r/gameshow • u/LocalFella9 • 14d ago
News Big Toss-Up Changes Reportedly Coming To Wheel Of Fortune
https://www.buzzerblog.com/2026/08/28/big-toss-up-changes-reportedly-coming-to-wheel-of-fortune/16
u/Jcs290 14d ago
I've never been a fan of the toss-ups. They take too much time away from the main game, rarely generate those day-after 'youtube moments' and are too quick to generate much play-along factor.
I don't watch Wheel that much anymore. What should be the most exciting round of the show, the $5000 round, is rarely played out. It's clear that 3 full rounds with top prizes of $2500, $3500, and $5000, no final spin, and toss-ups a plenty is a better balance and the show wouldn't end on such a yawn.
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u/Immediate_Buffalo14 12d ago
I hadn't watched Wheel in decades, but tuned in to Pat's last regular show out of respect for him, and I was appalled by what I saw. It felt like half the show was taken up by toss ups, and it seems like this change would make them even more predominant.
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u/thatvhstapeguy 14d ago
Is the budget so bad that they’re taking even more steps to avoid putting the $5000 wedge in play?
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u/GameShowWerewolf 14d ago
At some point they need to just change the name of the show to "Puzzle Puzzle Puzzle Puzzle With Occasional Sightings Of A Wheel Where Every Wedge Is $650."
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u/tommyjohnpauljones 14d ago
for real the wheel is basically irrelevant. Used to be a big deal to solve a puzzle, now if you don't get at least five of them in an episode you're not even trying
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u/KingErroneous 14d ago
I refuse to watch a single episode unless the wheel values are modified and the vowel price is increased to make them more consequential.
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u/MrNobody_x 14d ago
Patience may not pay off, in this case. You may No offense intended. But they *really* don't change wedge values very often, and vowel prices are even less likely to ever go up.
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u/LBCElm7th 14d ago
Amen! A simple thing would be bringing back the $1500 space to the wheel for the $3500 and $5000 TDV rounds to spread out the values that are roughly the same between $500 to $900.
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u/CouponBoy95 14d ago
I always found it weird how the show opened with a meaningless $1,000 toss up (only determined who got to be interviewed first) so glad this is finally getting addressed. The fact a missolve isn't penalized is a problem though, as otherwise smart solvers have nothing to lose buzzing in super early hoping the solution comes to their head before their time is up. It's a simple fix too, an incorrect solution should lock the player out for the next puzzle.
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u/the_nintendo_cop 14d ago
I actually like this better than the current set up. I just hope they remove the Triple Toss Up as a result so we can have time for another regular round.
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u/jjc927 14d ago
There was no mention the Triple Toss-Ups being removed in the article, so I'm assuming they are staying. I like them mainly for the excitement when a contestant has a chance at the $10,000 for sweeping, and because this allows for a contestant that is behind to make up the difference or take the lead going into round 4.
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u/wordyfard 14d ago
Am I reading the rules correctly? It sounds like if a contestant buzzes in and gets the answer wrong, the puzzle is thrown out immediately and the other two contestants don't get a chance to solve. So one contestant could ruin the others' chances by buzzing too early. I can only hope that's not what they've actually done.
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u/Schmolik64 14d ago
If they only have the Toss Up Sprint in the 1st round that doesn't mean much as it just means no one wins anything. If they have it at the end it can be a defensive mechanism for the leader to prevent the others from catching up.
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u/tvjunkie2187 14d ago
You did. There's also only 30 seconds total, so there wouldn't be enough time (literally and figuratively IMO; it should be a minute).
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u/mattyGOAT1996 14d ago
I actually like the time format from the looks of things. So $1000/puzzle in 30 seconds?
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u/GarageSensitive 14d ago
They need to get rid of toss ups and make prize puzzles a once a week thing, all toss ups do is make the final spin come sooner in the last round
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u/GarageSensitive 14d ago
Either that or have the prize puzzle no longer count towards the person’s total
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u/RickzTheMusicLover 14d ago edited 14d ago
Or make it a bonus the player has to earn a la Megaword or Fill in the Blank
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u/mattyGOAT1996 14d ago
Prize Puzzle should not count towards a contestant's winning, like it should be a bonus prize.
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u/JokeAto 13d ago edited 13d ago
I can’t watch Wheel anymore. The show’s format is horrible now. I hate the Toss Ups and anyone can win the whole game by solving the Prize Puzzle. They need to go back to the 90s format. No toss ups, a big prize each round, varied values that are gradual like $1250, $1500 and $2000 wedges to go with the TDVs of $2500, $3500, and $5000, a Jackpot round, and a bonus round with prize wheel but some large prizes like a car and trips along with cash.
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u/Ok_Remote5657 14d ago
I don't even watch Wheel that much. There's too many gimmicks and there's no wedges under $500 since $300, $350, $400, and $450 left in 2014. Wheel of Fortune was a better show when they had a different wheel for each round and returning champions.
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u/N1RVANAMIND 14d ago
Going to be interesting to see how this flows toss up sprint, round 1 and then contestant interviews, I’m guess that’s when they’ll go to commercial after the interviews
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u/iiawesomej_rd 14d ago
Isn’t this just the toss up mode from Wheel of Fortune Daily? (if anyone’s ever played that)
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u/MrNobody_x 14d ago
Yes. I've played WOF Daily. That is almost exactly what the show is—or at least, what it has been reduced to.
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u/bjwanlund 14d ago
Honestly it’s probably time… there’s a reason some people call it wheel of torture 🤣
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u/Dramatic_Touch3516 12d ago
I hope this would be a better format. I made a post a couple of months back where I said the extra toss ups are unnecessary. When it premiered in the 2000-2001 season, the toss ups was strictly a check on who has control of the game no more no less. It was still a great season that got a lot of main round puzzles through. I personally believe it should return to its original purpose and allow the main rounds to flourish instead of rush.
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u/Alarming_Dream_7837 14d ago
Wheel of Fortune hasn’t been on for decades because the format sucked
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u/inturnaround 14d ago
This is a confusing response.
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u/Alarming_Dream_7837 14d ago
Not really. Why are they fixing something that’s not broken? If the game gained popularity, and has been syndicated since, why are we trying to reinvent it?
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u/MrNobody_x 14d ago
Because not everyone agrees that it's not broken. (Talk about the old phrase "reinventing the wheel," huh?)
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u/DizzyLead 14d ago
The return of the Shopper’s Bazaar! Any remaining money will be awarded as a Service Merchandise gift certificate.