WoF Retro Recap: May 15, 1998 — HOUSTON FINALE (and Friday Finals)

EPISODE #2905: COLLEGE WEEK (HOUSTON)

Alvaro Rios (Houston Community College): also a Little League coach who won $25K the previous night from Houston

Alicia Clott (Towson Univ.): won $37,630 cash & trip to Italy from Laurel, MD

Courtney Andrea Scott (Univ. of FL): won $10,500 cash & shopping on the same show w/ Alvaro

Round 1: PERSON

Alvaro kicked off w/ three R’s for $750, four O’s, but then S for sorry. Second, Alicia called up three M’s for $2,700…

_ O R M _ _ O R _
R O O M M _ _ _

…and remembered her DORMITORY ROOMMATE.

SOLE DUD: S (Alvaro)

FEATURED PRIZE: Gateway 2000 family PC plus ChoiceMall.com shopping spree worth $2,599

Round 2: STAR & ROLE

Alicia wasted a spin this time w/ the $10K’s right side. Courtney did all the work for two S’s for $800, a $2,500 R, four A’s, a $500 N pair, a $1,600 T pair, an $800 P pair, and a $1,350 L trio.

_ _ R _ S T _ N A
A P P L _ _ A T _ / A S
_ _ L L _ / _ _ N _ _

She solved CHRISTINA APPLEGATE AS KELLY BUNDY (on “Married With Children”) for $7,300.

QUICK BANKRUPT: Alicia

Alvaro: ZERO/Alicia: $2,700/Courtney: $7,300

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FEATURED PRIZE #2: Suzuki DR 200 SE motorcycle worth $3,799

Jackpot Round: SAME NAME

Courtney’s first w/ an S on Jackpot, a $250 N, a $500 R, two E’s, a $2,100 T trio, a $550 M, a buy of A, but then the E repeat. Alvaro then said a $1,600 C pair…

_ _ E N / &
C A T C _ E R ‘ S
M I T T

…and solved OVEN & CATCHERS MITT for that much money.

SOLE DQ: Courtney’s E repeat

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $12,800

Alvaro: $1,600/Alicia: $2,700/Courtney: $7,300

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Round 4: EVENT

Alvaro opened w/ four R’s for $3,600, an O buy, a $500 S, two E’s, a $2,400 T quartet (just missed $5K there), and a couple A’s, but he LaTed out. Alicia next picked a $250 P, but the BANKRUPT near the purple $500 stopped her cold. Courtney captured a $15K N trio…

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

…and solved RENTING YOUR FIRST APARTMENT for all that money and a new subtotal of $22,300!

SOLE LaT: Alvaro
SOLE BANKRUPT: Alicia

Round 5: BEFORE & AFTER

After Alicia’s $250 N, it’s S-U time…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ / &
_ _ _ N

…w/ a $900 Final Spin.

Alicia: 2 T’s
Courtney: R (DUD)
Alvaro: S (DUD)
Alicia: L

_ _ T T L _
_ _ _ / &
_ _ _ N

Alicia nailed BOTTLE CAP & GOWN for $2,950.

DUDS: R (Courtney), S (Alvaro)

FINAL SCORES
Alvaro: $1,600 (out w/ $26,600)/Alicia: $5,650 (out w/ $43,280)/Courtney: $22,300 ($32,800 so far)

GT: $29,550
BANKRUPT TRASH: $250

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Bonus Round

The leftover prizes that week were…

• Chevrolet Camaro Convertible ($28K+)
• Camaro Z28 ($25K+)
• $20K annuity
• Blazer ($28K+)

Courtney picked the first E from WHEE-.

Category: THING

Here’s one of the four letters…

_ _ T _

OBCH added one more…

_ _ T H

This isn’t a MYTH — she won the Camaro Z28 worth $25,210, giving her a final total of $58,010 cash & prizes! Brother Zack and and dad Rick celebrated w/ her.

MY RATING: 8

WoF Retro Recap: May 14, 1998

(This was originally published just over two yrs. ago, but I’m bumping it to today.)

EPISODE #2904: COLLEGE WEEK (HOUSTON)

Joe Bob Thompson (Rice): business major from Daingerfield, TX

Courtney Scott (Univ. of Florida): junior majoring in management and minoring in mass communication and economics from Lake Mary, FL

Alvaro Rios (Houston Community College): communications major who also served in the military

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

(Note: The SURPRISE was mistakenly placed on the $400 instead of the one near BANKRUPT and LaT.)

Joe Bob’s off to a slow start w/ T for trouble. Second, Courtney called up a $250 N, but LaTed out. Third, Alvaro tried an $1,800 R pair, O, a $300 S, E, an $800 L, but then the sole dud vowel of I. Joe Bob next filled in a $500 D pair, a $550 W, two A’s, but then M for mistake while on $1K. Courtney then chose the final vowel of two U’s, two C’s for the Free SPIN and a $700 P to complete the board…

W O R L D
C U P / A N D
S A U C E R

…and she read the answer for $700.

DUDS: T (Joe Bob), I (Alvaro), M (Joe Bob)
SOLE LaT: Courtney

FEATURED PRIZE: Rand McNally gift certificate worth $3K (marked GALLERIA)

Round 2: FILL IN THE NUMBER

Courtney’s off and running w/ a $600 S, a $250 T, an N for the gift certificate, two E’s, a $2K R quartet, four A’s, a $750 C trio, but then the sole dud vowel of U and she used her FS. Next up were a $1K L quartet, a $1,200 D trio, and five O’s before we looked at…

D _ R E C T O R
R O N / _ O _ A R D ‘ S
A C C L A _ _ E D / _ _ L _
A _ O L L O / # #

She solved DIRECTOR RON HOWARD’S ACCLAIMED FILM APOLLO ## for $7,800 cash & GC. Even though the bonus chimes didn’t sound, did she say the lucky number of 13 for the $2K bonus…yes.

SOLE DUD: U (Courtney)

Courtney: $10,500/Boys: $0 each

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Jackpot Round: SAME NAME

Alvaro’s first w/ a $1,500 T trio, but then S for sorry. Joe Bob controlled the rest of the round for a $700 N, a $250 R, three I’s, a $1,500 L trio, O and E buys, a $300 D, three A’s, and an $1,800 C pair.

C A R D / &
_ _ L T I _ L I C A T I O N
T A _ L E

He solved CARD & MULTIPLICATION TABLE for $3,550.

SOLE DUD: S (Alvaro)

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $8,700

Joe Bob: $3,550/Courtney: $10,500/Alvaro: ZIPPO

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Speed-Up: PHRASE

Consonants were worth $5K this night!

Joe Bob: 3 T’s
Courtney: N (DUD)
Alvaro: S (DUD)
Joe Bob: R (DUD)
Courtney: C (DUD)
Alvaro: 3 L’s
Joe Bob: M

_ T / T _ T _ L L _
_ L _ _ / M _ / _ _ _ _

Joe Bob was stuck w/ “IT TOTALLY BLEW MY…”, so $20K and the victory might be going down the drain for him. Courtney’s next w/ a B…

_ T / T _ T _ L L _
B L _ _ / M _ / _ _ _ _

Courtney repeated Joe Bob’s answer, so she likely lost $5K. Two W’s came out of Alvaro’s mouth next…

_ T / T _ T _ L L _
B L _ W / M _ / _ W _ _

IT TOTALLY BLEW ME AWAY that Alvaro went from zero to hero for $25K!!! Pat then took off his jacket to calm down that guy.

DUDS: N (Courtney), S (Alvaro), R (Joe Bob), C (Courtney)
DQs: 2 (critical missolves by Joe Bob and Courtney)

FINAL SCORES
Joe Bob: $3,550/Courtney: $10,500/Alvaro: $25K

GT: $39,050
NO BANKRUPTS!

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Bonus Round

Alvaro picked the W.

Category: THING

Here’s the middle letter…

_ _ _ L _ _ _

DMCO added just two of the vowel…

_ _ O L O _ _

He lost, and it wasn’t the S25 puzzle that triggered the painful post-buzzer solve for $100K — it was actually a puzzle later used in S23 on Teen Best Friends (and wasn’t solved for a pair of Scion xB’s). The answer was BIOLOGY and he missed out on the Camaro convertible. Though he’s disappointed, he would come back for the Friday Finals.

MY RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: May 13, 1998

EPISODE #2903: COLLEGE WEEK (HOUSTON)

Diana Roman (Pepperdine): a double major in English and psychology w/ an emphasis in philosophy who also delivered birthday cakes to students on campus from Sherman Oaks

Jacob Stock (Houston Baptist Univ.): sophomore double majoring in Christianity and business finance hoping for a job in ministry from Arenzville, IL

Joshua Watts (Texas Southern Univ.): biology major who also plays basketball and writes poetry on the side from Houston

Round 1: SHOW BIZ

Diana: insta-dud of T for turnover

Jacob: $500 S, T repeat (he tried to change it to R, but wasn’t allowed to do so)

Joshua: $500 R, H for halt on Free SPIN

Diana: $900 N, three E’s, M for mistake

Jacob: $1K L, one I, $300 G, A for awful

Joshua: C for crud on $1K

Diana: $250 W, $1,100 P pair, solve…

P _ P / S I N G E R
_ E W E L

Diana IDed POP SINGER JEWEL (she was the heart on the previous season of “The Masked Singer”) for $2K.

FEATURED PRIZE: a $2,500 Foley’s department store gift certificate (FOLEY’S)

Round 2: SLOGAN

Jacob: $900 T pair, $900 S trio, E and three A’s, $600 R, $800 N pair, buys of I and three O’s, normal BANKRUPT near $500 (lost $2,200)

Joshua: $2K L quartet, last vowel of U, solve…

S O L U T I O N S
_ O R / A / S _ A L L
_ L A N E T

Joshua solved for $1,750, but did he know whose slogan was “SOLUTIONS FOR A SMALL PLANET”? Despite making noises, he blanked; it was IBM.

Diana: $2K/Jacob: ZERO/Joshua: $1,750

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Jackpot Round: PHRASE

Joshua: $700 S, one N for FOLEY’S, five A’s, $500 F, three O’s, baffling dud of J

Diana: M for mistake

Jacob: $2,400 L trio, three I’s, $350 T, two E’s, $600 B, BANKRUPT near $500 (lost $2,850)

Joshua: same BANKRUPT (lost $3,200 cash & GC)

Diana: $500 V pair, $500 R pair, solve…

A V A I L A B L E / I N
A / V A R I E T _
O F / _ O L O R S

Diana soled AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF COLORS of $1K.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,250

Diana: $3K/Jacob: ZILCH/Joshua: $1,750

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Speed-Up: PEOPLE

Consonants were worth $600 apiece.

Diana: T (immediately wrong w/ MEDICAL DOCTORS; Pat mistakenly said she had 5 sec. to solve instead of 3)
Jacob: R
Joshua: S
Diana: 2 N’s
Jacob: L (DUD)
Joshua: P (DUD)
Diana: G
Jacob: 2 C’s

C _ _ _ R _ N G
S _ C T _ _ N

Jacob flubbed w/ CATERING for the first word. Joshua next said H (NMV)…

C H _ _ R _ N G
S _ C T _ _ N

…but he only said the right first word of CHEERING. Diana then got the whole thing of CHEERING SECTION for $2,400.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LOSE A TURNS	BANKRUPTS	DQs
ROUND 1	T (Diana), H (Joshua), M (Diana), A (Jacob), C (Joshua)			Jacob‘s T repeat
ROUND 2			Jacob
ROUND 3	J (Joshua), M (Diana)		2 (the J guys)
ROUND 4	L (Jacob, P Joshua)			3 (2 missolves by Diana and Jacob, Joshua‘s incomplete solve)

FINAL SCORES
Diana: $5,400/Jacob: PARTING GIFTS/Joshua: $1,750

GT: a modest $7,150
BANKRUPT TRASH: $8,250

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Bonus Round

Diana chose the first E (the incorrect letter buzzer sounded by mistake, prompting Pat to smack the envelope holder until the proper “ding” sounded).

Category: PHRASE

Lead-offs…

_ _ / _ _ T _
T _ E / _ L _ _

MDHA added just two H’s…

_ _ / _ _ T H
T H E / _ L _ _

She didn’t GO WITH THE FLOW (she had I’M WITH THE and BE WITH THE) and lost the Blazer. And she wouldn’t make it to the Friday Finals w/ just $5,400.

MY RATING: 3

WoF Retro Recap: May 12, 1998

EPISODE #2902: COLLEGE WEEK (HOUSTON)

James Wyatt III (Jackson State Univ.): biology and chemistry major hoping to attend physician assistant school in Galveston from Jackson, MS

Kelley Astolfo (Univ. of Houston): junior studying psychology and occupational therapy who worked at a community center and volunteered at a hospital from Houston

Trey Hamilton (Rice): junior studying mechanical engineering hoping to work in the aerospace industry and maybe become an astronaut from Greenville, AL

Round 1: THE 80’s

James: S for sorry

Kelley: $700 N, $1,800 T pair, E for end of turn

Trey: $500 W, $450 V, BANKRUPT (lost $950)

James: $500 M pair, solve…

_ / W _ N T
M _ / M T V

James initially said “I WENT…”, but corrected himself and solved “I WANT MY MTV” for $500.

FEATURED PRIZE: pair of Klein mountain bikes worth $3,800 (BIKES)

Round 2: FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

Kelley: $750 T trio, $250 S, one N for $10K wedge, one A, M for mistake ($10,750 at risk)

Trey: $1K R quartet, three E’s, $600 D pair, three O’s, $250 L, two O’s, $1,800 G pair, solve…

_ A R T O O N
_ I G _ R E S
D I L _ E R T / &
D O G _ E R T

He solved CARTOON FIGURES DILBERT & DOGBERT for $2,900.

James: $500/Kelley: ZERO/Trey: $2,900

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Jackpot Round: BEFORE & AFTER

Trey: $1,600 R pair, three E’s, S for sorry

James: $250 F, T for turnover

Kelley: $450 N, $250 L, one W for BIKES, four A’s, $250 C, BANKRUPT near $500 (lost $4,500 cash & bikes)

Trey: buy of I, $400 B, two O’s, BANKRUPT near $500 (lost $1,250)

James: $250 J, solve…

J O E _
L A W R E N C E / O F
A R A B I A

He solved JOEY LAWRENCE OF ARABIA for $500.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $8,200

James: $1K/Kelley: ZERO/Trey: $2,900

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Round 4: EVENT

James: S fails him from the get-go

Kelley: $500 T pair, $450 N, $1,100 L pair, three E’s

SPEED-UP

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

Consonants were worth $900 apiece.

Kelley: R
Trey: D
James: C (he wrongly said “I WANT…”)
Kelley: 2 F’s
Trey: B (DUD)
James: W (DUD)
Kelley: Y

_ / _ _ _ _ / F L Y
T _ / C E N T E R
F _ E L D

Kelley’s a letter short w/ A POP FLY TO CENTER FIELD. Trey then said O…

_ / _ _ _ _ / F L Y
T O / C E N T E R
F _ E L D

Trey solved A HIGH FLY TO CENTER FIELD for $900.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LOSE A TURNS	BANKRUPTS	DQs
ROUND 1	S (James), E (Kelley)		Trey
ROUND 2	M (Kelley)
ROUND 3	S (Trey), T (James)		2 (Kelley, Trey)
ROUND 4	S (James), B (Trey), W (James)			2 missolves (James,Kelley)

FINAL SCORES
James: $1K/Kelley: PARTING GIFTS/Trey: $3,800

GT: a measly $4,800
BANKRUPT TRASH: $6,700

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Bonus Round

Trey chose the first E.

Category: THING

Two E’s to start…

_ E _
_ _ _ E

He too went for CDMA, but that only added the vowel…

_ E _
_ A _ E

He’s off the mark w/ GAME, HEAD GAME, BED GAME and TEA TIME. As I add this entry to my WEB PAGE, he lost the Camaro Z28 and was ineligible for the Friday Finals.

MY RATING: 2

WoF Retro Recap: May 11, 1998

College Week in our current season may be over, but there’s still some classic College Weeks that I need to complete and this is one of them — the S15 edition from Houston. I have covered the Thursday and Friday shows a couple years ago, but I’m bumping them up to today.

EPISODE #2901: COLLEGE WEEK (HOUSTON)

Lakenya Scott (Texas Southern University): junior majoring in English education hoping to teach high schoolers and wanted to coach volleyball and basketball

Mark Cox (College of the Mainland in Texas City): music major planning to do opera (a lifelong interest) from Bayou Vista (his classmates decorated his sweater just to show Pat)

Alicia Clott (Towson Univ.): sophomore majoring in mass communications w/ a concentration in broadcast journalism who wanted to be a sportscaster (she enjoys figure skating and the Orioles), student ambassador, yearbook co-editor, and resident assistant from Laurel, MD

Round 1: BEFORE & AFTER

Lakenya: $800 R pair, possible unknown edit, N for negative

Mark: S for sorry

Alicia: two T’s for SURPRISE, baddie of G

Lakenya: $450 L, three E’s, F for flunk

Mark: $700 M, C for crud

Alicia: $750 P trio (NMC), solve…

T E R M
P _ P E R
P L _ T E

Alicia solved TERM PAPER PLATE for $750 and the SURPRISE, which was a 13-day Contiki Holiday in Italy worth $5,680.

(NOTE: There was an audio cut between the R and N calls, and Pat said “Whoops.” after Alicia’s G call, suggesting it might have been repeat.)

FEATURED PRIZE: Houston Galleria gift certificate which can be used to purchase a leather jacket from Encompass’ Shell Motorsports and SHell go-kart worth $2,595 (GALLERIA)

Round 2: QUOTATION

Mark: S fails him again

Alicia: $750 N trio, five R’s for $1,250 more, four E’s, two T’s for GALLERIA, two I’s, L for loss of turn

Lakenya: H for halt

Mark: $1,200 M pair, one A and five O’s (NMV), solve…

I N / O R _ E R / T O
_ O R M / A / M O R E
_ E R _ E _ T / _ N I O N

Mark solved “IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION” for $700 and got a surprise $2K bonus question asking him this…

“This is the second line in the constitution. What is the first line?”

He said “We the people of the United States of America”…that’s correct (and he didn’t need the “Of America” part).

Lakenya: ZERO/Mark: $2,700/Alicia: $6,430 cash & Italy

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Jackpot Round: SAME NAME

Alicia: $2,700 T trio, LaT

Lakenya: BANKRUPTed near $500 right away

Mark: $500 S, $1K R pair, two E’s, the H fails him

Alicia: $3,500 N, $250 M, three A’s, solve…

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

Alicia solved DAVID & VARSITY LETTERMAN for $6,200.

UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $11,150

Lakenya: ZILCH/Mark: $2,700/Alicia: $12,630 cash & Italy

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Round 4: TITLE

Lakenya: $1,050 R trio, $800 S, four A’s, $450 B, $700 S, bad O buy

Mark: $300 H, $5K P (NMC), solve…

H A R P _ R ‘ S
B A Z A A R

He IDed “HARPER’S BAZAAR” for $5,300. And that’s the end of the game.

PENALTY BOX	DUDS	LOSE A TURNS	BANKRUPTS	DQs
ROUND 1	N (Lakenya), S (Mark), G (Alicia), F (Lakenya), C (Mark)
ROUND 2	S (Mark), L (Alicia), H (Lakenya)
ROUND 3	H (Mark)	Alicia	Lakenya
ROUND 4	O (Lakenya)

FINAL SCORES
Lakenya: PARTING GIFTS/Mark: $8K/Alicia: $12,630 cash & Italy

GT: $20,630
NO BANKRUPT TRASH

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Bonus Round

Most of the non-$25K prizes that week were Chevys…

• 1998 Camaro Convertible ($28K+)
• 1998 Camaro Z28 coupe ($25K+)
• $20K college annuity
• 1998 Chevy Blazer ($28K+)

Alicia chose the L.

Category: THING

Just the last letter to start…

_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ E

CDMA gave her…

_ A _ _ _
_ A C E

She would put on a HAPPY FACE, because she’s won $25K, giving her a new total of $37,630 cash & trip, and a spot in the Friday Finals, which I already covered. She was greeted by her mom Denise and boyfriend Phil.

MY RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: May 8, 1998 – Friday Finals

For many months, some of you wondered how the Friday Finals of Houston Week went. Well, I figured that I’ve found some time to do this recap for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

EPISODE #2900: HOUSTON

Our finalists for the first week in H-Town…

Sharon McNeill: won $5,300 on Thursday
Cheryl Leonard: won $24,586 cash & boat on Tuesday
Richard Eaton: won $55,618 cash & truck on Wednesday

Round 1: QUOTATION

Sharon: FS (2 S’s), $500 (R), LaT (keeps FS)

Cheryl: $500 (2 T’s), $900 (H), -$250 (5 E’s), $300 (F), $250 (P), $400 (2 Y’s), Solve…

T H E / E Y E S / _ F
T E _ _ S / _ R E
_ P _ _ / Y _ _

Cheryl recited “THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU” for $3K. BTW, if this was a TITLE, it would’ve been just The Eyes of Texas.

LaT: Sharon

1ST PRIZE ON WHEEL: Meade TELESCOPE ($4,995)

Apparently, Pat had a thought about a universe invaded by game show hosts. 😛

Round 2: CLUE

Cheryl: $2,500 (6 T’s!), -$250 (3 A’s), -$250 (3 E’s), $250 (2 H’s), $500 (3 R’s – nearly BANKRUPTed right there), -$250 (2 O’s), -$250 (3 I’s), $450 (2 S’s), $550 (B), -$250 (U; NMV), BANKRUPT (-$17,200 – oh no is right, Cheryl)

Richard: $250 (Q), $400 (Y), $900 (2 L’s), $600 (P), BANKRUPT (-$3,050)

Sharon: $250 (V), $900 (F – Complete Board), Solve…

T H I S / Q U A L I T Y
I S / T H E
B E T T E R / P A R T
O F / V A L O R

Sharon read the board for $1,150 after that mess…but flubbed the $2K bonus w/ Honesty (“It’s a lovely thought.”). It was Discretion.

BANKRUPTS: 2 (others)

Sharon: $1,150 FS/Cheryl: $3K/Richard: SPINS NEXT

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2ND PRIZE ON WHEEL: Fred Joaillier emerald & diamond flower earrings (marked GALLERIA) worth $5K

Tiger Electronics Jackpot Round: THE 80’s

Richard: BANKRUPT near $600

Sharon: $3,500 (3 T’s), $600 (4 R’s), -$250 (E; used FS), -$250 (4 O’s), SAME DAMN BANKRUPT (-$12,400)

Cheryl: $500 (S), $3,500 (H), $900 (3 N’s), -$250 (4 A’s), $900 (2 B’s), Solve…

_ R B A N / _ O _ B O _
S T A R R _ N _
_ O H N / T R A _ O _ T A

Cheryl solved “URBAN COWBOY” STARRING JOHN TRAVOLTA for $8,250 and Pat’s about to go deaf.

DUD: E (Sharon)
BANKRUPTS: 2 (ones that didn’t solve)
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $19,900

Sharon: $1,150/Cheryl: $11,250/Richard: SHUTOUT ALERT

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Speed-Up: BEFORE & AFTER

Consonants are worth…just $250. Not quite to the biggie.

Sharon: T
Cheryl: N
Richard: 2 R’s
Sharon: 3 S’s
Cheryl: 2 A’s
Richard: 2 B’s

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

Richard solved BREAKFAST IN BED OF ROSES for his sole $1K payoff for this night.

FINAL SCORES
Sharon: $1,150 (out w/ $6,450)/Cheryl: $11,250 ($35,836 so far)/Richard: $1K (out w/ $56,618)

GT: $13,400
BANKRUPT TRASH: $32,650 (yikes)

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Bonus Round

Two Chevys (Corvette and Tahoe) are still here as well as the cash. Cheryl chose the L due to a mix of strategy and convenience.

Category: THING

Nothin’ but 3 E’s to begin…

_ E E _
_ _ _ _ E

PBGI gave a couple more…

_ E E P
_ _ I _ E

JEEP won’t cut it, so she didn’t solve this puzzle in a DEEP VOICE and let out a high-pitched scream when she saw the Corvette in her envelope.

Next week is College Week! And sorry, Eugene Byon, I didn’t catch you in the audience during the end credits.

MY RATING: 4 (big BANKRUPTs brought it down)

WoF Retro Recap: May 5, 1998

EPISODE #2897: HOUSTON WEEK

Mike Norris: sales mgr. at a major automobile dealership who’s married w/ three kids from Friendswood

Cheryl Leonard: engineer w/ a major electric utility co., gospel singer, and foster mom w/ two kids from Fresno

Melissa Elliott: worker w/ the law dept. of a major oil co. for 17 yrs. and mom of three kids from Pearland

Round 1: CLASSIC TV

Mike started w/ three T’s for $1,350, but LaTed out just as quick. Second, Cheryl called up two H’s for $2K, two E’s, a $250 S, and a $250 C. We had…

T H E / C _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ E T T / S H _ _

There were two R’s left behind, but she solved “THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW” for $2,250.

SOLE LaT: Mike

FEATURED PRIZE: $3K shopping spree at the Galleria

Round 2: THINGS

Cheryl’s off and running w/ two S’s for $1,400, two N’s for $1,200 more, buys of two A’s, five E’s, three I’s, and O to clean out the vowel shop, but the $10K’s right side cleaned her out of $1,600. Melissa secondly BANKRUPTed near the purple $500. Mike thirdly got up there two C’s for $1,100, a $500 H pair, and a $600 K. Board…

C H I C K E N –
_ _ I E _ / S _ E A K
S _ O _ H E _ E _
I N / _ _ A _ _

He ate a CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK SMOTHERED IN GRAVY for only $2,800, because he didn’t go on for three T’s, two R’s and two D’s.

BANKRUPTS: 2 (ladies)

Mike: $2,800/Cheryl: $2,250/Melissa: ZERO

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FEATURED PRIZE #2: colored NASA photograph of famous astronauts from the Kenneth Rendell Gallery worth $3,750

Jackpot Round: BEFORE & AFTER

Melissa first picked a T on Jackpot, a $550 S, an $1,800 R pair (made it past that same normal BANKRUPT), three A’s and two E’s, and two C’s for the Galleria shopping spree, followed by a $600 B (just dodged the other BANKRUPT), a $250 V, an O at the beginning, a $250 N (just dodged LaT), the last vowel of two I’s, a $600 D (just missed $3,500), a $300 K, a $350 Y, a $600 M (just dodged the BANKRUPT near green $500)…but then F for FATAL DUD to leave $7,300 cash & shopping spree on the table (she thought it was OF — big ouch, indeed. Mike won’t take any chances…

O _ / M Y / A C _ I N _
B A C K – S E A T
D R I V E R

OH MY ACHING BACK-SEAT DRIVER…he solved for just the $500 house minimum when he could’ve gone for the twin H’s.

SOLE FATAL DUD: F (Melissa)
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,650

Mike: $3,300/Cheryl: $2,250/Melissa: BAD SHAPE

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Speed-Up: PEOPLE

Consonants were worth $600 apiece.

Mike: R
Cheryl: T (DUD)
Melissa: 2 S’s
Mike: L
Cheryl: 2 C’s

R _ _ _ _
C _ _ _ _ _ S / &
C L _ _ _ S

Cheryl nailed RODEO COWBOYS & CLOWNS for $1,200 and the win by $150.

SOLE DUD: T (Cheryl)

FINAL SCORES
Mike: $3,300/Cheryl: $3,450/Melissa: PARTING GIFTS

Well, at least Melissa made things interesting in R3.

GT: $6,750
BANKRUPT TRASH: $1,600

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Bonus Round

Cheryl chose the first E.

Category: PEOPLE

This seven-letter answer started as…

_ E _ _ N _ S

CMDO only added…

_ E M _ N _ S

She said the right one of GEMINIS on the buzzer, but they had to check the tape…and the ruling was that she WON the Wellcraft 1860S ski boat worth $21,136, giving her a possible spot in the Friday Finals w/ $24,586. She was greeted by her 13.5-yr.-old son Cedric and fiancee Greg.

MY RATING: 5

WoF Retro Recap: May 7, 1998 (for Eugene)

I did his “Millionaire” recap for both episodes that aired back in May of this year and now I FINALLY get to do his WHEEL experience for him personally. This is your Christmas present, Eugene!

EPISODE #2899: HOUSTON WEEK

Sandy McManus: married lady w/ two daughters who’s a finance director for a member of the Congress from Cypress

Sharon McNeill: computer technician who did a lot of volunteer work from Houston

Eugene Byon: computer programer and big WHEEL buff (he even recited the lines said from the daytime version of this show!) from Houston

Round 1: LANDMARK

This round was all Sandy — four R’s for $1,600, an $1,800 S pair, two A’s and four E’s, a $400 T, I and three I’s, an $800 P, a $900 G pair, the final vowel of U, and a $600 B pair.

G E O R G E / B U S _
P R E S I _ E _ T I A _
_ I B R A R _

She IDed the GEORGE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY for $4,850 — PR.

FEATURED PRIZE: Norwegian Cruise Line to Alaska or the Caribbean worth $4,850

Round 2: BEFORE & AFTER

Sharon’s first w/ a $1,400 S pair, four T’s for another grand (so close to $2,500), four E’s, a $500 N, and two O’s, followed by a $250 L, two H’s for the Free SPIN, but then the BANKRUPT between $900 and $500 to lose $2,650. She used the FS…only to BANKRUPT again. Moving on to Eugene (he had an evil laugh when he started spinning!) who said a $250 G, an $550 Y and a $600 R (just missed $2,500), but he LaTed out. Sandy next found a $400 D, but she got the same fate as that guy. Sharon then lit up a $450 C and a $700 F to clean out the consonants…

T H _ T ‘ S / _ S _ N G
Y O _ R / H E _ D
O F / L E T T _ C E

Now THAT’S USING YOUR HEAD OF LETTUCE, ma’am — you’ve won your first $1,150.

LaTs: 2 (Eugene & Sandy)
BANKRUPTS: 2 (both by Sharon)

Sandy: $4,850/Sharon: $1,150/Eugene: NOTHING

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FEATURED PRIZE #2: RCA entertainment package (VHS camcorder, universal remote, a stereo/VCR, 46″ TV and Nipper and Chipper) worth $3,297

Jackpot Round: FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

Here went the enthusiastic Eugene w/ an $1,800 R pair, buys of two E’s, A’s and I’s, a $500 N pair, but he screamed in agony upon getting his second LaT of the game. Sandy next spotted a $250 D, a $1,600 S pair, an M on Jackpot, a $600 C and two O’s before saying T for trouble. Sharon then lit up a $250 F and a $300 G…

F E L I _ / _ N _ E R
& / O S C A R
M A D I S O N

…she IDed FELIX UNGER & OSCAR MADISON (from “The Odd Couple”) for $550 more.

SOLE DUD: T (Sandy)
SOLE LaT: Eugene
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $8,750

Sandy: $4,850/Sharon: $1,700/Eugene: TOUGH LUCK

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Speed-Up: SAME NAME

The consonants were worth $600 apiece.

Sandy: R (DUD)
Sharon: S
Eugene: T (DUD)
Sandy: D (DUD)
Sharon: N
Eugene: G (“I have no idea, Pat”, said Eugene)
Sandy: P
Sharon: 3 L’s
Eugene: M (DUD)
Sandy: B (DUD)
Sharon: H
Eugene: C (DUD)
Sandy: 2 W’s (LAST CONSONANT)

W _ S H _ N G / &
_ _ L
W _ L L

Sandy didn’t pull the trigger for $1,200. Sharon solved WISHING & OIL WELL (she somehow mispronounced the second word as “oll”, but it was accepted) for $3,600 and the win by $450.

DUDS: R (Sandy), T (Eugene), D (Sandy), P (Sandy), M (Eugene), B (Sandy), C (Eugene)

FINAL SCORES
Sandy: $4,850/Sharon: $5,300/Eugene: PARTING GIFTS

Eugene, I’m terribly sorry about the bad luck you had. You did have GREAT enthusiasm, though!

GT: $10,150
BANKRUPT TRASH: $2,650

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Bonus Round

The two Chevys (the Corvette and the Tahoe) and the $25K were the remaining prizes. From WH–L, Sharon picked the H.

Category: THING

We had this in a crossword puzzle in our current season earlier this month…

_ _ S _
_ _ _ L

DCMO only added the vowel…

_ _ S _
_ O _ L

She came close w/ WASH BOWL at the last second, but it was FISH BOWL, and she lost the Corvette. You would think $5,300 wasn’t enough to get her to the Friday Finals, but it was since Sherry from Monday only had $3,200.

MY RATING (largely thanks to Eugene’s enthusiasm): 5

Friday Final

WoF Retro Recap: May 6, 1998

EPISODE #2898: HOUSTON WEEK

After Pat joked about Vanna and the butterfly incident, we had an all-R panel on this night…

Rudy Leal: married man who worked for the major telephone co. in the area who’s trying to start his own business (and he’s a BIG Rockets fan) from Houston

Rebecca Cash: married geophysicist (she works w/ oil, drilling, etc.) who taught undergraduate labs at Texas A&M (she also did some bodybuilding) from Sugar Land, TX

Richard Eaton: offshore worker in the oil & gas industry who’s married w/ 7.5 nieces and nephews and also did some bodybuilding from Stafford, TX

Round 1: TITLE

Rudy wasted a turn w/ BANKRUPT. Second, Rebecca called up a $300 R, a $250 T, an $1,800 N pair, three O’s, but then D for dud. Richard then said an $1,800 H pair, and an $1,100 C pair. Board…

H O _ _ T O N
C H R O N _ C _ E

He IDed the official newspaper of the city for $2,900 as the “HOUSTON CHRONICLE”.

SOLE DUD: D (Rebecca)
SOLE BANKRUPT: Rudy

FEATURED PRIZE: Balboa Barbecue cooking system from Barbeques Galore worth $3K

Round 2: FILL IN THE NUMBER

Rebecca’s off and running w/ a $500 T pair, a $900 H, E and two I’s, four N for another $1,600, three O’s, $600 M pair, and two A’s, followed by a $500 R, the final vowel of U, but then that BANKRUPT near $500 to lose $2,850. Richard then said a $550 F, a $1,400 S pair, an $800 L duo, a $250 W, and a $500 K (almost got the $10K’s right side)…

F I R S T / M A N
W A L K S / O N / T H E
M O O N / I N
_ U L _ / # # # #

…he finally got FIRST MAN WALKS ON THE MOON IN JULY #### for $3,500. Did he know the year for the $2K bonus…yes w/ 1969.

SOLE BANKRUPT: Rebecca

Richard: $8,400/Others: BAD LUCK

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FEATURED PRIZE #2: Louis Vuitton gift certificate worth $2,500 (marked GALLERIA)

Jackpot Round: BEFORE & AFTER

This round’s all Richard — an $800 T pair, S and three R’s on $250, three E’s and two A’s, a $1K H pair, I and two O’s, a $3,500 C, a $450 K, and a G on Jackpot.

A R T I C H O K E
H E A R T
S _ R G E O _

We have a PR — this ARTICHOKE HEART SURGEON paid him a total of $16,100 (including a $10,350 pot)! And he picked Pat up and placed him over his scoreboard — LOL!

Richard: $24,500/Others: ZERO a head

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Speed-Up: THINGS

The Final Spin was set at $600.

Rudy: 2 T’s
Rebecca: R
Richard: S
Rudy: 2 P’s
Rebecca: N
Richard: L
Rudy: H
Rebecca: B

B _ S H _ L
P _ _ _
_ _ _ R T / & / P _ N T

Rebecca SPOILED the sweep by solving the measurements of BUSHEL, PECK, QUART & PINT for $1,800.

FINAL SCORES
Rudy: PARTING GIFTS/Rebecca: $1,800/Richard: $24,500

GT: $26,300
BANKRUPT TRASH: $2,850

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Bonus Round

From WH-EL, Richard chose the second E.

Category: PHRASE

Two R’s and an S to start…

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

CGMO gave him another trio…

M _ R _ / M _
_ O R _ S

MARK MY WORDS — he solved and chased down Pat and picked up the host again!!! His reward was the GMC Sierra Z71 Extended Cab worth $31,118, giving him a final total of $55,618 cash & truck! His wife Karen joined in the celebration.

MY RATING: 9

WoF Retro Recap: May 4, 1998 — HOUSTON OPENER

They taped two weeks at the George R. Brown Convention Center in H-Town. Unfortunately, things got real ugly on this road trip…

EPISODE #2896: HOUSTON WEEK

Paul Balcolm, Jr.: married man w/ a full-time job and a 2-yr.-old daughter from Spring, TX

Michael Wilson: attorney married w/ two children from Sugar Land

Sherry Hale: a court reporter who has her own court reporting firm (she also never missed a day of school) and married w/ two kids from Houston

Round 1: PROPER NAME

Paul started w/ a $1K R pair, but then S for sorry. From here, it’s all Michael — an $800 T pair, four N’s for a grand, E, a $1,200 G pair, and an A.

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

He IDed PITCHING GREAT NOLAN RYAN for $2,500.

SOLE DUD: S (Paul)

FEATURED PRIZE: two pairs of cowboy boots from RJ’s Boot Co. plus western wear from Stelzig of Texas worth $5K

Round 2: WHO ARE THEY?

A $500 S got Michael started, but then the $10K’s left side to lose the $500 right back. Second, Sherry called up a T for the Free SPIN, an $800 R, four E’s, two H’s for the $10K, an $1,800 N pair, a $450 P (she mistakenly thought she landed on LaT), a $250 W, but then the sole dud vowel of I and she obviously used the FS. But after buying the other three good vowels of O, A and U, she painfully BANKRUPTed near the purple $500 and lost $12,050 — ouch. Paul didn’t do any better w/ M for mistake. Back to Michael who lit up a $700 L, but then F for flunk. Sherry BANKRUPTed in the same spot again after picking three D’s for $1,500. Paul completed the board w/ $250 C and K singles…

D O N A L D
D U C K ‘ S
T H R E E
N E P H E W S

…and read the answer correctly. He then got the $2K bonus for knowing they’re Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

DUDS: I (Sherry), M (Paul), F (Michael)
BANKRUPTS: 3 (Michael, Sherry 2x)

Men: $2,500 each/Sherry: BAD LUCK

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FEATURED PRIZE #2: Houston’s theater district (includes tickets to the Alley Theater, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony Society for the Performing Arts and Theater Under the Starts plus accommodations at the DoubleTree Hotel worth $3,940

Jackpot Round: PHRASE

Trying to make up for that bummer in the last round, Sherry started w/ a $1,200 T pair, two E’s, a $500 R pair, two O’s, but then N for negative. Paul also missed w/ S for sorry. Michael got the wear and the theater prizes w/ H and X, respectively. After a $2,700 M trio, he went vowel buying for an A, but then repeated the O. After Sherry’s $1,400 D pair…

M _ _ D
M E D _ _ M / O R
E X T R A / H O T

…she solved MILD, MEDIUM OR EXTRA HOT for $2,600.

DUDS: N (Sherry), S (Paul)
SOLE DQ: O repeat by Michael
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,050

Men: $2,500 each/Sherry: $2,600

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Speed-Up: TITLE

Consonants in this ugly affair were worth $300 apiece.

Paul: 3 T’s
Michael: 2 H’s
Sherry: 2 F’s

T H _ /  _ _ _ H T
_ T _ F F

Sherry solved the Tom Wolfe novel “THE RIGHT STUFF” for $600.

FINAL SCORES
Men: $2,500 each/Sherry: $3,200

GT: a pitiful $8,200
BANKRUPT TRASH: $14,050

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Bonus Round

The non-$25K prizes up for grabs this week were…

• 1998 Chevrolet Corvette ($46K+)
• 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe ($34K+)
• 1998 GMC Sierra Extended Cab pickup ($31K+)
• new boat from the Wellcraft Marine Corporation ($21K+)

Sherry got the W envelope.

Category: THING

Here’s 1/3 of the answer…

_ _ N _ S _ _ _ E

She frontloaded the alphabet (BCDA in that order)…

_ A N D S _ A _ E

Although she got a HANDSHAKE from Pat for being here, she still blew it w/ LANDSCAPE and lost the Sierra. W/ a final total of $3,200, she had NO CHANCE of making it into the Friday Finals.

MY RATING: 1 — Things NEVER got off the ground, period. -___-

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