w/ $21K cash & trip. He chose FOOD & DRINK and here’s a hint for this one — this was the same bonus puzzle used in Season 38 on the third AG week, but you gotta change a letter…
_ R _ _ N _ _ _ _ _ S
BPKI is an interesting combo, but that only added the vowel…
_ R _ _ N I _ _ _ _ S
He didn’t eat up these ORGANIC YAMS for $39K.
June 3: Day 4 of that HORRIBLE Hawaii Week (Feb. 24, 2022) (it was originally going to be the one that aired after this one)
This episode wasn’t any better than that CHAOTIC episode featuring the JURASSIC PARK BODIES blunder before this one. Take a look at what happened at the end of the Mystery/Crossword Round (the clue was _____ PAN)
D
O
M
U
_
_
I
N
S
L
P
E
T
E
R
Jennifer ThomasFOOLISHLY thought the H would be the last letter in a pair — seriously, ma’am?! -__- And in the next round…
S I P P I N G / _ N I C Y / _ E _ E R _ G E
Fornisha Buie got the preposition wrong saying SIPPING ON ICY BEVERAGE, so Steve Styczynsky capitalized and would be SIPPING AN ICY BEVERAGE at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa in ST. LUCIA worth $7,800. In the end, Jennifer won the game by just $150 w/ $12,950 to Steve’s $12,800. The category she chose for the BR was PERSON, and the second word was used alone late in S26…
_ _ S _ _ _ E R _ _ _ _ E _ E R
PMCA just adds two in the bottom…
_ _ S _ _ _ E R A C _ _ E _ E R
She didn’t prove to be a BUSY OVERACHIEVER (she thought of WASH for the first word), so she lost $39K.
According to Danny, this last minute change was possibly due to Vanna mentioning her cat, Stella. Stella’s passing was announced two months after that aired in show #7586. In fact, considering 7586 taped on 3/2/2022, it is likely that Stella had already passed away by the time that 7545 aired.
June 10: Oct. 14, 2021
Nate Murray got off to a fast start winning $16,400 cash & NY Lakes trip after two rounds, but Natalise Robinson came back to win w/ $20,800 cash & prizes including the PP trip to Kauai. BTW, the puzzle in the Speed-Up Round was MY NICKNAME IN HIGH SCHOOL, and apparently they did this in honor of Pat. Anyway, the PP did matter for Natalise to win and after she chose WAYD? for her BR, she had this to start…
_ _ E _ _ N _ _ / _ _ _ _ E
GPHA caused me to stick a fork in her…
_ _ E _ _ N G A / _ _ _ _ E
She got the first word wrong w/ FEELING and FEEDING, so she wouldn’t be VIEWING A MOVIE of herself winning the maZDa CX-5.
🔵 June 17: Day 3 of Great Outdoors Week (orig. aired May 18, 2022 and previously reran Aug. 24)
Deidra Reid was leading after the first half w/ the MDW in her possession, but Rodman Martin really heated up beginning in R3 and went on to win w/ $28,050 cash & Cozumel. He chose PLACE for his BR, and the plural form of this answer was used early on in S36 on Sept. 18, 2018 and wasn’t solved for the minimum…
_ _ _ _ _ L _ _
Most of GCBA are there…
_ A _ _ C L _ B
What kind of CLUB is it? Not CASH, BALL, FALL, or CALL. He wouldn’t be visiting a JAZZ CLUB w/ $39K.
June 24: November 30, 2021
Oh brother, Andy’s first day after his trip to Oahu was an unpleasant one to watch. -___- Take a look what happened in R3…
A / T _ _ R / _ _ _ _ _ T A / R _ _ A
Amy Stevens blew the answer saying it was A TOUR OF SANTA ROSA — ma’am, do you realize that they don’t offer trips to California these days?! -__- After she quickly got her turn back, she narrowed things down to this…
A / T O U R / O F _ O _ T A / R I _ A
She still didn’t know it, so she went on…and that BANKRUPT near $3,500 deprived her of $950. Holly Gratke would then take A TOUR OF COSTA RICA courtesy of Road Scholar worth $7,150. Also, in the second of the Triple Toss-Ups, Holly nailed EATING DINNER with just the G revealed. In the end, Amy won w/ $18,750 cash & GC to Zazzle. The category she chose was FOOD & DRINK, and this food goes great w/ tortilla chips…
_ R E S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _
HCMA gives her besides the H on top…
_ R E S H A _ _ C A _ _ / _ _ _
She got the last word wrong w/ BUN when there’s no N showing, so she didn’t eat up the FRESH AVOCADO DIP for $39K.
July 1: Day 2 of America’s Game I on the set of Teacher’s Week
In the Mystery Round, Chris Coupland landed on the same MW three times in a row and DECLINED on every landing. Unfortunately, he would painfully BANKRUPT near $650 to give up $10,200. Angelique Henderson took control and went on to win the game w/ $21,350 cash & trips. The category she chose was PERSON and this answer started as…
_ _ _ _ L _ N _ _ _ _ L _
DCHA and M are good for…
_ _ _ _ L _ N _ C H _ L D
…only the second word and it wouldn’t be an ADOLESCENT CHILD. She wouldn’t be giving a GIGGLING CHILD a ride in the INFINITI QX50.
July 8: March 11, 2022
Thie first half had some ugly bumps including a painful BANKRUPT by Carrie Patterson and there was also a TRIPLE STUMPER in the last of the Triple Toss-Ups (the answer was MUDPUPPY), but Diana Romo was fun to watch and won w/ $21,553 cash & trip to Aruba. After being hungry for F & D, she had stingy RSTLNE help to start…
_ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _
The M’s in DMPA will do it…
_ _ M M _ T A _ _ _
She got a few pieces of YUMMY TAFFY to munch on for $39K for a final total of $60,553 cash & Aruba.
July 15: Day 2 of that HORRIBLE Hawaii Week (Feb. 22, 2022)
The good news is that we had the first R6 of the season. The bad news, however, is this whole episode wasn’t anything to write about. KC Crain got the DESERVING $1K GOOSEEGG award after two foolish duds (K in the first round and J in the second), and an unnecessary LaT in the third round. Debbie Van Diemen won a tight albeit low-scoring match w/ $13,724 cash & trip to the Dominican Republic over Nicole Gardner’s $11,800. The category she chose for the BR was PHRASE and here’s how it started…
T _ E _ / _ _ _ E _ T _ E / _ _ _
She went w/ Rachel’s DPMA combination from Monday night…
T _ E _ / P A _ E D T _ E / _ A _
In regards to those choices, THEY (have not) PAVED THE WAY to victory, because she BLOWS IT w/ THEY PAGED THE DAD, THEY PAWED, and THEY PACED, so she loses the Ford Bronco.
July 22: Dec. 1, 2021
Ugh, this maingame was absolutely dreadful. -___- The trouble started in R1 when Tonya Giebelpainfully BANKRUPTED near $650 to give up $11,100 cash & Miami. Late in that round..
T H E / _ O S T T A L _ E _ – A B O U T S H O W / O F T H E / Y E A R
…she FLUNKED OUT w/ her next choice of P. And even though this isn’t THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT SHOW OF THE YEAR, Joe Sandrasagra on the board w/ $2,650. In the next round, there were EIGHT lost turns including Joe’sFOOLISH DUD of J. And in R3, Alicia Montgomery had a CRITICAL CRASH on EXPRESS and lost $7,500 by picking M. But Tonya scored the Triple Toss-Up sweep and went on to win w/ $22,606 cash & MEX. She chose PERSON for the BR and this board started as…
_ _ _ L _ _ _ E _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ N T
MDBA and P gave her besides the obvious D…
_ _ A L _ _ _ E D A P P L _ _ A N T
The WCpick did it for her — she proved to be a QUALIFIED APPLICANT for the $39K and a final total of $61,606 cash & MEX.
🔵July 29: Day 3 of Great American Cities (Oct. 20, 2021; previously reran July 6)
The midweek episode spotlighted Washington D.C. and Sean Belako played well, winning w/ an all-cash total of $17,850. He chose WAYW?, which started as…
L _ _ _ T _ E _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ E
He’s looking good after calling CDHO…
L _ _ H T _ E _ _ H T H O O D _ E
He collected $39K out of this LIGHTWEIGHT HOODIE and left w/ an all-cash total of $56,850.
The WHEEL Memory of the Week for this episode was on October 28, 2013 with kids going trick-or-treating.
August 5, 2023: Day 1 of Gone Fishin’ (May 30, 2022)
UGH, we had what is probably THE WORST FIRST HALF OF S39. -____- Kelly Alexander acquired the trip to BELIZE late in R1, but repeated the E right after. Erik Radcliffe acquired the WC w/ T and bought the last vowel of O…
R O _ I N G R A _ T I N G R E L A _ I N G
…but he FLUNKED OUT thinking H would fit up there — no way, sir. -__- Jenny Vazquez-Newsum then said a $900 W…
R O W I N G R A _ T I N G R E L A _ I N G
… and solved ROWING, RAFTING, RELAXING for $3,600.
In the next round, none of the players were apparently a fan of “Sesame Street”. Jenny picked an S late thinking there was such a thing as RUSSER DUSSIE. Kelly landed on the MDW, but said a HORRIBLE CHOICE of L. After Erik’s$600 C…
R U _ _ E R / D U C _ I E Y O U ‘ R E / T H E / O N E
…he spun on much to our dismay…and he painfully BANKRUPTed near $650 to give up $11K (incl. the $10K MW) and his WC — UGH. -__- Jenny then completed the board w/ two B’s and K at $500 a pop…
R U B B E R / D U C K I E Y O U ‘ R E / T H E / O N E
…and mercifully read the answer (sung by Ernie on “Sesame Street”) for $3,800.
In the end, Erik won w/ $15,750 cash & trip (he neglected to choose the last consonant of L in the Speed-Up of A GENTLE GIANT). And to make things worse, he chose THING for his BR category, and had two on the bottom to start…
_ _ _ _ T _ _ _ N _
All of his consonants of DMGA were there…
G _ _ D T _ M _ N G
He made the solve for $39K before the timer even started, giving him a final total of $54,750 cash & trip. That was more than GOOD TIMING right there.
August 12, 2023: March 4, 2022
Ugh, here’s another ugly episode, which was just as bad as the FEATHER IN YOUR CAP fiasco three nights earlier. -___- A total of eight BANKRUPTs were hit, wiping out $14,100. And R2 was brutal with a total of nine lost turns. After that mess, we were nothing above the $5K minimum. Eventually, Navy vet George Huber won with $23,524 cash & trip to the Bahamas. He chose PHRASE for his BR category, and this puzzle was last used on Feb. 6, 2019 (minus the first word)…
_ L E _ S E / _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ N _ / _ R _ _ N _
HGCO is good for…
_ L E _ S E / _ _ _ T G O O _ _ N G / _ R O _ N _
…only the bottom line and he loses $39K (he got all but the second word). To any trolls who want to declare a technical win, PLEASE QUIT GOOFING AROUND.
August 19, 2023: May 3, 2022 (Day 2 of Big Money 25th Anniversary Celebration)
Oh, why pick another episode with a bad first half like this one?! -__- Late in R1…
_ E L _ O _ E T O / F A B U L O U S L A S / V E G A S N E V A D A
Katie TanseyBOMBED OUT w/ H while on the cash gift tag to squander $6,150 — do you not remember the famous iconic sign, girl?! -__- Following David Wilson, Sr.’sLaT, Pam Williamson then chose a $650 W and a C for the MDW before solving “WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS, NEVADA”. Unfortunately, she would lose that along with the WC she picked up in the next round to the BANKRUPT near $650. In the end, David was the big winner with $21,163 cash & cruise. He chose PHRASE for the BR, and this puzzle started as…
_ N / _ / _ _ _ _ L _ N T _ _ _ _
CHDA won’t do much (he tried picking an R)…
_ N / A / _ _ _ _ L A N T _ _ _ D
…and he went off track with IN A BRILLIANT LAND and IN A VALIANT LAND. He may be IN A JUBILANT MOOD after Pat tells him his winnings, but they don’t include $39K.
August 26: Oct. 28, 2021
We had a rough first half and in R1, LaToya Price said a CRITICAL DUD of M to be deprived of $19,846 cash & trip to SWITZERLAND. However, Felicia Collins made a comeback beginning in R3 and went on to win w/ $15,800 cash & Curacao. She chose PHRASE for the BR, and it started as…
T _ E _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ L _ _ S / _ _ R _
DCPA didn’t add a whole lot more…
T _ E _ / D _ _ A _ _ L _ _ S / _ _ R _
…but she realized that when it comes to the staff putting together this new season, THEY DO FABULOUS WORK, and she’s won the $45K for a final total of $60,800 cash & Curacao.
September 2: Day 4 of America’s Game IV on the set of Week 26 (April 14, 2022)
The first half of this game was slow, but Paula Lurvey made the most of R3 and the $6K Speed-Up Round (she solved A HEALTHY COMPLEXION just before the buzzer for $18,500), giving her a winning maingame total of $35,675 cash & Riviera Maya. She chose PHRASE for the BR and just got these two letters to start…
_ / _ _ S _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ L _
DCBO gave her a few in the bottom…
_ / _ _ S _ _ O _ / _ O _ L D
I WISH YOU WOULD choose a more better combination than that, ma’am, because WORLD wouldn’t work for the last word…
…
…
…
…AND I REALLY WISH YOU WOULD HAVE THE CONFETTI RAIN DOWN ON YOU, MA’AM, BECAUSE YOU WERE THE FIFTH $100,000 LOSER THIS SEASON. Such a shame to have THAT happen on Andy’s anniversary week… -___-
September 9: April 25, 2022
This was a shaky start to this last week of April. Charles Curtis acquired the MDW in R1, but lost that in the next round along with $6,750 to the BANKRUPT near $650. There was also this epic fail in R2…
_ O S I N G / O N T H E / _ E D / C A _ _ E T
Josh Dismond BOMBED OUT w/ B — BED?! -__- Afterwards, Melanie Poehner solved POSING ON THE RED CARPET for the house minimum. The sole lady went on to win w/ $25,424 cash & Bahamas. After picking EVENT, she got a couple L’s to start…
_ _ L _ _ _ _ _ _ L _
CDMA did some good…
_ _ L _ D A _ _ A L A
…but she flubbed w/GOLDEN GALA, so she wouldn’t be going to a HOLIDAY GALA in the Escape Hybrid.
At the end, they did a tribute to Vanna’s cat Stella who passed away recently.
Kevin Lindahl: sales manager for a party rental company and an avid golfer with two kids who owns a potbelly pig named Corky from Bakersfield, CA
Yolanda McClamb: substitute teacher at L.A. Unified School District and Santa Monica and Malibu who’s karaoke queen (her favorites include “What a Difference a Day Makes” and “Just a Gigolo”) from Culver City, CA
Laura Berg: speech pathology student at Baylor University from Dumfries, VA
Gift Tag: Festina
Round 1: SAME NAME
Kevin: $600 T pair, $300 N, one E, $300 R, A for awful
Yolanda: H for halt
Laura: $300 B, no M on Free SPIN
Kevin: three O’s, solve…
B O _ / & _ O _ N T E R T O _
Kevin solved BOX & COUNTER TOP for $450 bumped to the $500 minimum.
FEATURED PRIZE: Soloflex fitness package worth $2,500 (FITNESS)
Jackpot Round: TITLE
Yolanda: insta-dud of T
Laura: S for sorry
Kevin: five N’s for $2,500, three E’s and three A’s, two R’s for Festina, solve…
A N / A _ E R _ _ A N _ E R E _ _ _ _ / _ N _ _ N _ _ N
Kevin IDed “AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON” for $3K cash & Festina watches.
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $6,350
Kevin: $4,500 cash & watches/Ladies: $0 each
FEATURED PRIZE #2: Carnival Caribbean Cruise from ByeByeNow.com worth $5K (CRUISE)
Round 3: PHRASE
Laura: four T’s for $1,800, four E’s, $550 H, one O, $600 N, $600 D pair, sole dud vowel of A for awful
Kevin: $300 G, P for phooey
Yolanda: $1,200 B trio, solve…
D O N ‘ T / _ E T T H E / B ED B _ G _ B _ T E
Yolanda recited “DON’T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE” for the $1,200.
Moses Murray: teacher at North Broward Preparatory School and Lighthouse Point Academy who has taught science for three years who recently won Teacher of the Year from Boca Raton, FL
Angie Pazman (sp?): engaged lady and left-handed Gemini who wanted Vanna’s job from La Jolla, CA
Steve Peña: restaurant supervisor and bartender who has nine brothers and sisters living all over the country from Studio City, CA
Gift Tag: art.com
Round 1: ON THE MAP
Moses: three T’s for $1,050, $300 H, R for rats
Angie: LaT
Steve: $1,600 L pair, $350 C, D for dud
Moses: LaT
Angie: $600 N pair, one E, $800 S pair, two A’s, LaT
Steve: $350 K, solve…
T H E C A T S K _ L L _ _ _ N T A _ N S
Steve located THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS for $2,300.
FEATURED PRIZE: Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. worth $2,890
Jackpot Round: FILL IN THE BLANK
Angie: $700 N, D for dud
Steve: two R’s for art.com, no H on Free SPIN
Moses: $2,700 S trio, bad U buy
Angie: $2,400 L trio, four E’s, $800 C pair, one P for Washington D.C. trip, one I and two A’s…
? / E C L I P S E ? / R E C A L L ? / _ A R _ N E S S
…but she BOMBED OUT on the very next pick of G to likely throw away $5,340 cash and trip — no way, ma’am. -__-
Steve: didn’t do any better w/ M
Moses: one D for FS, solve…
? / E C L I P S E ? / R E C A L L ? / D A R _ N E S S
He solved ? ECLIPSE ? RECALL ? DARKNESS for $2,450 and correctly said total for the blanks.
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,650
Angie: NIL/Steve: $2,300/Moses: $6,450 FS
FEATURED PRIZE #2: private ghost expedition in New Orleans with Daena Smoller courtesy of the International Society for Paranormal Research worth $6,050 (HALLOWEEN)
Round 3: PHRASE
Steve: three T’s for $2,100, no C on $3,500
Moses: $900 N trio, one A, $900 L pair, one E, $800 B, $1,200 G pair, solve…
L _ G _ T N _ N G / _ N A / B _ T T L E
He captured LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE for $3,300.
Angie: NADA/Steve: $2,300/Moses: $9,750 FS
Toss-Up #2: PLACE
_ O S T U M E _ H _ _
Steve solved COSTUME SHOP.
Speed-Up: EVENT
Consonants were worth $1,300apiece (not quite to TD).
Steve: R (DUD) Moses: L (DUD) Angie: N Steve: S (DUD) Moses: T (DUD) Angie: G Steve: C (DUD) Moses: H Angie: 2 M’s Steve: K Moses: 2 I’s Angie: P (DUD) Steve: A Moses: B (DUD) Angie: Y (UGH!) Steve: F (DUD) Moses: W (DUD) Angie: D
M A K I N G / A H _ M _ / _ I D _ _
Angie would be MAKING A HOME VIDEO of this experience after solving for $6,500.
PENALTY BOX
DUDS
LaTs
BANKRUPTS
DQs
Round 1
R (Moses), D (Steve)
3 (Angie 2x, Moses)
Round 2
D, G (Angie) H, M (Steve) U (Moses)
Round 3
C (Steve)
Round 4
R, S, C, F (Steve) L, T, B, W (Moses) P, Y (Angie)
FINAL SCORES Angie: $6,500/Steve: $2,300/Moses: $9,750
GT: $19,550 NO BANKRUPTS
Bonus Round
Moses picked the second E from W-EEL (door creaking).
Category: THING
Here’s a couple…
_ L _ _ _ _ _ R _
CHMI gave him two more…
_ L _ C _ _ I R _
He incorrectly thought of BLOCK and went way off w/ PLAYCHORD, so the BLACKBIRD flew away with the $25K he could have won.
community and his former coworker was named ‘Austin (female)’.
After 
WHEEL of FORTUNE with Andy Nguyen 