Month: January 2026

WoF Recap: January 20, 2026

JL3233 Comments

Here I go with my first recaps of 2026…

EPISODE #8302: 🏝️PARADISE FOUND🏝️

The intro from last season is used.

$1K Toss-Up: PHRASE

_ E R _ ’ S / Y O U R
_ I _ / _ H A N C _

THERE’S YOUR BIG CHANCE, Stacy, but that’s a letter too long.

_ E R E ’ S / Y O U R
_ I _ / _ H A N C _

To Sharisse and her opponents whose names all start with S, HERE’S YOUR BIG CHANCE to win a paradise trip…

Sharisse Cohee: fantasy sports fan (she was recently in eight different leagues all at the same time) and three-time consecutive winner in a fantasy basketball league who owns three cats (she spoils them so much that there’s not much room for people anymore and it’s all about the cats) from San Diego, CA

Stacy Robinson: lady who spends a lot of time with her children and grandchildren (a total of six) and was inspired to crochet by Vanna from Columbus, OH

Steve Knapp: ambidextrous behind-the-wheel driver instructor and teacher at Larkin High School who’s had a lot of NDE’s (near-death experiences) with three children who will be driving soon from Hampshire, IL

$2K Toss-Up: OPPOSITES ATTRACT

_ C T
_ A T U _ _ L L Y

Sharisse knows how to ACT NATURALLY, so she triples up.

FEATURED PARADISE: Villa TUSCANY courtesy of thrive TRAVEL

Round 1: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Sharisse: $2K T quartet, 3 I’s, $2,500 H, 4 A’s, $600 W, E, solve for $4,350…

T A _ E / I T / W I T H
A / _ _ A I _ / _ _
_ A _ T

She solves TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT– PR.

Mystery Round: BEFORE & AFTER

Stacy: $1,400 T pair, BANKRUPT near $650 ($1,400 lost)
Steve: LaT
Sharisse: $600 H, 5 O’s, no N on $800
Stacy: $700 F, no L on $550
Steve: 2 S’s on MW near LaT, flips…whoops
Sharisse: same BANKRUPT ($350 lost) (her arrow wasn’t flashing to signify her turn)
Stacy: other BANKRUPT ($700 lost)
Steve: $500 M, I (NMV), $1,200 D pair, $1,300 W pair, solve for $2,750…

W O _ D S / O F
W I S D O M
T O O T H

He remembers his WORDS OF WISDOM TOOTH.

Sharisse: $7,350 | Stacy: ZILCH | Steve: $2,750

PP/Express Round: EVENT

Steve: $650 T, E, 2 A’s, $650 R, $500 S, O, no N on $500
Sharisse: G on EXPRESS

Allllllllllllllllllll aboooooooOOOOOOOARD!!

Chosen: W, Y, I, CRASH with M ($2,750 lost)

Stacy: back to the BANKRUPT near $650
Steve: solve for $1,050…

_ _ _ _ R I O _ S
G E T A W A Y

He’s won a LUXURIOUS GGETAWAY to the TRS Turquesa Hotel in PUNTA CANA worth $11,500.

Sharisse: $7,350 | Stacy: NO LUCK | Steve: $15,300 cash & Punta Cana

Triple Toss-Up: BACK IN THE DAY

1.

D _ _ _ _
_ _ _ / F O X T R _ T

Steve tries to DANCE THE FOXTROT…not quite.

D O _ _ _
T _ _ / F O X T R _ T

Sharisse is DOING THE FOXTROT.

2.

_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ / R _ _ _ T

Stacy is DOING THE ROBOT to finally score.

3.

D O _ N G / T _ E
_ A S _ E _ / P _ T _ T O

Steve is wrongly DOING THE HASSEL POTATO.

D O _ N G / T H E
_ A S _ E _ / P _ T _ T O

It’s Stacy who’s DOING THE MASHED POTATO.

Speed-Up: MOST LIKELY TO

Stacy has spun $1,700 per consonant.

Stacy: 3 T’s
Steve: S
Sharisse: H
Stacy: I
Steve: M
Sharisse: K
Stacy: G
Steve: B

M _ K _ / I T / T _
T H _ / S _ _ _ _ / B _ _ _

The Seattle Seahawks are most likely to MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL this year, and Steve solves for $5,100 more.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTS
Round 1PERFECT ROUND
Mystery RoundN (Sharisse), L (Stacy)Steve4 (Stacy x2)
PP/Express RoundN (Steve), M (Sharisse)2 (ladies)
Speed-UpG (Stacy)N/AN/A
12 TOTAL516

FINAL SCORES
Sharisse: $9,350 | Stacy: $4K | Steve: $20,400 cash & Punta Cana

GRAND TOTAL: $33,750
BANKRUPT TRASH (excluding MW flip): $5,200

Steve, who barely lucked out from the PP, will choose from…

  • THING
  • FOOD & DRINK
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

$100K Bonus Round

After we see one of his good hometown friends Greg and wife Lindsay, he uses his left hand to land on the ★. A pair of letters on each line to start.

_ _ _ _ N _ / _ N
_ _ T _ _ R _ _ _

The bookending letters GCMA do some good…

G _ _ _ N G / A N
A _ T _ G R A _ _

Hopefully Ryan will be GIVING AN AUTOGRAPH after Steve wins the Nissan Z Sport worth $45,400 (even though he didn’t seem sure) for a final total of $65,800 cash & prizes.

Postgame Chat: Ryan points out that Vanna is a cat lover. He’s never had cats; he’s always had dogs, so he’s more of a dog person. We then see a video of one of Vanna’s cats Stella opening a door to Vanna’s son Nikko’s room.

MY RATING: 6 (D+)

WoF Recap: January 19, 2026

andynwof3 Comments

On JP Genius’ birthday week (he’s celebrating this Thursday), we’re starting a new theme w/ a name that sounds like the opposite of a famous John Milton poem — “Paradise Found”.

EPISODE #8301: 🏝️PARADISE FOUND🏝️

$1K Toss-Up: PEOPLE

_ R E _ _ U _ E
H U N T _ _ S

Brian looks like he’s one of the TREASURE HUNTERS. Our first panelists this week from left to right…

Brian Townsend: former soccer player of 30+ yrs. who coaches that sport for kids under 11 and has an 8-year-old daughter Jasmine (she also plays soccer, but is now in jujitsu) from Pembroke Pines, FL

Callie Meredith: hobby collector (she’s done everything from being a trivia jockey, trying out for musical theater, teaching herself guitar, and her most recent one of cross stitching); her parents use this show as a way to teach her how to read and spell, and it became a nightly tradition in her household (now she’s starting that tradition w/ her two young daughters) from West Chester, OH

Nikki Robinson: hairapist (a hybrid of hair stylist and therapist) who makes her husband do chores when she wins (they also love playing tennis and bowling and UNO); when she went to the open call casting for this show, she told him he would get a call back, and she made it (the payout is a good steak dinner in L.A.) from Philadelphia 

$2K Toss-Up: AROUND THE HOUSE

F A M I L _
H _ _ R _ _ O M

Brian’s pronunciation of the second word of FAMILY HEIRLOOM is questionable (he said it as “hair-loom”)…it’s accepted to triple up.

FEATURED PARADISE: Clear Sky Resort in Bryce Canyon courtesy of thrive TRAVEL (BRYCE CANYON GLAMPING)

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

Brian: instant dud of R

Callie: $700 T, $1,700 S pair, two A’s, $1,300 N pair, one I and three E’s, $600 G, one U, solve…

S _ E E _ I N G
_ E A U T _
S A _ _ N

If you’re in WDW, try to find a magical place called the SLEEPING BEAUTY SALON, and Callie’s scored her first $3,300 (could’ve gone for the L’s).

Mystery Round: MOST LIKELY TO…

Callie: $1,400 N pair, four E’s, S for sorry

Nikki: $900 G, just can’t escape BANKRUPT near $650 

Brian: MDW’s left side

Callie: one B on MW near LaT and GOES FOR IT…$$$, two I’s and two O’s, $1,800 W pair, $1,300 D pair, one A (NMV), $1,200 R pair, solve…

B E / _ A _ E
_ O R / _ _ E I R
O W N / W E D D I N G

It would be embarrassing if someone is gonna BE LATE FOR THEIR OWN WEDDING, but this lady scores $14,700.

Brian: $3K/Callie: $18K/Nikki: NIL

PP/Express Round: EVENT

Nikki: same normal BANKRUPT strikes again

Brian: $1,100 S pair, two E’s, $1,950 N trio, two I’s, $1,700 T pair…

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

…but he makes the SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE of O to leave behind $4,250, and Callie will see a MAGNIFICENT SUNSET on her trip to the Salterra Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in TURKS & CAICOS worth $10,670.

Brian: $3K/Callie: $28,670 cash & T&C/Nikki: NADA

Triple Toss-Up: WORDPLAY

1.

W I N D _ N _ / D _ W N

The key word for this set is either “whine” or “wind” (pronounced wy-nd), and Brian realizes this game is WINDING DOWN.

2.

T H _ _ ’ _ / E _ O U _ H
W H I N I N G

For any of you who complain about the rules, THAT’S ENOUGH WHINING, and Brian scores again.

3.

_ _ _ / _ _ _
W _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ / _ P !

Callie, YOU ARE WINDING ME UP! That was lightning fast. 

Speed-Up: JUST DESSERTS

Callie makes it a $1,600 Final Spin.

Callie: S
Nikki: F (Huh?! That early?)
Brian: R
Callie: T
Nikki: D
Brian: W (DUD)
Callie: P (flubs w/ PASTRY STRUDEL when there’s just one of S, T, and R on the bottom)
Nikki: L

P _ _ _ _
S T R _ D _ L

Nikki paused in between the words, but the judges say she got PEACH STRUDEL in time for her only $3,200 of the night.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1R (Brian)
Round 2S (Callie)2 (Nikki, Brian)
Round 3O (Brian)Nikki
Round 4F (Nikki), W (Brian)Callie’s missolve

FINAL SCORES
Brian: $7K/Callie: $30,670 cash & T&C/Nikki: $3,200

GT: $40,870
Nikki’s BANKRUPT TRASH: $900

Callie’s generic category list…

  • PLACE
  • PHRASE
  • THINGS

She goes for PHRASE.

$100K Bonus Round

The red sportscar waiting to be won this week is a 2026 Nissan Z Sport. After we see Callie’s husband and sister, she lands on the W. Two N’s and an E to start this five-word answer…

_ / _ _ _ N _ 
_ / N E _ / _ _ _ 

PHCO adds just two of the O’s…

_ / _ O _ N _ 
_ / N E _ / _ O _ 

I (already) FOUND A NEW JOB, and that’s writing posts on my site over 13 years ago, but this lady could only mutter I’M GOING A NEW ___, and she loses $40K.

On Ryan’s way in, he was confused on what the theme would be, because he brought in red & blue dice.

MY RATING: 6

The next three episodes go to @jliu23232. Catch you Friday.

WoF Retro Recap: November 14, 1990

andynwof1 Comment

Something rare has popped up recently, and it’s a S8 episode, which you can watch HERE (mistakenly labeled Nov. 16).

EPISODE #1418

Over $118K waiting to be won this week, and this was the midweek episode of the Cruise & Cash Splash contest.

Victoria Weaver: 2-day champ w/ $65,850 cash & prizes (she was in the red position the previous two days as Pat noted)

David Schwacher: Marine Sergeant of the first Marine Division for 10 years married to Mary w/ a two-year-old girl plus another due in January; he’s won the Navy Marine medal for heroism and the Navy achievement medal, and is deployed to the Middle East soon

Mark West: auto broker who likes any kind of sport from Altamonte Springs, FL

Round 1: PHRASE

Victoria: $750 T, S for sorry

David: R for rats

Mark: L for lost turn

Victoria: two A’s and two E’s, $800 N pair, two I’s and O (NMV), $200 H, $400 D, $2,700 C trio, solve…

_ H A T / A
C O I N C I D E N C E

WHAT A COINCIDENCE — she’s won $3,850 and is on her way to hopefully retire undefeated.

FEATURED PRIZE: CSR 286 Slimline computer worth $2,799 (COMPUTER)

Round 2: PEOPLE (the round 3 layout w/ $3,500 is used)

David: $2K N quartet, $600 D pair, three A’s, two M’s for COMPUTER, $250 R, $1,800 H pair, solve…

_ _ H N N _
_ A R _ _ N / A N D
_ D / M _ M A H _ N

They’re the iconic duo who had their own late night talk show back in the day, and David solved JOHNNY CARSON AND ED MCMAHON for $4,400 and the computer — PR.

Victoria: $3,850/David: $7,199 cash & computer/Mark: ZERO

Round 3: CLUE

Mark & Victoria: BANKRUPT near red $500 back-to-back

David: $550 S, $1K N pair (close call), one E and two A’s, $2K C pair, three I’s, $3,500 K, $1K M pair (another close call), $500 L pair, $400 W, CRITICAL PURCHASE of E ($7,950 at risk)

Others: no R and no T, respectively

David: one O (NMV), $500 D (pulled that one off)…

W I L L I A M
C O D _ ’ S
N I C K N A M E

He solved for $8,200 and knew that WILLIAM CODY’S NICKNAME was Buffalo Bill.

Victoria: $3,850/David: $15,899 cash & computer/Mark: ZILCH

FEATURED PRIZE #2: 6n trip to Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in CASABLANCA, Morocco worth $5,200

Round 4: PHRASE

Victoria: $700 T pair, $500 H, $10K N pair

SPEED-UP

_ _ N ’ T / _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ N / T H _
_ _ _ _

Oh boy, it’s a $5K Final Spin!

Victoria: R
David: 2 D’s
Mark: S (DUD)
Victoria: L (DON’T LEAVE ME ON THE DIRT won’t work w/ just one T up there)
David: K

D _ N ’ T / L _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ N / T H _
D _ R K

DON’T LEAVE ME IN THE DARK — David scored the blowout victory after solving for $15K!

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1S (Victoria), R (David), L (Mark)
Round 2PERFECT ROUND
Round 3E (David), R (Mark), T (Victoria)2 (Mark & Victoria for $0)
Round 4S (Mark)Victoria’s missolve

FINAL SCORES
Victoria: $3,850 (leaves w/ $69,700)/David: $30,899 cash & computer/Mark: PARTING GIFTS

GT: $34,749
NO BANKRUPT TRASH

Bonus Round

A Jaguar, jewelry and cash were the leftover prizes. David picked the H from -H-EL. 

Category: THING

The bookends of this seven-letter answer…

L _ _ _ _ _ E

CDMO triggered a WIEPOUT, and he’s way off w/ LIABLE and LIPWAX, so the game’s over…or is it?! He got LUGGAGE at the last second for the Jaguar XJ6 worth $40,635, giving him a 1-day total of $71,534 cash & prizes! Sister-in-law Toni joined him.

With producer Nancy Jones at the puzzleboard, the hosts and Charlie chose three random names from the audience from the fishbowl and played for their respective player (the winner receives $100). Here’s who they chose…

Pat: Lila White
Vanna: Pamela Redeski
Charlie: Paula Didham (sp?)

There’s no wheel involved, and because it’s Wednesday, Charlie will do the picking first…

Category: THING

Charlie: R, 2 S’s, 3 T’s, N, 2 E’s, P

P E R S _ N _ _ _ T _ 
T E S T

He knew it’s PERSONALITY TEST, and Paula from Corona, CA (who attended Corona High School at the time) received $100.

MY RATING: 8

S6 Primetime Week 10 Stats

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This Week’s Charity Total: $152,950
-Maingame: $152,950
-BR Wins: $0

Total for the Season: $1,791,050
-Maingame: $1,366,050
-BR Wins: $425K

4-Round Games: 0

Perfect Rounds: 6

Shutout Victims: 5

Toss-Up Triple Stumpers: 0

Triple Toss-Up Sweeps: 3

Red/Yellow/Blue Winners: 8/7/5

Celebrities who Needed Bonuses to Win: 6 (3 lost BR)

Bonus-Only Puzzle Solves: 12

$30K Minimum Adjustments: 9

This Week’s BANKRUPT Trash: $3,250
Total BANKRUPT Trash for the Season: $33,200
Biggest BANKRUPT: $7,500 (Paul Feig on Week 4, Game 1)
Biggest BANKRUPT Trash in a Game: $9,150 (Week 4, Game 1)

BANKRUPT Trash-Free Games: 2
BANKRUPT-Free Games: 0
Penalty Spin-Free Games: 3

BANKRUPT Trash by Only One Contestant: 7

Total Aired BANKRUPT Hits
-Near $650: Week: 1, Season: 20
-Near TD: Week: 3, Season: 23

Total Aired LaT Hits: Week: 1, Season: 10

Aired Duds: Week: 10, Season: 101
Aired DQs: Week: 5, Season: 14

MDWs Lost to BANKRUPT: Week: 0, Season: 5

Unclaimed MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 11
Unclaimed Cash: Week: $18,900, Season: $192,250

Forfeited MDWs: Week: 1, Season: 3

Top Winning Celebs

  1. Retta ($172,200)
  2. Sebastian Maniscalco ($157,650)
  3. Big Sean ($126,150)

Season-High: $321,450 (Week 2)
Season-Low: $110,600 (Week 9)

MAINGAME PUZZLE STATS

CATEGORYTU1TU2R1R2TTUR3+
A NUMBER’S GAME3
BACK IN THE DAY1
BEFORE & AFTER——512——
COLORFUL LANGUAGE1
EASY QUESTION1
EVENT12
FAMOUS BEEFS1
FOOD FOR THOUGHT1
FUN & GAMES2
HAPPY HOUR211
HEADLINE1
HUMAN OR ANIMAL?11
I’M PUZZLED1
MOST LIKELY TO11
MOVIE QUOTE11
NEVER HAVE I EVER31
ON THE MAP1
PERSON/PEOPLE12
PET PEEVE12
PHRASE365
PROPER NAME1
RHYME TIME111112
RISKY BUSINESS11
ROCK YOUR BODY1
SHOW BIZ132
SHOW ME THE MONEY1
SONG/ARTIST1
SONG LYRICS22111
SONG TITLE2
TECH TALK1
THING(S)2111
TONGUE TWISTER113
TV TITLE1
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?11122
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?1
WHAT TIME IS IT?11
WHO WINS?1
WORDPLAY————2—

FINAL SPIN STATS

Start of Round 3: 1
After one spin in Round 3: 5
After multiple actions in Round 3: 4
After one spin in Round 4+:
After multiple actions in Round 4+: 

Spun by Red/Yellow/Blue: 3/3/4

Final Spin Amounts
$1,500: 2
$1,550: 1
$1,600: 
$1,650: 3
$1,700: 1
$1,800: 2
$1,900: 
$1,950:
$6K: 1

Final Spins Edited Out: 1

BONUS ROUND STATS

BR Win Record: 6-14 (.3)
–2-0: 2
–1-1: Game 1: 1, Game 2: 1
–0-2: 6

MDBRs: 8

Letter Combo Wipeouts: 2 ($1M TOTAL TRAINWRECKS: 0)

Perfect Letter Combos: 0

BR Categories
Top/Middle/Bottom Chosen: 6/8/6

AROUND THE HOUSE:
FOOD & DRINK: 
FUN & GAMES: 0/2
PERSON/PEOPLE: 4/7; 1-3
PHRASE: 5/20; 1-4
PLACE: 
SHOW BIZ: 1/2; 0-1
THING(S): 3/16; 1-2
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: 7/13; 3-4

Dreaded Category Trio Encounters: Week: 1, Season: 9
THING-Free Category Choices: 4

BR Prizes
$25K: 0/5
$50K: 3/9
$75K: 1/2
$100K: 2/4
$1M:

MDBR Result
Landed on $1M:
1 Space Away:
2-3 Spaces Away: 3
4-5 Spaces Away: 1
6 Spaces Away: 2
7-8 Spaces Away: 2
9-11 Spaces Away:
12 Spaces Away:

S43 Week 19 Stats

andynwof3 Comments

Thank goodness for Mat from Thursday, because this season’s Collette week was shaky for the most part.

Total for this Week: $244,986
-Maingame: $194,088
-BR Wins: $50,898

Total for the Season: $6,368,486
-Maingame: $3,674,772
-BR Wins: $2,693,714

Prize Wedge Wins: 15
Year of Fun Prize Wins: 8

MW was Flipped-Declined: 32-14
MW Flip was $10K–BANKRUPT: 10-22
$10K MW was Next to LaT–$650: 16-16
MW Wins: 4

EXPRESS was Played-Passed: 18-10
–Successes: 9
–Crashes: 9 (Wipeouts: 0)

WC Usages: 9
-Maingame: 2 (1 on $2,500, 1 on $3,500)
-BR: 7

5-Round Games: 3

Triple $10K+ Finishes: 4

Perfect Rounds: 31

Gooseegg Victims: 18

Toss-Up Triple Stumpers: 5 (on Oct. 1, Oct. 22, Nov. 4, Nov. 17, and Jan. 16)

Triple Toss-Up Sweeps: 17 (6 swept every Toss-Up)

Red/Yellow/Blue Winners: 24/46/25

Biggest Margins of Victory

  1. $61,018 (Sept. 12)
  2. $36,324 (Oct. 27)
  3. $35,550 (Sept. 9)

Smallest Margins of Victory

  1. $35 (Dec. 18)
  2. $108 (Jan. 7)
  3. $760 (Nov. 12)

Players who Needed the PP to Win: 20 (12 lost BR)

$0 Prize Puzzle Wins: Week: 1, Season: 15
House Minimum Bumps: Week: 1, Season: 27

Average Maingame Winning Score this Week: $25,638 (+$7,476)
Average Maingame Winning Score this Season: $24,052 (+$88)

Median Maingame Winning Score this Week: $25,798 (+$8,730)
Median Maingame Winning Score this Season: $22,664 (+$1,314)

This Week’s BANKRUPT Trash: $39,648
Total BANKRUPT Trash for the Season: $408,998 + 3 trips of unknown value
Biggest Known BANKRUPT: $21,298 (Jan. 15)
Biggest Known BANKRUPT Trash in a Game: $28,048 (Jan. 15)

Lowest Known Weekly BANKRUPT Trash: $6,500 (WTF (What the Fun))
Highest Known Weekly BANKRUPT Trash: $39,648 (Collette Spin, Solve & See The World)

BANKRUPT Trash-Free Games: 13
BANKRUPT-Free Games: 3
Penalty Spin-Free Games: 6

BANKRUPT Trash by Only One Contestant: 30

Aired BANKRUPT Hits
-Near $650: Week: 3, Season: 84
-Near TD: Week: 2, Season: 70
-Via MDW: Week: 1, Season: 57

Aired LaT Hits: Week: 2, Season: 74

Aired Duds: Week: 28, Season: 575
Aired DQs: Week: 5, Season: 81

BANKRUPT Losses
WCs: Week: 0, Season: 22
MDWs: Week: 0, Season: 5
$10K MWs: Week: 0, Season: 0
Prize Wedges: Week: 1, Season: 6
Year of Fun Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 2
Cash (excluding MWs): Week: $28,850, Season: $377,100
Other: 1 Multiplier

Unclaimed
MDWs: Week: 3, Season: 8
$10K MWs: Week: 0, Season: 6
Prize Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 10
Year of Fun Wedges: Week: 0, Season: 4
Cash (excluding MWs): Week: $71,150, Season: $1,423,450
Other: 4 Multipliers

Forfeited WCs: Week: 0, Season: 16
Forfeited MDWs: Week: 1, Season: 10

Top Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $1,035,155 (Sept. 30)
  2. $158,419 (Nov. 28)
  3. $126,450 (Sept. 19)
  4. $93,925 (Oct. 22)
  5. $92,849 (Sept. 26)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $63,018 (Sept. 12)
  2. $45,500 (Sept. 9)
  3. $42,145 (Oct. 13)
  4. $39K (Nov. 3)
  5. $38,324 (Oct. 27)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $1,046,105 (Sept. 30)
  2. $153,132 (Sept. 19)
  3. $150,769 (Nov. 28)
  4. $114,575 (Oct. 22)
  5. $104,899 (Sept. 26)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $69,132 (Sept. 8)
  2. $66,018 (Sept. 12)
  3. $59,095 (Oct. 13)
  4. $57,650 (Nov. 3)
  5. $56,450 (Sept. 9)

Bottom Winning Totals

Contestant (Overall)

  1. $12,400 (Nov. 19)
  2. $14,478 (Dec. 22)
  3. $14,916 (Nov. 17)
  4. $15,200 (Nov. 12)
  5. $15,608 (Jan. 7)

Contestant (Maingame)

  1. $12,228 (Jan. 5)
  2. $12,400 (Nov. 19)
  3. $12,500 (Nov. 7)
  4. $14,200 (Sept. 17)
  5. $14,478 (Dec. 22)

Episode (Overall)

  1. $26,099 (Dec. 15)
  2. $28,316 (Nov. 19)
  3. $28,378 (Dec. 22)
  4. $29,150 (Dec. 10)
  5. $29,468 (Jan. 9)

Episode (Maingame)

  1. $24,443 (Oct. 1)
  2. $26,099 (Dec. 15)
  3. $26,528 (Jan. 5)
  4. $26,703 (Oct. 28)
  5. $28,250 (Nov. 7)

Season-High Week: Fall Into Fall ($1,273,965)
Season-Low Week: Happy New Year ($180,557)

MAINGAME PUZZLE STATS

CATEGORYTU1TU2R1R2R3TTUR4+
A NUMBERS GAME22161
ABSURD BIRD1
ACT YOUR AGE13
ALL ABOARD!111
AROUND THE HOUSE1111
BACK IN THE DAY11111
BEFORE & AFTER——1035———
BIRDBRAIN1
BODY TEMPERATURE1
CHARACTER(S)1322
CHECK THE CALENDAR11
COLORFUL LANGUAGE 11112
CROSSWORD——711———
EVENT(S)472133
FIELD TRIP1
FOOD & DRINK22632
FOOD FOR THOUGHT122114
FOOD FUSION11
FUN & GAMES211541
FUN FESTIVALS1
FYI1
GUILTY PLEASURE11121
HAPPY HOUR1413
HAPPY NEW YEAR!1
HUMAN OR ANIMAL?1
I’M PUZZLED1
IN THE KITCHEN1
JUST DESSERTS114
LANDMARK(S)2
LIFE’S A BEACH1
LIVING THING(S)241241
MOST LIKELY TO1121
MOVIE QUOTE112
MOVIE TITLE21
NEVER HAVE I EVER11416
OCCUPATION411
OLD SCHOOL113
ON MY PLAYLIST41111
ON THE COURT21
ON THE MAP3311
OPPOSITES ATTRACT112
PERSON/PEOPLE261223
PET LIFE4411
PET PEEVE1642
PHRASE182639813
PICK A CARD, ANY CARD1
PLACE(S)2311232
PROPER NAME3
QUOTATION111
RESOLUTIONS11
RHYME TIME4211531
RISKY BUSINESS1131
SAME LETTER——15————
SAME NAME——16———
SAY CHEESE!111111
SHAKESPEARE SAID1
SHOW BIZ21
SHOW ME A SIGN2114
SHOW ME THE MONEY11
SONG LYRICS22625
SONG TITLE31221
TALK LIKE A PIRATE1
TECH TALK232
THE NEXT 50 YEARS 1
THE OFFICE131
THING(S)14631377
TITLE111
TRAVEL TIP(S)18
UNDER THE TREE11
WEATHER REPORT15
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?107239144
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?12212
WHAT THE FUN!2811
WHAT TIME IS IT?216
WHO WINS?1
WINTERTIME111
WORDPLAY—————14—

FINAL SPIN STATS

Occurrence
Start of Round 4: 84
Middle of Round 4: 8
Start of Round 5+: 3
Middle of Round 5+: 

Spun by Red/Yellow/Blue: 26/45/24

Final Spin Amounts
$1,500: 26
$1,550: 5
$1,600: 10
$1,650: 15
$1,700: 18
$1,800: 3
$1,850: 4
$1,900: 10
$6K: 4

Final Spins Edited Out: 1

BONUS ROUND STATS

BR Win Record: 36-59 (.379)

PBRWs: 0
4-1 Weeks: 1
3-2 Weeks: 4
2-3 Weeks: 8
1-4 Weeks: 4
SKUNKINGS: 2 (TOTAL TAPING DAY WASHOUTS: 0)

MDBRs: 5

Letter Combo Wipeouts: 1 (1 solved despite wiping out) (TOTAL TRAINWRECKS: 0)

Perfect Letter Combos: 4

BR Categories
Top/Middle/Bottom Chosen: 30/28/37

AROUND THE HOUSE: 4/5; 1-3
EVENT: 4/6; 1-3
FOOD & DRINK: 9/13; 3-6
FUN & GAMES: 1/1; 0-1
IN THE KITCHEN: 
LIVING THING(S): 4/9; 3-1
PERSON/PEOPLE: 7/15; 2-5
PHRASE: 27/85; 7-20
PLACE(S): 8/24; 0-8
SHOW BIZ: 0/2
THING(S): 5/93; 3-2
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: 22/28; 13-9
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?: 4/4; 3-1

Dreaded Category Trio Encounters: Week: 1, Season: 25
THING-Free Category Choices: 2

BR Prizes
CAR: 8/23
$40K: 12/29
$45K: 7/17
$50K: 3/7
$55K: 1/7
$75K: 2/6
$100K (or $1M): 2/5

Extra BR Prize Wins: $120K from Toss-Up BR on Nov. 28, 1 tour worth $10,898 on Jan. 15

Car Wins

  • 1 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring
  • 2 Ford Bronco Sports
  • 1 Toyota Tacoma SR5 Double Cab
  • 1 Cadillac CT4 Premium Luxury
  • 1 Audi A3 Premium Plus Quattro
  • 1 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
  • 1 Toyota GR86 Premium

MDBR Result
Landed on $1M: 1
1 Space Away: 
2-3 Spaces Away: 
4-5 Spaces Away: 
6 Spaces Away: 2
7-8 Spaces Away: 1
9-11 Spaces Away: 1
12 Spaces Away:

BR Wins Despite Losing WC to BANKRUPT: 3
BR Losses Despite Having WC: 2
Non-$100K Wins After Losing MDW to BANKRUPT: 1

Toughest BR Puzzle this Week: BAKED ZITI
Easiest BR Puzzle this Week: VINTAGE JEAN JACKET (despite some uncommon consonants)

Player of the Week: Mat Smith

WEEKLY RATING: 5

Next week is a brand-new week called “Paradise Found”. @Jliu23232 does the middle three episodes while I do the other two.

Celebrity WoF Recap: January 16, 2026

andynwof3 Comments

GAME 1

$1K Toss-Up: PERSON

P H _ L A _ _ H _ _ _ _ S T

Kathy says she knows it (and she also holds this job), but it’s Rick who buzzes in w/ PHILANTHROPIST. Info on he and the ladies…

Rick Ross: rapper/entrepreneur and two-time “NY Times” best-selling author (his new book is about taking it to the next level) who has a new single called “For the Money” produced by Pharrell (the music video for that was filmed in Paris); he’s playing for Fighting4Freedom (it gives underprivileged and wrongly convicted people the opportunity to present their case in another format; everyone they’ve ever freed has never went back, never arrested or convicted again)

Riki Lindhome: actor/comedian/musician who’s touring as a one-woman musical right now called “Dead Inside” (it’s about fertility); she also starred in “Queens of the Dead”, “Knives Out”, and “Wednesday”; she’s playing for Letters Charity (her husband is on the board of this organization; it’s where people write letters to Santa, and Santa and his elves fulfill the entire family’s Christmas list by giving everyone a computer plus a huge financial grant to just help their holidays and make it a lot better)

Kathy Hilton: philanthropist, TV personality, and fashion designer who stars in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (she doesn’t watch TV and is very ADD except for WoF since Vanna is a dear friend of hers); during Vanna’s pregnancy, this celeb she had the most beautiful birth tape that her husband Rick had filmed of Paris and she invited Vanna to be in her birthing room at Cedars Sinai (we see a shot of her son Conrad and girlfriend Emma Kenney); she’s playing for Yogi’s House (a dog rescue)

$2K Toss-Up: HUMAN OR ANIMAL?

E _ G _ _
B E _ V _ R

Kathy once again knows an answer, but it’s Riki who solves EAGER BEAVER.

Round 1: HEADLINE

Riki: instant dud of T after barely dodging LaT

Kathy (after asking whether the other lady said P or C as well as where the MDWs are): oddly goes for P and it’s an unsurprising dud

Rick: $2,400 S trio (close call), C for crud

Riki: $2,700 R trio, three E’s, BANKRUPT near $650 (lost $2,450)

Kathy: R repeat

Rick: $1,950 D trio (close one), $1,800 G pair, three I’s, $1K W pair, $1,600 N pair, solve…

D _ D G E R S / W I N
W _ R _ D / S E R I E S
_ G _ I N !

He solves “DODGERS WIN WORLD SERIES AGAIN!” for $13,500.

Round 2: RHYME TIME

Kathy (after mispronouncing the category as “Ryan Time”): $650 R, $1,500 S trio, $3,500 T, oddly goes for U and it’s an unsurprising dud 

Rick: C fails him again even after dodging BANKRUPT near $650

Riki: $1K H pair, four I’s, $1,300 W pair, triple A’s, $2,500 N quintet, solve…

S H A R I N _ / A
_ A N I N I
W I T H / S _ _ N _ _
S W _ _ N _ _

Riki’s SHARING A PANINI WITH SYDNEY SWEENEY for $14,300.

Kathy: ZIP/Rick: $14,500/Riki: $16,300

Triple Toss-Up: COLORFUL LANGUAGE

1.

_ E _ / F _ _ R _ _ I

We’ve got random colors for a car here, and Riki thinks of a RED FERRARI.

2.

P I N K / _ _ N T _ _ Y

Kathy solves PINK BENTLEY.

3.

_ U _ _ L _
L _ M _ _ _ _ _ _ N I

This is actually a song by Rick, but Riki beats him to the punch w/ “PURPLE LAMBORGHINI”.

Round 3: PHRASE

Riki: $2,400 S trio, five I’s, $3,500 T quintet, quick solve…

T _ I S / I S
_ _ T T I _ _
I _ T _ _ _ S T I _ _

THIS IS GETTING INTERESTING — she nailed that one for $25,650 in that PR. And you could be on your way to South Africa courtesy of GATE 1 Travel if you enter her name on the website.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1T (Riki), P (Kathy), C (Rick)Riki Kathy’s R repeat
Round 2U (Kathy), C (Rick)
Round 3PERFECT ROUND

FINAL SCORES THIS HALF
Kathy: $5K/Rick: $14,500/Riki: $51,950

GT: $71,450
Riki’s BANKRUPT TRASH: $2,450

Riki gets the DREADED list…

  • THING
  • PHRASE
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

…and chooses WAYD?.

$100K Bonus Round

Riki lands on the ***. Here’s a trio to start…

_ _ R _ _ N _
_ _ / _ _ S

HCMA adds two more on the bottom…

_ _ R _ _ N _
M _ / A _ S

She came close the first time w/ WORKING MY ARMS before trailing off w/ WARMING MY ARMS. While I’m WORKING MY ABS, she loses $25K.

GAME 2

$1K Toss-Up: RHYME TIME

D _ P P E _ / R A _ P E R

DIPPEL RAPPER, Kathy?! That doesn’t even rhyme. -__-

D A P P E _ / R A _ P E R

Rick’s a DAPPER RAPPER, but Riki scores first this half. She recently released a solo album called “No Worries If Not” (there’s funny songs on it and she’s like a blonde Weird Al).

Some of Kathy’s several fashion lines include hats and travel jewelry that doesn’t break the bank. And we get a shot of Jim wearing a bath robe and showing off his collection of bath items from every Hilton hotel he stayed in. She also has another jewelry line w/ her daughter Nicky (it’s called Theo Grace, which is named after her grandchildren).

Rick collects cars (ranging from the 50’s to today). He has an annual car show that he does every June or July that brings out about 15K people; it’s held in his front yard at the Promised Land in Georgia. On the subject of Lamborghinis, he has a blue and black one.

$2K Toss-Up: PEOPLE

C A S _ / O _
C _ A R A C T E _ S

Riki of this CAST OF CHARACTERS solves again.

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

Riki: LaT right away

Kathy: $600 R, two E’s and two A’s (she says she’s addicted to the show now, and always looks at what Vanna is wearing), BANKRUPT near TD (lost $100)

Rick: $650 S (close call), same BANKRUPT

Riki: $650 T, one O, $2,800 L quartet, $950 F, solve…

F A L L _ _ _ / _ _
L O _ E
T R _ A _ _ L E S

She’s FALLING IN LOVE TRIANGLES for $9,150.

Round 2: TONGUE TWISTER

Kathy: $950 S, one A, S repeat (she tried to change it to R to no avail)

Rick: $1,950 R trio, T for turnover 

Riki: $550 M, two E’s, bad O buy

Kathy: no C on MDW in between $650/$900

Rick: F for flunk

Riki: same BANKRUPT (lost a measly $50)

Kathy: $1K G pair, SIX B’s for $21K (she’s held to that letter, because she called that before spinning), solve…

R _ B B E R / B A B _
B _ G G _ / B _ M _ E R S

She solves RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS for $32,700!

Kathy: $32,700/Rick: ZERO/Riki: $12,150

Triple Toss-Up: SHOW ME THE MONEY

1.

D O L _ A R
_ I _ _ S

All of these have “dollar”, but Riki is incorrect w/ DOLLAR BILLS (that was my answer too).

D O L L A R
_ I G N S

Kathy blows it w/ DOLLAR COINS, and Rick just makes it in time w/ DOLLAR SIGNS.

2.

D O L L _ R / _ O R
D O L L A _

Riki knows that whatever winnings she has earned will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, and donated to charity.

3.

_ _ _ L _ _ _ / _ O
_ _ U _ _ N U _ _

Riki solves DOLLARS TO DOUGHNUTS.

Round 3: PHRASE

After Riki gets the MDW near LaT w/ S, it’s SPEED-UP time…

_ _ ’ S / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _
_ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

…and she has spun $1,650 per consonant.

Riki: 2 T’s
Kathy: N
Rick: 2 I’s (Kathy tried to spin)
Riki: 3 G’s
Kathy: 4 O’s (she tried to repeat the T)
Rick: B (IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD GAME won’t work when there’s no G in the last word)
Riki: 2 E’s
Kathy: D (she left out the A in her solve attempt)
Rick: 2 A’s (NMV)
Riki: M (DUD)

I T ’ S / G O I N G / T O
B E / A / G O O D / _ E A _

Kathy tries to solve, but Ryan stops her and asks for a letter, but she repeats the T. Rick then ignores Ryan’s advice to Kathy (ugh -__-) and solves “IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD YEAR” for $21,650.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1Riki2 (Kathy & Rick)
Round 2T, F (Rick)
O (Riki)
C (Kathy)		RikiKathy’s S repeat
Round 3M (Riki)3 (Rick’s missolve, Kathy‘s incomplete solve and T repeat)

FINAL SCORES
Kathy: $32,700 ($37,700 so far)/Rick: $26,650 (leaves w/ $41,150)/Riki: $22,150 MDW (leaves w/ $74,100)

GT: $81,500
BANKRUPT TRASH: $800

Kathy’s generic category list…

  • PEOPLE
  • PHRASE
  • THING

She goes for PEOPLE.

$100K Bonus Round

After we get another shot of son Conrad and his girlfriend Emma, Kathy lands on the I of SPIN. Nice head start…

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

She WIPES OUT w/ PNBOC and could only say FARMERS, G and W. They were GIVERS AND TAKERS, and worst of all, she loses $100K.

MY RATING

G1: 6
G2: 4

Overall: 5

This show is now in repeats for at least the next two weeks. Not sure if there’s any new episode during the coverage of the Olympics.

WoF Recap: January 16, 2026

andynwof7 Comments

EPISODE #8300: 🗺️COLLETTE SPIN, SOLVE & SEE THE WORLD🗺️

$1K Toss-Up: SHOW ME A SIGN

_ _ / L _ _ T _ _ I _ G

There is a sign called “NO LOITERING”, but Or’Rin is incorrect w/ that response.

N _ / L I _ T _ _ I _ G

Ugh, Suzanne, there’s no such sign called “NO LIGHTNING”. -__-

N _ / L I _ T _ _ I N G

Romi gets it right w/ “NO LITTERING”. The end-of-week panel…

Romi Benoit: certified TikTok baker (she started w/ normal bread rolls and now makes Peruvian alfajores, which is a shortbread cookie w/ manjar blanca (that’s dulcé de leche and powdered sugar on top)); she and her aunt would watch this show, and since her aunt has a thick accent, all she remembers is the famous chant from her, and so she brought the chant to her elementary school of Shadowlawn (she and the kids play Wordle there every afternoon) from Naples, FL (orig. from Peru)

Suzanne Moriarty: clothing stylist for 22 years married w/ some sons and a daughter-in-law who walks a special 5K every year in October and is a 4-year breast cancer survivor from Wilmington, DE

Or’Rin Stinson: big sports fan (his wife and his older brother went to Ryan’s alma mater of UGA) from Kennesaw, GA

$2K Toss-Up: OPPOSITES ATTRACT

T H E / _ O U N D
_ F / _ I L _ N _ E

Also the title of a Simon and Garfunkel song, Or’Rin solves “THE SOUND OF SILENCE”.

FEATURED COLLETTE TRIP: Ireland worth $9,847

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER (top line not used)

Or’Rin: instant dud of S

Romi: two T’s for MDW, $2,100 N trio, triple E’s and two A’s, $5K H pair, one O, $1K R pair, SOLE CRITICAL PURCHASE OF I ($7,100 and MDW at risk)

Suzanne: $1,800 D trio, unnecessary purchase of the last vowel of U, $700 L (just slid past LaT), $900 W, $600 B, solve…

T H E / L A N D / D O W N
U N D E R
_ _ / B R E A T H

She solves THE LAND DOWN UNDER MY BREATH for $3,750.

Mystery Round: I’M PUZZLED

Romi: $600 T, $650 N (not quite to COLLETTE), triple O’s and two E’s, $2,100 R trio, solve…

N E _ / _ O R _ / T _ _ E _
_ R O _ _ _ O R _

Rob from Tuesday mentioned he loved this when he was a kid, and Romi solves the “NEW YORK TIMES” CROSSWORD for $2,850 when she could’ve gone for three S’s — PR.

Suzanne: $3,750/Or’Rin: $2K/Romi: $3,850

Fanday Funday Word of the Day: VENICE (enter that for a tour of Northern Italy)

PP/Express Round: TRAVEL TIPS

Suzanne: instant dud of T

Or’Rin: $1,100 R pair, one A but sole dud vowel of E

Romi: $1,300 N pair, I, two O’s, and three U’s (NMV), two P’s on EXPRESS (they didn’t show the overhead shot of her landing on that) and GOES ABOARD

Current Bank: $2,550
Next Picks: B…3 S’s…2 H’s…and Y

Not only did you win $9,550, girl, you need to…

B R U S H / U P / O N
Y O U R / S P A N I S H

…because you’re off to SPAIN worth $10,398.

Suzanne: $3,750/Or’Rin: $2K/Romi: $23,798 cash & Spain

Triple Toss-Up: BACK IN THE DAY

1.

S _ A I L
M _ I _

Suzanne solves SNAIL MAIL.

2.

C _ R _ I E R
P _ _ E _ _

Romi spots a CARRIER PIGEON.

3.

_ _ V E
P A I N T I N G

There is a LIVE PAINTING back in the day, and it still exists today, but Romi’s incorrect that time.

_ A V E
P A I N T I N G

Or’Rin blows it by a letter w/ DAVE PAINTING (there ain’t no thing called that, man! -__-), and we unfortunately have our FIFTH TRIPLE STUMPER THIS SEASON just before Suzanne was gonna say RAVE. The answer was CAVE PAINTING.

Speed-Up: THING

Or’Rin makes it an $1,850 Final Spin.

Or’Rin: N
Romi: 2 R’s
Suzanne: T (not an OFF-TERRAIN VEHICLE, ma’am)
Or’Rin: 3 L’s

_ L L – T _ R R _ _ N
_ _ _ _ _ L _

Or’Rin knows that ATV is short for ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE for $7,400.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1S (Or’Rin), I (Romi)
Round 2PERFECT ROUND
Round 3T (Suzanne), E (Or’rin)
Round 4Suzanne’s missolve

FINAL SCORES
Suzanne: $5,750/Or’Rin: $9,400/Romi: $25,798 cash & Spain

GT: $40,948
NO PENALTY SPINS

Romi unfortunately gets that DREADED list…

  • PHRASE
  • THING
  • WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

…and goes for WAYD?.

$100K Bonus Round

Romi has no supporters, but she lands on the I of SPIN. This fairly long one starts as…

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

MFCA only adds the vowel…

_ _ S T / _ _ _ _ _ N _
A R _ _ N _

I wish I was JUST KIDDING AROUND, but she gets that second word wrong w/ LAYING, HANGING OUT, and WINNING. As a result, she loses $40K and a trip to Morocco.

We don’t hear about the book Vanna read on last night’s show, but Vanna would like to go to places she hasn’t been to like Australia and Greece. And Ryan’s content w/ the food at the Epcot World Showcase (I was there last month) featuring places like Morocco, Mexico, and France.

MY RATING: 5

WoF Recap: January 15, 2026

andynwof4 Comments

EPISODE #8299: 🗺️COLLETTE SPIN, SOLVE & SEE THE WORLD🗺️

$1K Toss-Up: ON MY PLAYLIST

W O _ L D / _ _ _ I C

Mat or one of these Thursday panelists from left to right could be listening to WORLD MUSIC if they win a Collette trip tonight…

Mat Smith: married man w/ two kids who has been playing poker for years, read books about it, and played in tournaments (he also played the WoF slots before and his wife is much better at those than he is); he’s an Army vet who served during Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia from L.A.

Sara Liberman: former gymnast (she’s played all throughout high school) and current second grade teacher who teaches gymnastics to children (pre-K to high school) at summer camp; she’s also a fan of Bon Jovi and is married to Corey w/ two kids from Livingston, NJ

Tori Clark: fan of the show “Family Matters” who has a better half named Steven and a son soon to be five years old (she has another boy on the way, because she’s pregnant); she’s also a fan of art and has a 3D wheel on a nail of her left hand from Hampton, VA

$2K Toss-Up: PEOPLE

T O _ R _ _ T _
A N _ / L O C _ _ S

Tori solves TOURISTS AND LOCALS for control.

FEATURED COLLETTE TRIP: Spain & Portugal worth $10,798

Round 1: PET LIFE

Tori: $600 T, $500 H, two E’s, S for sorry 

Mat: $1K N pair, one A, $1,950 L trio (just short of COLLETTE), $700 G, solve…

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

Two C’s left behind, but he solves LICKING THE BOWL CLEAN for $3,400.

Mystery Round: SAME NAME

Mat: $10,500 T trio, one E, one H for COLLETTE wedge, M for mistake

Sara: $500 R, bad O buy

Tori: L for lost turn

Mat: one I…

_ R _ _ / &
T H E
_ I T T

…but he then PAINFULLY BANKRUPTs near $3,500 to flush away $21,298 cash & trip — MAJOR OUCH. 😣 Sara then makes an unnecessary house minimum solve of BRAD & “THE PITT” (the latter is an HBO Max show).

Mat: $4,400/Sara: $1K/Tori: $2K

PP/Express Round: LANDMARKS

Sara: one T on EXPRESS (she mistakenly looked at Mat’s arrow) and GOES ABOARD

Next Picks: 3 E’s…S…2 N’s…3 M’s…O…unnecessary U purchase…A…I (NMV)…L…CRITICAL CRASH w/ R (there goes $6,750 — MERIEVAL or MEDIERAL, lady?! -___-)

Tori: LaT

Mat: SPINGLE for $500 D, solve…

M E D I E _ A L
M O N U M E N T S

The 5 Benjamins is his and he’ll see MEDIEVAL MONUMENTS on his tour of CROATIA worth $12,198.

Mat: $17,098 cash & Croatia/Sara: $1K/Tori: $2K

Triple Toss-Up: WORDPLAY

1.

S _ U _ F L E _ O A R D

”Shuffle” will be the key word here, and Tori doubles her two grand w/ SHUFFLEBOARD.

2.

S H _ _ F _ _
T _ _ / _ _ _ D S

Mat’s able to SHUFFLE THE CARDS.

3.

_ _ _ _ / I _
_ _ E / _ _ _ _ _ _ E

Mat wasn’t LOST IN THE SHUFFLE, because he got that one quickly.

Speed-Up: WHAT TIME IS IT?

Mat makes it a $1,650 Final Spin.

Mat: T 
Sara: S 
Tori: R 
Mat: H
Sara: M

M _ / _ _ _ _ S T
H _ _ R

I can’t exactly say this is MY FINEST HOUR covering this episode, but Sara solves for $3,300.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1S (Tori)
Round 2M (Mat), O (Sara), L (Tori)Mat — YIKES😬
Round 3R (Sara)ToriSara — UGH -__-
Round 4NONE

FINAL SCORES
Mat: $21,098 cash & Croatia/Sara: $4,300/Tori: $4K

GT: an underwhelming $29,398
SEASON-WORST BANKRUPT TRASH: a staggering $28,048 cash & tour 

Mat, who survived that catastrophe in R2, will pick from…

  • THINGS
  • PLACE
  • WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

He goes for WAYW?.

$100K Bonus Round

After we see Mat’s wife Shemaine and mother, he lands on the S of SPIN. Take away the first word, and you get a previously used puzzle from S38 that was miraculously solved for a Ford Edge…

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

CHMA gives him a chance…

_ _ N T A _ E
_ E A N / _ A C _ E T

After saying his wife loves this article of clothing, he makes the solve, and inside the pockets of this VINTAGE JEAN JACKET are $40K plus a tour of Iceland worth $10,898 (the value of this tour wasn’t announced, though), giving him a final total of $71,996 cash & trips.

Vanna’s “reading” the best book right now (she’s actually listening, and someone is reading it to her). We’ll hear what it is tomorrow night.

MY RATING: 5

OBIT: Scott Adams

andynwof1 Comment

Scott Adams, the creator of the popular comic strip “Dilbert”, passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 68 due to prostate cancer. His career ended after making controversial racial comments back in 2023.

The title character along with Dogbert were mentioned as a puzzle in the episode that aired May 12, 1998 in S15.

WoF Recap: January 14, 2026

andynwof6 Comments

EPISODE #8298: 🗺️COLLETTE SPIN, SOLVE & SEE THE WORLD🗺️

The full intro is used for tonight.

$1K Toss-Up: TECH TALK

S _ V _ N _ / _ O
T _ _ / C L _ _ D

Shayne could be SAVING TO THE CLOUD pictures of a Collette trip he could win tonight. And he’s not the only man of this midweek panel…

Shayne Cowell: big gamer including board games, card games, and dice games (but video games is his number one, and he owns over 10K of them; his favorite is probably “Super Mario Galaxy”) who auditioned for “American Idol” back in 2006 (these days, he sings mostly in the shower and at karaoke night) from Reno, NV

Brian Stokes, Jr.: family man who’s honoring his parents, Vonda Stokes and younger brother Kyle (Kyle and this contestant were the first two on his dad’s side to graduate from Morgan State University), and a fan of both the Orioles and Ravens from Baltimore

Erin Clarke: fitness trainer/coach as well as animal lover (her family has 13 pets including some chickens, a bunny, and two dogs and two cats; she also wanted a goat or a house cow) married to Cameron for 16 years w/ two daughters from Escondido, CA

$2K Toss-Up: WAYD?

_ E A D I N _ / A
_ E S T / S E L _ E R

Brian solves READING A BEST SELLER for control.

FEATURED COLLETTE TRIP: Utah’s national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion) worth $8,598

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

Brian: $500 S, two I’s, N for negative

Erin: three T’s for MDW, $1,500 R trio, three A’s, $600 D, three E’s (NMV), solve…

T _ I R D / T I _ E ’ S
A / _ _ A R _
_ R A _ E _ E T

She thinks THIRD TIME’S A CHARM BRACELET for $1,600.

Mystery Round: PET PEEVE

Erin: $3,200 T quartet, EIGHT E’s, two H’s for COLLETTE, one A, $2,400 R trio, five O’s, $500 B, two I’s, $1K L pair, solve…

R _ _ H I _ _ / I _ T O
T H E / E L E _ A T O R
B E _ O R E / _ E O _ L E
_ E T / O _ _

She realizes it’s not nice for one to be RUSHING INTO THE ELEVATOR BEFORE PEOPLE GET OFF for $7,100 and the Utah trip — BIG PR!

Erin: $17,298 cash & Utah MDW/Shayne: $1K/Brian: $2K

PP/Express Round: PHRASE

Shayne: instant dud of R

Brian: $600 S, bad I buy

Erin: no T on WC

Shayne: $650 N, two E’s, $2,800 L quartet, two O’s, $1K B pair, solve…

_ O _ ’ L L / B E
S _ E L L B O _ N _

Shayne, in addition to $3,950, YOU’LL BE SPELLBOUND when you tour CENTRAL EUROPE (Prague, Vienna and Budapest) worth $8,798.

Erin: $17,298 cash & Utah MDW/Shayne: $13,748 cash & Europe/Brian: $2K

Triple Toss-Up: WORDPLAY

1.

L E N _ / A
_ E _ P _ _ G / _ A N D

“Hand” will be the key word for this set, and Shayne’s able to LEND A HELPING HAND.

2.

H A _ _ _ O _ E
R E W _ R D

Shayne’s HANDSOME REWARD is more money and the lead.

3.

V _ _ _ / _ _ N _ Y
_ U _

Shayne proves to be a VERY HANDY GUY, and has scored the bonus sweep!

Speed-Up: ON THE COURT

Shayne makes it an $1,800 Final Spin, and Erin will need four correct consonants to make it to the BR.

Shayne: T
Brian: 2 R’s
Erin: N (DUD)
Shayne: L
Brian: 5 S’s (not good news for Erin)
Erin: H
Shayne: C

_ R _ _ _ L _ S
S H _ _ T S / S C _ R _ S !

Shayne DRIBBLES, SHOOTS, SCORES! That’s another $5,400 for this man.

PENALTY BOXDUDSLaTsBANKRUPTSDQs
Round 1N (Brian)
Round 2BIG PERFECT ROUND
Round 3R (Shayne), I (Brian), T (Erin)
Round 4N (Erin)

FINAL SCORES
Erin: $17,298 cash & Utah MDW/Shayne: $29,148 cash & Europe/Brian: $2K

GT: $48,446
NO PENALTY SPINS!

Shayne’s generic category list…

  • PLACE
  • THING
  • PHRASE

He goes for PHRASE.

$100K Bonus Round

After we see Shayne’s husband Robert (LGBT ALERT), he lands on the N of WIN. Just two in the third word to start (but I know this answer already)…

_ _ _ _ / _ 
_ L _ _ _ T

HGPI is good for…

_ _ _ _ / _ 
_ L I G H T

…just the third word and he gets that first word wrong w/ PICK, TAKE, FLY, GO FOR, and CATCH. He will not BOOK A FLIGHT to the same place Shibby didn’t get last night, which was Finland, and also loses the $45K.

Ryan and Vanna are sitting on VESPAs. He mentions that he grew up watching the show “CHiPs”, and wanted to ride on one of those motorscooters. Vanna accidentally tossed away the key, to which Ryan gets it. And we don’t see Shayne coming over.

MY RATING: 7