Then there's the conspiracy theory about setting up the Round 4 Wheel to the point where Pat can't land on the final spin since most of the time nowadays, and also having the "running out of time" bells ring accordingly. On average, Pat misses the $5000 by about seven spaces nowadays. Then there's other budget controls like having shorter puzzles, the Crossword category more often, and more car wedges in the Bonus Wheel if its valued less than the cash minimum. Something seems suspicious out there in Wheel land, something that would have been a complete no-no if Merv was still around.
While I'm not too thrilled about being able to choose the category for the Bonus Round, I still think that the Triple Tossup, introduced last year, is far worse. It's part of the reason why 10 of the first 11 episodes this season have started with a speedup for R4. Quite honestly, I wouldn't mind mid-commercial breaks in R2 or R3 like in the old days, while possibly having a speedup for R3. In addition, while I've talked before about how I'd change the Wheel layout and tended to focus more on bringing back retired elements like the Jackpot wedge or spaces like $1500 or $2000, I'd focus more on something that makes a certain other show more exciting at its halfway point: Doubling the current values of the Wheel starting with Round 4. Have the center of the Wheel display "DOUBLE", once over each contestant in a curved font to avoid viewer confusion. This would allow for contestants trailing from a moderate deficit to still have a shot at catching up, and if we had the $5000 space in 1983, $10,000 today in 2020 would certainly make sense in an overdue matter. Also, drop the tossup prior to interviews and return the Triple tossup to a single to allow for more time to play a supercharged Wheel. Finally, eliminate the Prize Puzzle; I'd rather just have those resorts sponsor a round/element instead.
Of the retired elements however, I would bring back the Free Spin token, I'd have it where you can earn another one if someone wins one in a previous round (up to 3). A nice compromise between the old wedge and the token, and I'd still award money for the dollar amount that the token is hidden under. Even though its been off the Wheel for over a decade, its still an iconic fixture of the show itself, lasting over three decades and even appearing as an element on a pinball machine in the form of an extra ball.
Finally, as a possible spiritual successor to the Jackpot, I'd bring back a variant of the gold/red letter puzzle where in one round, if you solve the puzzle right after that specially colored letter shows, you win a $5000 bonus.
But now doubt that Harry's forte is Jeopardy! He pitched to lift the returning champions limit, yet when he took over Wheel, he eliminated them first for the Friday Finals, and then in 1998, got away with them altogether. That says a lot about his stance between the two shows.
