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January 1985[]
- Wheel does not air on January 1 or 21: the former due to the Tournament of Roses parade, the latter due to coverage of the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
- Sometime this month, likely after January 21, three graphical changes are made:
- The logo used at the beginning of the show becomes a chyron with white borders and letters which are closer together than the previous logo. The transparent portions of the Wheel graphic are filled in, while the formerly-filled spaces become white.
- The logo shown after the money graphic is updated to an animated one with colored sections rotating in the center (colors which, at this point, vary). The letters and dots flash in dark and light shades of yellow.
- The monospaced category displays become chyrons in a medium form of Helvetica, often in burnt orange. The Bonus Round totals, eligibility disclaimer, wardrobe plugs, and credits also begin using this same variation of Helvetica (itself wider than the version in use since at least 1976).
- Presumably at the same time, and definitely by March 30, 1987, the ticket and contestant plugs also begin using Helvetica.
- Later in January, the category chyrons get a shadow effect. Slightly later, the regular animated logo (with red, blue, green, and yellow sections) debuts.
- At this point, the credits are still white.
February 1985[]
- On February 1, Round 4 (WINDOW-SHOPPING) uses an unnecessary hyphen.
- By February 8 (Warren/Sol/Linda):
- The category chyrons and Bonus Round totals are upgraded to a bolder form of Helvetica with no shadow and a white outline around the bottom of each character. They again display in various colors, often matching Vanna's outfit (with the exception of neutral colors such as black, white, brown, and gray).
- The Winter decorations are again removed from the walls. This is uncertain, however, as there are several nighttime episodes with the shadowed category chyrons but no Winter items and a couple with the Winter items and second chyrons.
- On at least this episode, the graphics for the eligibility disclaimer, wardrobe plugs, and full credit roll are pink; previously, they were white.
- The mid-show bumper begins spelling out the show's title one letter at a time horizontally.
- On February 8:
- Rounds 1, 2, and 4 are Phrase.
- No overhead Wheel shot is used during the credits.
- February 11 is Couples Week.
- Sometime this month, most likely the week of February 18, the show celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a week-long home-viewer contest.
March 1985[]
- By March 29 (Linda/Mary Ann/Larry):
- The category chyrons are altered again to have the white outline around the entirety of each character, a style which remains for the rest of the run.
- The graphics for the eligibility disclaimer, wardrobe plugs, and full credit roll become blue.
- On March 29:
- Before Round 1, Pat ends the opening spin by saying "once you buy a cat, it's yours to keep", in reference to Larry mentioning his pet cats during his interview.
- No vowels are bought in Round 1.
- It takes seven turns to reveal any letters in the Round 4 puzzle DO ME A FAVOR.
- Later in Round 4, after spinning the Wheel, Pat asks Linda to let the Wheel stop, then "give it a full spin", presumably due to the Wheel slipping out of her hands.
- Unusually, the "aww" track on the applause machine sounds nearly two seconds before time expires in the Bonus Round.
- Mary Ann retires with $20,045.
- Sometime between the introduction of the third Helvetica chyrons and that of the third sunburst backdrops, a then-unknown Jean-Paul Manoux is a contestant (as "J.P.") during Teen Week and wins $9,020: $2,650 in the front game and a $6,370 trip to Tahiti in the Bonus Round.
April 1985[]
- April 1 is Teen Week, known to have been promoted on at least March 28 and 29.
- On April 1, Pat makes an April Fool's joke by claiming that he and Vanna are getting married.
- On April 12 (Debbie/Teri/Chuck):
- There are two sets of repeated categories: Phrase in Rounds 1 and 3, Thing in Round 2 and the Bonus Round.
- During the final segment, Pat and Vanna make reference to the April Fool's joke they played two weeks earlier, saying they were "getting a lot of presents in the mail" and reiterating that their statement was in fact an April Fool's joke.
- On April 15 (Geri/Wayne/Debbie):
- During Round 3, nine turns are lost, five of which are consecutive.
- The letter ding is used when the apostrophe is revealed in the Speed-Up, and the audience applauds for the first correct letter.
- Mark Corwin fills in as director.
- On April 24 (Mary/Mirtha/Chuck):
- Pat's Final Spin lands on Lose a Turn; his second attempt lands on $2,000.
- Chuck sweeps the game and wins a trip to Lake Tahoe in the Bonus Round.
- On April 25 (Chuck/Norma/Shira), Pat's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
May 1985[]
- At this point, the Bankrupt slide whistle is still heard if Pat hits it on the Final Spin.
- On May 8:
- Unusually, the chyron for the category Fictional Character uses a thinner font, allowing it to fit on only one line.
- No vowels are bought in Round 1.
- For only the second known time, a Speed-Up puzzle is filled in completely before being solved.
- The bonus puzzle RODEO DRIVE BEVERLY HILLS uses all four rows. This is also a very rare instance of the bonus puzzle being the longest.
- On May 9:
- Vanna wears a suit.
- No vowels are bought in Round 2.
- There is a very rare instance of Quotation in the Bonus Round.
- Contestant Chris calls A in the Bonus Round, a rare instance of a contestant calling any vowel other than E under the original rules.
- For the second consecutive episode, the bonus puzzle (SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW) is the longest one.
June 1985[]
- At this point, the beginning of the sponsor list still looks the same as it did in Spring 1984.
- The June 5 show is Rebecca/Kerry/Edna.
- On June 12 (Robin/Stacey/Shari):
- Vanna wears a suit.
- All of the puzzles are very short, with Round 2 (USE ONLY AS DIRECTED) being the longest at only 17 letters.
- In an unusual move for the era, the bonus puzzle has two hyphens in it (FREE-FOR-ALL).
- Rounds 2, 4, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
- On June 13 (Russ/Shari/Terri), once again, all of the puzzles are very short with Round 2 (SUPREME COURT JUSTICE) being the longest at only 19 letters.
- On June 18 or 25 (Karen/Robert/Rachel), six consecutive turns are lost in Round 3.
- On June 19 or 26 (Pamela/Tracie/Robert):
- Pamela gets a Free Spin in Round 1, which she uses in Round 2 after buying a repeated E. She hands it in at the same time as Pat is being signaled to throw to commercial.
- Pamela sweeps the game and wins a Pontiac Sunbird station wagon in the Bonus Round.
- After the Bonus Round, as Pamela doesn't have anyone there with her, Pat joins her in the car, leading Vanna to sign off by herself.
- By the above episode, the ticket/contestant plug is overhauled: at the top is now "SEND POSTCARDS TO", with "TO" on its own line. The address is changed to "P.O. BOX 4356 HOLLYWOOD, CA 90078" (although the phone number is unchanged).
- This plug is now done between the sponsor list and the wardrobe plugs. On at least this episode, it is done over the puzzle board and car.
- On both of the above episodes, the Enterprises logo is in a different font than usual.
July 1985[]
August 1985[]
- According to one recollection, Alex Trebek fills in for Pat sometime this month, most likely for one episode.
- On August 19:
- Mark Corwin fills in as director.
- Rounds 2 and 5 (GYPSY MOTH and IN A TIZZY) are both shorter than ten letters. The former also has only one vowel.
- Twelve consecutive wrong letters are called in the Speed-Up.
- The camera is positioned at an angle and too far to the right during the Bonus Round.
- On August 20:
- Rounds 1 and 2 are Title.
- The segment between the third and fourth commercial breaks does not have any gameplay, but rather just recapping the scores and announcing the winner.
- On August 21, both the buzzer and ding sound on a wrong letter in Round 2, after which the buzzer sounds again.
September 1985[]
- By about September 9, the Enterprises logo is altered slightly: the font color is now pacific blue, rather than the silver used previously.
- On September 20, a champion retires undefeated.
- On September 23 (James/Karla/Yvonne):
- Pat forgets to announce the top dollar value for Round 2.
- In Round 2, the contestants are shown turning their backs during the mid-round commercial outro.
- Despite the mid-round break, a fourth round is played, and the Bonus Round is moved to the final segment. Because of this, Pat signs off after the Bonus Round.
- The Enterprises logo uses the same font seen in the aforementioned June episodes.
- By September 23, the beginning of the sponsor list returns to solely using upper-case letters.
October 1985[]
November 1985[]
- November 18 is Teen Week.
- Wheel does not air on November 28 due to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
December 1985[]
- On December 4 (Corinne/Cheryl/Walt):
- No vowels are bought in Round 1.
- For one of the only known times, only one category (Phrase) is used in the entire show.
- All of the puzzles are very short, with Round 2 and 3 (DON'T PRESS YOUR LUCK and GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE) both being the longest at only 17 letters.
- Sometime this month, the Winter decorations likely return to the walls.
- On December 25, Jack appears onstage at the end of the show with Pat and Vanna to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
- December 30 is Teen Week, using the Friday Finals format. As this week only has four episodes (see below), the opening sequence shows just 11 contestants (with two likely being standby players).