I just returned from Vegas and went to 2 tapings of Wheel Of Fortune from The Palazzo hotel and there are a few changes for the upcoming season.
First off, there are no more Free Spins. Pat says they have been "retired." In its place is a wedge (regular size) called "Free Play." It is raised like the Jackpot wedge. If a contestant lands on it and guesses the wrong letter, they still get to keep their turn.
The Jackpot Round is now Round 1. The Mystery Round hasn't changed and is still Round 3.
The $2500, $3500 (I think it has been like this for a while), and $5000 spaces are all next to Bankrupts. The wheel colors, fonts, configurations, etc. are all the same.
The Prize Puzzle and Toss-Up Puzzle graphics have changed. The Prize Puzzle graphic actually says "Prize Puzzle" on the bottom of the screen and not just "Prize." The Toss-Up graphics are the same except they are pinkish-purple instead of blue.
The puzzleboard design has not changed, but the changing lights are now red/orange/yellow. At one point, I thought I saw a pattern of red/yellow/green/blue, but I'm not sure.
Also, and I'm not sure if this was because they were on the road or not, but there was no mention of a car in the Bonus Round. I don't know if they decided not to give them away anymore or what. There was not even one on set.
I had a lot of fun at the tapings and its exactly like at TPIR, the set is much smaller in person.
If anyone has Alex's (Buzzerblog) email address, could someone PM me. I don't have AOL and if I click it on his site, it gets me no where.
