Watched both season premieres last night. With Celebrity Wheel, the tape schedule in between seasons 38 and 39 gave what some people called a "beta" version of the later, where some of the changes like the contestant performing the Final Spin were present, but with the 2017 toss up and speedup puzzle cues still intact. The first bonus puzzle was the tricky "POPULAR CLIQUE" which is more suited for the syndicated version. The biggest surprise is that in the second half, there was a fourth round, with the bonus for solving the same as in Round 3, which really does make quick solves worthwhile in that part of the game. Jason and Michael were really fun to watch, but I did feel a bit sad for Cheryl who truly felt like the "third wheel" to them in terms of getting in on the action.
Supermarket Sweep was largely the same overall, but with a couple new bonuses including the return of the coffee grinder as opposed to the cup as seen in Season 1 (Which nobody sadly picked), along with a Big Sweep total low that barely cracked $1,000, where one team's bonuses racked up more than their total. The Bonus Sweep format eliminated the bailout options for a money ladder, with 90 seconds to five all five items. The first item was worth $5,000, the second $10,000, the third $25,000, the fourth $50,000, and the last $100,000. While I find that format a nice return to the traditional, I feel that the money amounts for the first four items should be lower since in the Ruprecht version, having two was not even worth a tenth of the $5,000. I'd do $1,000-$2,500-$5,000-$10,000 or $1,000-$5,000-$10,000-$25,000 for the lower amounts. I'll certainly be watching these instead of football (or DVR if Washington/Baltimore is on that night).
