Bankrupt is one of the gameplay elements on Wheel of Fortune. It is one of the wedges on the show's titular Wheel.
History[]
Bankrupt with skinner font used for two weeks in Season 14.
The concept of Bankrupt as a gameplay element was introduced on the first of the pilot episodes hosted by Edd Byrnes in 1974. The wedge is one of the elements of risk within the game, as landing on it eliminates all money and other possessions accumulated within the same round.
The wedge has always been white text on a black background. Early on, it also had white outlines on the edge of the wedge, but these were removed in mid-1975.
There was originally one Bankrupt in Round 1 and two for each round thereafter, but in 1987 this was changed to add the second Bankrupt in Round 3. After the show changed to using only one Wheel template for the entire game (as opposed to each round having its own template), the second Bankrupt became an individual add-on wedge for Round 3. Notably, the add-on Bankrupt used the wrong font for the first two weeks with the single wheel template.
From 1997-2005, in the event that a round began as a Speed-Up, the second Bankrupt was removed along with any remaining cardboard. From 2007-09, the second Bankrupt and remaining cardboard (except the Wild Card from 2006-2008) were always removed after Round 3 but, since the beginning of Season 27, both Bankrupts are present throughout the game, with a second one permanently replacing the purple $600 next to the top dollar value.
Originally, the orange-yellow (changed to red in Season 24) $300 was replaced by a second Bankrupt for Rounds 2+ from Seasons 14-19 (excluding the rest of the round where the $10,000 Wedge is picked up). The second Bankrupt in Round 3 moved to the purple $600 next to top dollar in Season 20, which then moved to the yellow $300 in Season 25 (purple $600 next to top dollar in Season 26) for use in Rounds 2 and 3 only.
The wedge's symbolic slide whistle was added sometime between June 7, 1976 and July 5, 1977, and changed to the current sound on July 17, 1989. Originally, the slide whistle would also sound if the host's Final Spin landed on Bankrupt; this was dropped by the end of the 1980s.
Three other wedges currently used also have a Bankrupt, the Bankrupt Mystery Wedge, the Million-Dollar Wedge's outer edges, and the Express Wedge when a contestant loses their turn after hopping in. Certain retired gameplay elements also implemented a Bankrupt in some form, including the $10,000 Wedge's outer edges, and the Big Money Wedge from Season 25 drawing it at random.
The single-round record for Bankrupt hits is believed to be six, occurring on March 27, 1979 (Round 2); October 11, 1994 (Round 3); October 26, 1994 (Round 3); May 26, 2005 (Round 3); December 30, 2008 (Round 3, one from the Mystery Wedge); October 4, 2011 (Round 2); November 28, 2013 (Round 3); March 18, 2015 (Round 2); November 25, 2015 (Round 1); and April 10, 2018 (Round 2). It was also hit six times in Round 3 of the third Second Chance Lottery Promotion taped after Season 34.
On Wheel 2000, Bankrupt was renamed "The Creature". It was said in-show to be a monster living under the Wheel. If a contestant landed on it, smoke effects appeared and ominous laughter was heard.