Wheel of Fortune timeline (network)/1987

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January 1987

• Wheel does not air on January 1 due to the Tournament of Roses parade.
• According to one recollection, two consecutive episodes sometime this year end in a tie, resulting in a contestant playing for five episodes. If so, then this is very likely the only occurrence of this.
• Mitzi/Tony/Cheryl airs sometime this month.

February 1987

• For the entirety of this month, Wheel and NBC's other game shows (Blockbusters, Sale of the Century, Scrabble, Super Password, and Wordplay) participate in the "Car-azy February" Sweepstakes; on Wheel, certain episodes have a special puzzle for home viewers to solve by sending their guesses via mail. The answers and car winners are revealed on-air around the beginning of March.
• February 9 is Battle of the Sexes Week. The intro is the same as in 1984, with the sexes' positions swapped and the puzzle board reading BATTLE OF THE SEXES on the top three lines; there are eight women and seven men.
• On February 13 (Mike/Renee):
  • Vanna wears a shirt and pants.
  • Neither Bankrupt nor Lose a Turn is hit.
  • The Bonus Round is played for $5,000, displayed before the Bonus Round as five $1,000 bills inside a package of Valentine's Day chocolates.
  • During the final segment, Pat and Vanna wish the viewers a happy Valentine's Day before signing off.
• On at least February 13, and probably for the entire week, the mid-show bumper is a shot of the BATTLE OF THE SEXES board and players. The logo is shown at the top-left corner of the screen, in pink lettering.

March 1987

• On March 6 and 9, Randy Sampson wins around $20,000 in prizes including a Jeep Cherokee. His wife, Leigh, competes on the nighttime version the same month, and she becomes notable for setting a one-round record of $44,300.
• On March 11, Christine Swanson-Woolf retires undefeated with over $33,000.
• On March 12 (David/Jean/Karen):
  • No vowels are bought in Round 4.
  • All of the puzzles are very short, with Round 2 being the longest at only 19 letters.
  • Before the Round 2 outro, Pat mentions that the Jackpot (then at $18,000) is at the highest value it has been at since being introduced.
  • The Jackpot graphic is a "Pot of Gold" at the end of a rainbow, with a stuffed leprechaun next to the pot. The money graphic is red with a white outline and is stationary.
  • After the Speed-Up puzzle is solved, the contestant backdrops show a reflection of the puzzle board being wheeled away.
  • Karen calls A in the Bonus Round, a rare instance of a player calling a vowel other than E under the five-and-a-vowel rules.
• On March 13, there is a $19,000 Jackpot win by Karen Solomon.
• On March 16, contestant Clay sweeps the game and wins the Bonus Round.
• As of March 17 (Phyllis/Alan/Clay), the money graphic still acts the same as it did on September 2, 1982.
• On March 17:

  

  • Due to it being St. Patrick's Day, Pat wears a frog hat from shortly after Vanna's entrance through the end of the show. A close-up of Pat wearing the hat appears in the ceremonial 3,000th and 4,000th nighttime shows.
  • After the ceramic Dalmatian is bought, Jack refers to it during his prize descriptions as the show's mascot.
  • There is a $2,000 Jackpot win.
  • At the end of the show, the chroma-key Wheel shot has a clover-shaped window over the center of the Wheel. This is also seen during the sponsor list.
• March 19 also has a Jackpot win.
• On March 27, a champion retires undefeated.
• By March 30 (Randy/Robin/Jim):
  • The money graphic begins zooming in much like the Jackpot graphic, and appears at the top of the screen.
  • During the opening after the money graphic and show logo displays and prior to Pat's entrance, Vanna can be seen briefly ducking behind the car and subsequently moving into position behind the curtain to make her entrance.
  • Jack begins announcing from a booth in front of the audience. This setup remains through at least mid-October 1988, and likely through June 30, 1989.
  • The ticket and contestant plugs are overhauled: at the top is now "CONTESTANTS" or "TICKETS" in underlined italics, (although the address and phone number are unchanged). While the contestant plug is still done between the fee plugs and sponsor list, the ticket plug is now done after the sponsor list, although neither is done over the Wheel.
• On March 30:
  • It takes six turns to reveal any letters in the Round 1 puzzle HO CHI MINH. The puzzle is then mispronounced by Jim with only the O unrevealed, after which Randy solves for the $200 house minimum. 15 turns are lost in this round, which runs for 4 minutes and 33 seconds.
  • After Randy buys the ceramic Dalmatian following Round 1, Pat immediately puts the remaining $46 on a gift certificate without offering the option to put it on account.
  • Randy sweeps the game, but loses a Mazda in the Bonus Round. Her total of $1,000 is one of the lowest winning scores in the show's history, and $1,000 is also very likely a record for the lowest cumulative total among all three contestants. The total amount of prizes purchased (three, one in each round) is also very likely a record low.
  • Pat and Vanna talk to Jack during the final segment. Before introducing him, Pat notes that Jack had been in an offstage room for years and the new setup had debuted "only recently".

April 1987

• On April 1 (Steven/Gail/Missy):
  • The blanks of the Round 3 puzzle are not shown until after Missy begins her first spin.
  • The footage of the trailer the winning contestant plays for is either prerecorded or followed by an edit, as it is followed by a fade to the normal "dimming lights" puzzle board shot with Vanna next to the trilons despite the fact she had just been modeling the trailer.
  • During the final segment, Pat and Vanna talk about the April Fool's joke they played two years earlier.
  • The Wheel can be heard starting its automation as Pat and Vanna sign off.
• On April 9:
  • There is a $5,000 Jackpot win.
  • Only Thing(s) and Phrase are used: the former in Rounds 2, 4, and the Bonus Round, and the latter in Rounds 1 and 3.
  • Somewhat unusually, contestant Debi reveals only one letter (R) in the bonus puzzle BURGLAR ALARM.
• April 13 is Teen Week, with the Friday Finals format. During this week:
  • The opening, using the same structure as previous Teen Weeks, shows 15 players in front of the puzzle board. The participants are seen "modeling" the prizes at the top of the show.
  • The animated Wheel logo is not used.
• On April 14 (Guru/Chad/Lisa):
  • Vanna wears a shirt and pants.
  • Guru had been an alternate in the December 1986 Teen Week.
  • During Round 2, the contestants are shown turning their backs before Pat throws to the mid-round commercial.
  • The audience cheers loudly when Chad buys the ceramic Dalmatian after Round 2, which Jack refers to as "our favorite mascot" during his prize descriptions.
  • After the game, Pat and Vanna make jokes about the 15 pound chocolate bunny offered to all that week's contestants, with Vanna biting its ear and Pat biting its tail and saying "we'll see you tomorrow for more food!" before signing off.
• On at least April 14, and probably for the entire week, the mid-show bumper is a shot of the TEEN WEEK board and players; the logo animation is much faster, and has red lettering.
• On April 27 (Pete/Carolyn/Elaine):
  • Pete sweeps the game and wins a Pontiac in the Bonus Round.
  • The puzzle board reads BEAST during the credits. This was done, presumably by Pat, by rearranging the letters in the bonus puzzle BEST MAN.
• As of April 27, full credit rolls still use entirely blue text.

May 1987

• Wheel does not air on May 5 due to NBC News coverage of the Iran-Contra hearings, which began on that day.
• May 7 has a Jackpot win.

June 1987

• June 5 and 8 is the first known instance of two consecutive Jackpot wins, the former being $21,000.

• On June 12 (MaryKay/Ted/Kim):
  • All of the puzzles are very short, with Round 2 being the longest at only 16 letters.
  • After the ceramic Dalmatian is bought following Round 1, Jack refers to it during his prize descriptions as "our favorite mascot".
  • Before Round 3, Pat indirectly references the $21,000 Jackpot win from June 5, saying the Jackpot was "building back up there after our big winner last week".
• On June 15 (Rod/MaryKay/Angie):
  • After Pat mentions the top value for Round 1, he says "I'm supposed to read the rules here, but I'd appreciate it if you just do it in the privacy of your own home because I don't feel like it."
  • Pat does not recap the scores after the final round.
  • The sponsor list is not done over the spinning Wheel.
• On June 16:
  • Contestant Cheryl plays for a $2,900 dinette set in the Bonus Round, one of the least expensive known prizes ever offered there.
  • After Cheryl wins the above, she and her husband join Pat and Vanna around the table that comes with said prize. They then stay there for the rest of the show, thus meaning that the turntable does not spin. In addition, the shot stays on them during the credits.
  • The available copy of this show has about ten seconds of "Changing Keys" spliced in over itself partway through the credits, resulting in a noticeable change in audio quality and sudden disappearance of applause. This was likely done to mask a network voiceover for a show that was either rescheduled at the last minute, or not aired by the individual affiliate from which this recording was taped.
• On June 17, Pat and Vanna chat with Jack at the end of the show.
• At this point, the category chyrons are still not present during Speed-Up rounds.
• At this point, the Enterprises logo still looks the same as it did on December 22, 1986.

July 1987

• Wheel does not air on July 3 due to NBC coverage of the Wimbledon Men's Singles Semifinals.
• Wheel does not air on July 7-9, 13-17, 21, 28, or 30-31 due to NBC News coverage on the Iran-Contra hearings.

August 1987

• August 31 is Teen Week, with the Friday Finals format.

October 1987

• By about mid-October, the category chyrons begin to appear in Speed-Up rounds.
• By about mid-October, the Enterprises logo is altered: the background becomes yellow, and "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company" is changed to "A unit of Coca-Cola TELEVISION".
• As of about mid-October, the "only vowels remain" beeps still sound eight times.
• On an episode believed to be from around this point (Ray/Keri/Mary):
  • Ray puts $149 on account following Round 1.
  • Keri only spins once in the entire game, landing on Lose a Turn on the first spin of Round 2.
  • Ray sweeps the game, but due to the availability of footage, it is not known whether or not he wins the Bonus Round.
• By the above episode, the "only vowels remain" beeps are shortened from eight to four.
• October 27 has a Jackpot win.

November 1987

• On November 4 (Diana/Bill/Patti), the money graphic is shown in the middle of the screen.
• On November 5 (Mike/Diana/Jacie):
  • The money graphic is shown in the middle of the screen.
  • All of the puzzles are very short, with Rounds 1 and 2 being the longest at 18 letters each.
  • Rounds 2, 4, and the Bonus Round are Thing.
  • The Jackpot, which is at $7,000, is claimed but not won.
  • No vowels are bought in Round 4.
  • The Wheel can be heard starting its automation as Pat and Vanna sign off.
• On November 6 (Diana/Leanne/Roger):
  • The money graphic is shown at the top of the screen.
  • During Leanne's interview, she mentions that she is a professional golfer. As Pat is not a golfer, he throws to Jack for a question to Leanne about her golfing.
  • All of the puzzles are very short, with Rounds 2 and 3 the longest at 19 letters each.
  • There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 1 and 2 are Things, Round 3 and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
  • When Diana hits Bankrupt on the first spin of Round 1, the slide whistle does not sound.
  • In a rare occurrence, Diana spends all of her money in the Round 1 shopping segment.
  • The Round 2 puzzle is THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE, resulting in a rare case of the puzzle's category (Things) also being part of the answer.
  • All three contestants hit Lose a Turn consecutively in Round 3.
  • Thirteen wrong letters are called in the Speed-Up.
  • Following Round 4, Pat offers the winner (who has $4,500) the choice to either put it all on a gift certificate, or purchase a $1,741 golf package and put the rest on a gift certificate (which they do).
  • Diana leaves with $28,822 despite not making it to the Bonus Round on her third appearance.
  • Pat and Vanna do not sign off; rather, the final segment begins with the fee plugs.
  • The sponsor list is not done over the Wheel.
• Wheel does not air on November 26 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• November 27 and 30 are the second known instance of two consecutive Jackpot wins, this time by the same contestant.
• On November 30 (Dave/Diana/Susan):
  • Rounds 1 and 2 are played entirely by the person who began them.
  • Pat states that the November 27 Jackpot was $22,000, which is the highest known total ever achieved by it.
  • Round 4 (LOT'S WIFE) is shorter than ten letters.
  • Diana solves the bonus puzzle FRENCH HORN before the timer can start.
  • Diana leaves with $50,515, including the $22,000 Jackpot and a Jeep won on her final appearance. This is believed to be a new daytime winnings record.
• As of November 30, the eligibility disclaimer is still using the same wording as it did in October 1978.
• By November 30, full credit rolls now have headers in blue and names in yellow.

December 1987

• Sometime this month, contestant Robert Forst loses $10,800 by adding "the" in front of ATLANTA FALCONS. He ends up with no money, leaving with $4,800 from his previous game.
• December 21 is Teen Week, with the Friday Finals format. During this week:
  • As in 1986, the opening shows all 15 participants standing or sitting at the puzzle board.
  • The set is again decorated for Christmas.
  • The mid-show bumper logo is a shot of the week's players waving in front of the puzzle board. The logo is already present on the 21st and appears one letter at a time on the 25th.
  • On at least the 21st and 25th, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" plays from Pat and Vanna's sign-off through the end of the credits.
• On December 21 (Joey/Steve/Samantha):
  • One commercial break comes between Round 3 and the end-of-game tally. After Jack does the Service Merchandise catalog plug, Pat recaps the scores and announces the winner before throwing to commercial again. This was most likely because no mid-round commercial breaks were done, and it was later determined there would not be enough time to play a fourth round or a gift certificate.
  • There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1 and 3, Thing in Round 2, and Things in the Bonus Round.
  • For the last known time, the chroma-key Wheel shot is used during Pat and Vanna's sign-off.
• By December 21, the eligibility disclaimer is changed to "Contestants are furnished with complete rules, must meet eligibility requirements in order to win announced prizes."
• On December 25 (Lance/Renee/Joey):
  • The main game is played for savings bonds, with no shopping.
  • Five rounds are played, with a $750/$750/$1,000/$2,000/$2,000 structure.
  • There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1 and 5, People in Round 4, and Person in the Bonus Round.
  • The sponsor list is not done over the Wheel.
  • Just before Pat's wardrobe plug appears, Jack says "This is Jack Clark. All of us at Wheel of Fortune wish you all the very merriest of Christmases" before doing the Enterprises spiel. As a result, this is the first known instance of a daytime Wheel announcer signing off by name.
• Beginning December 28, the fee plugs are eliminated on all NBC game shows. On Wheel, departing contestants now receive a substantial prize, announced before the beginning of Round 3 or 4.