WoF Retro Recap: Fall 1985 (Cathy/Laura/Lou)

And here’s an early classic S3 episode to wrap up today. Click HERE to watch.

EPISODE #392*

Over $124K waiting to be won including…

• $42K Oriental showcase
• $6K mink coat
• $3,300 big screen TV

Cathy Ladman: comedian/actress from NYC

Laura Graham: married lady w/ three kids (she brought a picture of them for good luck) who enjoys music & theater and also does landscaping work

Lou Clayton: account executive at a small ad agency and freelance writer w/ a 2.5-year-old daughter who enjoys fishing and board games from Chevy Chase, MD

Round 1: PHRASE

Cathy: instant dud of T

Laura: Free Spin, $400 S, $450 N trio, one E and O, L for lost turn

Lou: C for crud

Cathy: $300 R pair, P for phooey

Laura: $300 D, one A and I, F trap (she thought the first word was FIND)

Lou: $2K M pair, solve…

M I N D / _ O _ R
M A N N E R S 

Please MIND YOUR MANNERS as Lou solved for $2K to spend in the camping center…

• $883: Skyway luggage
• $700: Knight of New Zealand lamb skin jackets
• $406: Chinon CM-5 35mm camera
• $11: on a Gucci GC

FEATURED PRIZE: sterling silver wine goblet w/ a foxhead on it from Tiffany & Co. worth $1,250 (SILVER)

Round 2: EVENT

Laura: $2,400 T trio, $600 L pair, $500 P, BANKRUPT near $500 (lost $3,500) and used FS, $400 H, $400 C, $800 S pair, $300 F, $400 N (NMC), solve…

T _ T _ L
_ C L _ P S _ 
_ F / T H _ 
S _ N

She solved TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN for $2,300 (and she’s still feeling giggly!). To the utility center…

• $1,099: SHARP 20” color TV
• $320: Allister garage down opener
• $502: Waring kitchen appliances
• $150: Quaker 5-piece snack trays
• $229: on a GC

Cathy: NIL/Laura: $2,300/Lou: $2K

---

Round 3: PHRASE

Lou: instant BANKRUPT near $1,500

Cathy: $1,400 T pair, $200 H, $1K S pair, two E’s and A, $800 W pair, three O’s, solve…

W H A T / _ O E S 
_ _ / _ _ S T 
_ O _ E / _ O W _

Cathy realized WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN for $2,650 to spend in the Touch of the Orient showcase…

• $600: mini component stereo system
• $450: Alsy table lamps 
• $1,600: Raynaud Ceralene china 

Game over.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LaTs	BANKRUPTS	DQs
Round 1	T, P (Cathy) L, F (Laura) C (Lou)
Round 2			Laura for $3,500
Round 3			Lou for $0

FINAL SCORES
Cathy: $2,650/Laura: $2,300/Lou: $2K

GT: $6,950
Laura’s BANKRUPT TRASH: $3,500

---

Bonus Round

Cathy played for the Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham worth $22,336.

Category: PHRASE

STRNLE was her final combo

S _ T T _ N _ 
_ R E T T _ 

(The people in control forgot to light up the second T at the bottom.)

She would be SITTING PRETTY in her new Oldsmobile, giving her a final total of $24,986! Her boyfriend and male friend came to greet her.

MY RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: March 23, 2007

EPISODE #4625: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

$1K Toss-Up: PHRASE

L I _ _ / _ _ D 
L E A _ N

While we LIVE AND LEARN, Allison’s the first to score among this end-of-week panel (and both ladies teach the same subject in high school)…

Allison Samuel: math teacher at Taft High School married to Chad w/ a four-year-old Tyler who has a pizza business w/ her hubby and in-laws from Lincoln City, OR

Beth Moody: math teacher at Salem High School who did some stand-up comedy (and she’s not running for President even though Charlie thought she was) from Salem, VA

John Morris: student at Florida International University and president of the campus drama club who’s also a trivia buff (he likes the obscure ones) from Miami, FL

$2K Toss-Up: TV TITLE

B _ _ 
B _ _ _ _ _ R

Beth IDed the CBS reality show “BIG BROTHER”.

FEATURED TRIP: NYC from LastMinuteTravel.com + Broadway show tickets from TicketsNow.com worth $5,500 (I ❤️ NY)

Round 1: THING (PRIZE PUZZLE)

Beth: $1K T pair, three N’s for Buy.com gift tag, two A’s and SIX E’s, $800 R pair, H for halt (she almost landed on (I ❤️ NY)

John: S for sorry

Allison: $450 P, one I, $2,500 C, one O, $300 X, unnecessary U buy (NMV)…

A N 
U N _ O R _ E T T A _ _ E
E X P E R I E N C E

…but she BOMBED OUT w/ D to throw away $2,500, allowing Beth to solve for $2,300 cash & GC plus AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE at the Bel Air Plantation in GRENADA w/ Air Jamaica airfare worth $6,900.

Jackpot Round: EVENT

John: instant dud of R

Allison: BANKRUPT near JACKPOT

Beth: $1,200 T quartet, $900 L, one A and three I’s, LaT

John: N for negative 

Allison: $900 H trio, three E’s (NMV), $900 G pair, $3,500 Y, solve…

H E A _ Y _ E I G H T
T I T L E / _ I G H T

She didn’t win the HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT, but she earned another $5,050.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $11,950

John: NOTHING/Allison: $6,050/Beth: $11,200 cash & prizes

---

Mystery Round: FOOD & DRINK

Allison: $3,200 N quartet, three E’s, $400 T, $600 H pair, five I’s, $1,200 C pair, one O and four A’s (NMV), $2,250 S quintet, $600 D pair, $800 L, two R’s on MW near $900 and OBVIOUSLY DECLINED (rightfully so, because that’s the BANKRUPT one), $600 Y, solve…

A S I A N 
C H I C _ E N / S A L A D 
_ I T H / _ I N _ E R – 
S O Y / D R E S S I N _ 

She solved ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD WITH GINGER-SOY DRESSING for $10,650 — PR.

John: BUPKIS/Allison: $16,700/Beth: $11,200 cash & prizes

---

$3K Toss-Up: LIVING THINGS

_ I _ E _ _ I _ S 
_ _ / _ / J _ R

Beth’s up over $14K w/ FIREFLIES IN A JAR.

Round 4: OCCUPATION

Beth: $1,100 T pair, $500 S, three I’s, $2,400 N quartet (close call), three E’s, C for crud

John: $1,200 D pair, $900 R, $300 P

SPEED-UP

_ _ I _ D I N _ 
S _ P E R I N T E N D E N T 

The leftover consonants were worth $1,400 apiece. He then said B at the beginning…

B _ I _ D I N _ 
S _ P E R I N T E N D E N T 

…and solved BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT for his only $3,800 on the night.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LaTs	BANKRUPTS	DQs
Round 1	H (Beth), S (John), D (Allison)
Round 2	R, N (John)	Beth	Allison
Round 3	PERFECT ROUND
Round 4	C (Beth)

FINAL SCORES
John: $3,800/Allison: $16,700/Beth: $14,200 cash & prizes

GT: $34,700
NO BANKRUPT TRASH

---

Bonus Round

After we saw Chad the hubby and father Ed, Allison landed on the ***.

Category: THING

This one-wordy started as…

_ _ S _ _ _ R _ 

DMPO only added the vowel…

_ _ S _ _ O R _ 

She couldn’t get her BUSYWORK done (she quietly but only got the second half) for $30K.

MY RATING: 6

---

Lucas will be uploading the entirety of the next theme of “Spring Break” on Monday.

WoF Retro Recap: March 22, 2007 (for Marie)

EPISODE #4624: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

$1K Toss-Up: FOOD & DRINK

_ O L L / H O U S E 
C O O _ _ _ _ 

Jeff has eaten plenty of his TOLL HOUSE COOKIES in his lifetime. The lowdown on Thursday’s trio (including a lady who I remember from the old SONY boards)…

Jeff Rascoe: supervisor by day and stand-up comedian by night married w/ two young boys from Washington D.C.

Kristi Burrow: senior at the University of Oklahoma studying sociology and youth director at a church in Norman who’s also a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority from Tulsa, OK

Marie Rodriguez: professional pet sitter w/ a daughter the same name as her and living w/ her mom Mimi; she has 17 animals and is also known as the “Flea Queen of Savannah” from Tybee Island, GA

BTW, Marie is now married and her new surname is Beebe.

$2K Toss-Up: IN THE KITCHEN

W _ _ D E N
_ _ _ O N _ 

Kristi got out some WOODEN SPOONS for control.

FEATURED SHOPPING SPREE: PriceGrabber.com worth $5K

Round 1: HUSBAND & WIFE

Kristi: $500 T, no S on Free SPIN

Marie: one H for WC, $1,200 N trio, two E’s, $600 C, quick solve…

_ E _ T H / _ _ _ _ N / & 
N _ C _ _ E / _ _ _ _ _ N

Even though she left behind two K’s, she nailed KEITH URBAN & NICOLE KIDMAN for $1,550. And that’s because she’s been reading “People” magazine.

Jackpot Round: BEFORE & AFTER

Marie: $2K N quartet, $1,600 D pair, four O’s and two I’s, $600 G, two A’s, one S for Foot Locker gift tag, $900 R trio (just dodged LaT), $600 F, last vowel of E, solve…

_ A _ / A N D 
O R D E R / O F 
O N I O N / R I N G S

She had a LAW AND ORDER OF ONION RINGS for $5,700 cash & gift tag — PR.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $7,800

Kristi: $2K/Marie: $7,250 cash & GC WC/Jeff: $1K

---

Mystery Round: EVENT (PRIZE PUZZLE)

Jeff: $1,800 R pair, BANKRUPT near $600

Kristi: one T for SHOPPING SPREE, no S on MW near $800

Marie: $1,200 N pair, buys of E and two A’s, BANKRUPT near $3,500 (there goes $700 and the WC)

Jeff: $300 M, $550 C, two I’s, $1,800 D pair, B for bad

Kristi: $450 L…

R _ M A N T I C 
_ _ N D _ L A / R I D E

…but she FLUNKED OUT thinking the last remaining consonant was an H, so Marie would be taking a ROMANTIC GONDOLA RIDE on her Collette Vacations trip to VENICE, ITALY w/ OneTravel.com airfare worth $6,500.

Kristi: $2K/Marie: $13,750 cash & prizes/Jeff: $1K

---

$3K Toss-Up: THING

S T _ I _ E D
N E _ _ T I E

Pat’s worn way more than one STRIPED NECKTIE, and Marie solved that one.

Round 4: ON THE MAP

Marie: $800 N pair, $1,800 T pair, two O’s, I and three A’s (NMV), solve…

T A _ O _ A 
_ A _ _ I N _ T O N 

She pinpointed TACOMA, WASHINGTON for $1,850 — PR #2.

Kristi: $2K/Marie: $18,600 cash & prizes/Jeff: $1K 

Round 5: PERSON

Jeff: $5K S, $500 N (close call), E for end of turn

Kristi: $400 R, $800 H pair, one A, missed w/ C

Marie: $1,600 T pair, solve…

_ H _ _ A N T H R _ _ _ S T

Marie’s made another solve w/ PHILANTHROPIST for the $1,600.

Kristi: $2K/Marie: $20,200 cash & prizes/Jeff: $1K 

Speed-Up: THING

Consonants were worth $1,400 apiece.

Kristi: T
Marie: S
Jeff: 3 H’s

H _ _ _ T H / _ _ _ _ 
_ _ _ _ _ _ S H _ _ 

Jeff nailed HEALTH CLUB MEMBERSHIP just before the buzzer for $4,200.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LaTs	BANKRUPTS	DQs
Round 1	S (Kristi)
Round 2	PERFECT ROUND
Round 3	S, H (Kristi) B (Jeff)		2 (Jeff, Marie)
Round 4	PERFECT ROUND #2
Round 5	E (Jeff), C (Kristi)
Round 6	NONE

FINAL SCORES
Kristi: $2K/Marie: $20,200 cash & prizes/Jeff: $5,200

GT: $27,400
BANKRUPT TRASH (minus WC): $2,500

---

Bonus Round

Mimi the mom and Marie Alyse the daughter were here; Marie the contestant landed on the S of CASH.

Category: PHRASE

This puzzle would be reused on March 3, 2011 in S28 (and it triggered a $100K loss)…

_ _ _ _ L E 
R _ _ _ 

MDCA didn’t do much…

_ _ _ _ L E 
R _ _ M

Without the G’s, she didn’t have enough WIGGLE ROOM (she had ROLE, ROMPER and a late guess of THISTLE for the first) to solve for $25K. But hey, I still enjoyed watching this lady! 

MY RATING: 7 (good game w/ six rounds)

WoF Retro Recap: March 21, 2007

EPISODE #4623: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

$1K Toss-Up: EVENT

_ _ R S T / _ _ Y
_ F / _ _ _ _ N _ 

Danita, it’s clearly not the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (and this airdate is way past that). 

_ _ R S T / D _ Y
_ F / _ _ _ _ N _ 

Risa knew that this episode aired around the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Midweek panelists…

Risa Doty: married lady to Keith for almost 3 years w/ five children and a grandson who loves bowling, scrapbooking, and the Chiefs from Overland Park, KS

Eric Syfrett: children’s pastor and accountant w/ the church married to Adena w/ a 1-year-old daughter Sarah Beth from Durham, NC

Danita Eldridge: proof operator at a bank married to Tim for 15 years w/ two children who writes original songs and performing at weddings from Goose Creek, SC

$2K Toss-Up: ON THE MAP

G U _ _ / O F 
_ _ _ _ _ _

Risa’s surprisingly incorrect w/ GULF OF MEXICO (my guess, too).

G U _ F / O F
A L A _ _ _ 

Danita blew another solve w/ GULF OF ALABAMA, which doesn’t even exist.

G U _ F / O F
A L A S _ _ 

Eric finally got GULF OF ALASKA.

FEATURED TRIP: Stockholm, Sweden from LastMinuteTravel.com + IKEA shopping spree w/ Icelandair airfare worth $9K (EUROPE)
Gift Tag: HSN.com

Round 1: SAME NAME 

Eric: $5K S pair, $300 T, five E’s, $2K R quartet, solve…

T _ R E / &
_ E E R
_ R E S S _ R E

He solved TIRE & PEER PRESSURE for $7,050 — PR.

Jackpot Round: THING (PRIZE PUZZLE)

Danita: instant dud of S on Free SPIN 

Risa: $300 T, $800 R, three E’s, BANKRUPT near $600 (lost $850)

Eric: M for mistake

Danita: repeated the S she already called

Risa: five N’s for gift tag (BIG waste of a multiple there), one L for EUROPE, no H on JACKPOT 

Eric: $400 B, $900 G, bad I buy (he fell for the TIN trap)

Danita: $300 D, BANKRUPT near JACKPOT 

Risa: $400 B, two O’s, solve…

_ N / E V E N
G O L D E N / B R O _ N
T _ N

This lady’s won $150 and $10K worth of prizes, but she would also get AN EVEN GOLDEN BROWN TAN on her Funjet Vacations trip to the El Dorado Royale in CANCUN worth $6,164.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,300

Danita: ZERO/Risa: $17,314 cash & prizes/Eric: $9,050

---

Mystery Round: FOOD & DRINK (big puzzle alert)

Risa: $2,700 T trio, BANKRUPT near $3,500

Eric: $3K S quintet, five E’s, $1,800 R trio, one I, $1,200 C pair, one L on MW near $800 and risked $5,500…$$$…

S T E _ _ E _
_ _ S S E L S / _ I T _
T _ R R _ _ _ _
C R E _ _ / S _ _ C E

He solved STEAMED MUSSELS WITH TARRAGON CREAM SAUCE for $15,500!

Danita: ZILCH/Risa: $17,314 cash & prizes/Eric: $24,550

---

$3K Toss-Up: TV TITLE

_ A T _ _ E _ T A R
_ _ _ _ C _ _ _ A

Eric solved the sci-fi TV series “BATTLESTAR GALACTICA”.

Round 4: PHRASE

Eric: $600 N pair, $1,200 S pair, R for rats

Danita: $1,500 T quintet, triple E’s, $450 H, one A, $400 G, solve…

S T A N _ _ N G / T H E
T E S T / _ _ / T _ _ E

This show has been STANDING THE TEST OF TIME, and Danita was on the board w/ $1,850.

Danita: $1,850/Risa: $17,314 cash & prizes/Eric: $27,550

Speed-Up: PLACE

Consonants were worth the $1,300 minimum.

Danita: S (DUD)
Risa: R
Eric: T
Danita: 2 N’s
Risa: L
Eric: P

N _ T _ _ N _ L
P _ R _

Eric knew that Yosemite is one example of a NATIONAL PARK for $2,600.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LaTs	BANKRUPTS	DQs
Round 1	PERFECT ROUND
Round 2	S (Danita) H (Risa) M, I (Eric)		2 (ladies)	Danita’s S repeat
Round 3			Risa
Round 4	R (Eric)
Round 5	S (Danita)

FINAL SCORES
Danita: $1,850/Risa: $17,314 cash & prizes/Eric: $30,150

GT: $49,314
BANKRUPT TRASH: $3,850

---

Bonus Round

Nobody w/ this man, but he landed on the last zero.

Category: THING

This would fit under WAYW? nowadays…

_ _ L _ _ E
_ N _ _ _ R _

All of his consonants of CMPA were there…

P _ L _ C E
_ N _ _ _ R M

He donned a POLICE UNIFORM to nearly double his cash winnings to $60,150!

MY RATING: 7 (R2 could have been gone smoother)

WoF Retro Recap: March 20, 2007

Start of Take The Money and Run Week

EPISODE #4622: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

$1K Toss-Up: FUN & GAMES

P _ A _ I N _ / A L _ N G 
A T / H _ M _ 

While I’m PLAYING ALONG AT HOME, Kelly’s the first to score among this Tuesday panel…

Kelly Ernsberger: stockbroker assistant married to Troy for nearly 17 years w/ three children who does the crossword puzzles every day at work from Mansfield, OH

Trae Lamond: bartender and drummer in a band from Alexandria, VA

Lita Buenaventura: DOT compliance administrator married to Eddie for 31 years w/ two grown sons from Gardena, CA

$2K Toss-Up: OCCUPATION

S _ _ E C _ 
_ H _ R _ _ I _ T

Kelly blanked that time.

S _ _ E C H 
T H E R _ _ I _ T

I met w/ a SPEECH THERAPIST when I was in high school, and Trae solved for control.

FEATURED SHOPPING SPREE: Newegg,com worth $4K
Tues./Thurs. Gift Tag: Foot Locker

Round 1: LANDMARK (PRIZE PUZZLE)

Trae: $500 N, $500 S, unfortunate dud of T on $2,500 (no audience reaction to that hit — boo, hiss 😒)

Lita: $500 R, $450 L, buys of E and SIX A’s, baffling Y call

Kelly: $900 M, $900 D, $300 W (just dodged LaT), three O’s, one F for WC, unnecessary U buy (NMV), $600 B pair, $1,200 C trio, solve…

W O R L D – F A M O U S 
C O _ A C A B A N A 
B E A C _ 

…but she painfully missolved by a letter w/ WORLD-FAMOUS COKACABANA BEACH to put $3,400 at risk. Trae then said the P for $700…

W O R L D – F A M O U S 
C O P A C A B A N A 
B E A C _ 

…he won $1,700 and would be visiting the WORLD-FAMOUS COPACABANA BEACH on his $4,500 LastMinuteTravel.com trip to RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.

Jackpot Round: PERSON

Lita: $1,800 T pair, one E, $700 H, two R’s on JACKPOT, four O’s, $900 F, $700 M, $800 W, CRITICAL DUD OF G ($5,400 at risk; she likely thought of GROUP for the first word)

Kelly: $700 P, $300 D (NMC), solve…

P R O _ D / M O T H E R 
O F / T W O

This is rather ironic Lita didn’t get this because she’s the PROUD MOTHER OF TWO sons in her family; Kelly solved for the house minimum.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $10,900

Trae: $8,200 cash & Brazil/Lita: NOTHING/Kelly: $2K WC

---

Mystery Round: LIVING THING

Kelly: one T for gift tag, lost that and WC right back to BANKRUPT near $600

Trae: S for sorry

Lita: $3K R quintet, three E’s, N for negative 

Kelly: one V on MW near $800 and obviously risked…$$$, $600 L pair, solve…

_ L _ _ _ 
L _ _ R _ _ _ R
R E T R _ E V E R

This BLACK LABRADOR RETRIEVER fetched Kelly $10,600.

Trae: $8,200 cash & Brazil/Lita: BUPKIS/Kelly: $12,600

---

$3K Toss-Up: EVENT

_ I _ E W A L K 
_ _ L E 

Kelly earned some more $ to go to a SIDEWALK SALE.

Round 4: PHRASE

Kelly: BANKRUPT near $500 right away

Trae: $800 N pair, $900 G, $300 R, $400 T, $1K S pair

SPEED-UP

_ _ _ / T _ _ N G S 
_ _ N S _ _ _ R _ _ 

The leftover consonants were worth $1,300 apiece. He then said two L’s…

_ L L / T _ _ N G S 
_ _ N S _ _ _ R _ _ 

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, this guy did a fine job this night after solving this puzzle for $6K.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LaTs	BANKRUPTS	DQs
Round 1	T (Trae), Y (Lita)			Kelly’s one-letter missolve
Round 2	G (Lita)
Round 3	S (Trae), N (Lita)		Kelly
Round 4			Kelly for $0

FINAL SCORES
Trae: $14,200 cash & Brazil/Lita: $1K GOOSEEGG/Kelly: $15,600

GT: $30,800
Kelly’s BANKRUPT TRASH (excl. WC): $1K gift tag

---

Bonus Round

After we saw Kelly’s mom Mary Ann, she landed on the last zero.

Category: PHRASE

Stingy RSTLNE help…

_ _ _ _ N _ 
_ _ _ 

BCGA caused me to stick a fork in her…

_ _ _ _ N G 
_ _ _

She realized the first word wasn’t MAKING, but HIKING was also wrong. She would be DOZING OFF without the $25K she could’ve won.

MY RATING: 5 (couple of painful misplays in the first half brought it down)