when did wheel of fortune stop shopping for prizes
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show) Originally, after winning a round, contestants spent their winnings on prizes that were presented onstage. At any time during a shopping round, most often if the contestant did not have enough left to buy another prize,[19] a contestant could choose to put his or her winnings on a gift certificate, or he or she could put the winnings "on account" for use in a later shopping round. However, a contestant would lose any money on account by landing on Bankrupt or failing to claim it by not winning subsequent rounds.[9] The shopping element was eliminated from the syndicated version on the episode that aired October 5, 1987,[20] both to speed up gameplay and to alleviate the taxes paid by contestants.[12] However, the network version continued to use the shopping element until the end of its first NBC run on June 30, 1989.[21]
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show) The original host of Wheel of Fortune was Chuck Woolery, who hosted the series from its 1975 premiere[9][38] until December 25, 1981, save for one week in August 1980 when Alex Trebek hosted in his place. Woolery's departure came over a salary dispute with show creator Merv Griffin, and his contract was not renewed.[12][39] On December 28, 1981, Pat Sajak made his debut as the host of Wheel.[40] Griffin said that he chose Sajak for his "odd" sense of humor. NBC president and CEO Fred Silverman objected as he felt Sajak, who at the time of his hiring was the weatherman for KNBC-TV, was "too local" for a national audience. Griffin countered by telling Silverman he would stop production if Sajak was not allowed to become host, and Silverman acquiesced.[41]