Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 34

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A timeline for Season 34 of Wheel of Fortune, which will air in first-run from September 12, 2016 through June 8, 2017.

Note: During the season (September-June), this page is generally updated Monday-Friday around 8:00 PM Eastern, so spoilers may be present for the most recently-aired episode. It is also updated at times from mid-June to mid-September as details of the new season are revealed and taping days are announced.

Second Note: Any below information regarding episodes that have not yet been taped or aired is preliminary and subject to change, with months added as info is released about them. Further, please do not guess and do not add anything to this section past the most recently-aired episode unless it is confirmed.

Known Tapings

• Five weeks of shows will be taped in Culver City on January 5-6, January 19-20, and February 2.
  • The theme of the December 16 taping is currently unknown.
  • The February 2 tapings will be Great American Cities: San Diego, scheduled for February 20.
• Three other weeks have been tentatively scheduled, but not yet taped: Leave Winter Behind (January 30), Big Money Week (February 6), and Teen Best Friends Week (February 27).
• Two other Great American Cities weeks, for Chicago and Boston respectively, have also been announced.

Season Changes

• The opening animation is slightly altered so that a graphic showing the week's theme appears over the studio doors.
• The Crossword category becomes a regular feature, no longer limited to Round 2. For at least the early tapings of this season, it appears three times per week.
  • Crossword Rounds now have "CROSSWORD" written in squares above the category strip when the puzzle is revealed; this changes to "Clue" when the round is in progress.
• The Prize copy is now read only if the Prize has a sponsor, or if it is cash or a shopping spree.
• ½ Cars no longer include specific copy or images of the car in question; instead, an image of the car's make is shown on a blue background.
• The "pop-up" score displays at the top of the screen in Round 3 now zoom onto the screen, as opposed to simply sliding downwards.
• The $33,000 envelopes are increased to $34,000.
• Car envelopes in the Bonus Round return to showing the car's logo.
• The SPIN ID feature is discontinued for the first half of the season due to many local pre-emptions by national election debates and Thursday Night Football.
• The theme of the week now appears on the scoreboards during the Bonus Round.
• The Wheel is now wrapped in plastic when not in use, most likely to prevent tourists from trying to spin or tamper with it. A sign is placed on a nearby stand and on the Wheel itself, showing the traditional logo and a message reading "DO NOT UNCOVER OR TOUCH THE WHEEL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES".
• Most of the Bonus Round cars are now significantly cheaper than the lowest cash prize ($34,000). Presumably because of this and their increased frequency of being landed on during the first half of the season, there seem to be more car envelopes in the Bonus Wheel than prior seasons.

September 2016

• September 12 is Teacher's Week, taped July 14; this is also the first taped week of the season. During this week, the post-Round 1 bumper is a famous quotation pertaining to teaching or education, on a blue background with a picture of that person.
• On September 12:
  • Before the $1,000 Toss-Up, Harry Friedman is heard when Pat asks what season it is.
  • The Gift Tag is $1,000 cash from Pilot Pens.
  • Jim is shown on-camera before Round 2.
  • Pat forgets about the Prize Puzzle after Matt solves and begins to round his score of $500 to $1,000 before Harry can be heard correcting him.
• On September 13:
  • There is a ½ Car win.
  • The third-place contestant has $12,800.
  • Contestant Nick wins two cars: the ½ Car in Round 2, and a Ford Escape in the Bonus Round.
• On September 14, there is a ½ Car win.
• On September 15:
  • Contestant Darren lands on a ½ Car tag in Round 3 after the round's other tag has been picked up; oddly, this is not commented on.
  • Round 5 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?
• On September 16, contestant Kendall mentions that her grandfather was on the show 27 years ago, and that he "won all three episodes".

• September 19 is National Parks, taped July 28.
• On September 19:
  • Round 4 is an unusually short answer of VAST MEADOWS, which is even more unusual as Rounds 1-3 do not run overtime, and a fifth round is played.
  • The bonus puzzle UPBEAT PERSONALITY is a rare bonus puzzle under three-and-a-vowel rules to have at least one each of R, S, T, L, N, and E.
  • For only the sixth known time, a contestant calls Q in the Bonus Round. However, it is not in the puzzle.
  • Pat promotes various national parks in the final segment.
• On September 20, five consecutive wrong letters are called in the Speed-Up, none of which are edited out.
• All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of September 19. This is part of an eight-loss streak starting on the 16th.

• September 26 is Disney Grand Adventures, taped August 25. During this week:
  • Each show features a cold open:
    • Monday: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald exiting a van and entering the studio.
    • Tuesday: Pat stealing a Mickey Mouse ice cream treat from Vanna.
    • Wednesday: Vanna and Minnie coming out of their dressing rooms in the same dress.
    • Thursday: Vanna encouraging Pat to ride a carousel.
    • Friday: A stagehand talking with Goofy about props which need to be taken down and tied onto the truck, after which Donald is revealed to be tied up in the truck as well.
  • The characters also appear in the intro:
    • Monday: Mickey and Minnie introduce Pat and Vanna from the back of the audience, while Donald and Goofy escort them onstage.
    • Tuesday: Goofy introduces Pat and Vanna from the audience railing (unlike all previous instances, this uses an angled shot), while Mickey, Minnie, and Donald escort them onstage while in safari gear.
    • Wednesday: Minnie introduces Pat and Vanna from in front of the puzzle board, while Goofy, Mickey, and Donald escort them onstage in pink and green suits.
    • Thursday: Goofy and Donald introduce Pat and Vanna from the audience railing, and Mickey and Minnie escort them onstage.
    • Friday: Mickey introduces Pat and Vanna from in front of the Wheel, while Minnie, Goofy, and Donald escort them onstage, the latter two in tuxedos.
  • The category strips are teal with green floating Mickey Mouse heads.
  • Even though married couples are competing, the ½ Car tags are not used.
  • Unusually for a team week, the Prizes and Prize Puzzle trips are all under $10,000.
• On September 26:
  • Round 2 is the first instance of a Crossword Round having five words.
  • After one of his opponents solves Round 2, contestant Bill pretends to run offstage with the Million-Dollar Wedge and Mystery Wedge that he and his wife failed to claim.
  • In the final segment, Pat and Vanna show a piece of the Peter Pan's Flight ride.
• On September 27-30, the Prize is a trip to all four Disney theme parks, with Pat and Vanna reading part of the copy.
• On September 28, in the final segment, Pat and Vanna eat an ice cream cake prepared by the Boathouse Orlando.
• On September 30:
  • The $1,000 Toss-Up WINNIE THE POOH is incorrectly punctuated (it should be hyphenated).
  • In the final segment, Walt Disney World ambassador Caitlin Buscher presents Pat and Vanna with honorary Disney cast member nametags.

October 2016

• October 3 is Shopping Spree, taped July 15. During this week, the Prize is a shopping spree: creditcards.com on Monday, Novica on Tuesday, Furniture of America on Thursday, and bradsdeals.com on Friday. (The Prize is not won on Wednesday.)
• On October 3:
  • Oddly, the closed captioning displays every contestant's response in quotation marks.
  • The $1,000 Toss-Up is re-shot, due to the music not playing the first time around.
  • After the other two contestants ring in with wrong answers on the $1,000 Toss-Up, contestant Matt is instantly ruled correct for saying the correct response despite not ringing in; this goes against precedent, where Pat will usually prompt the last contestant to ring in anyway before all the letters come up. This ruling does not affect the outcome.
  • For only the third time, more than one contestant or team hops on Express.
• On October 4:
  • The third-place contestant has $12,050.
  • There is a $100,000 loss.
• On October 6, the Gift Tag is a $1,000 debit card from CreditCards.com.
• On October 7, the Round 1 puzzle CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC is inexplicably categorized as Title instead of Movie Title.

• October 10 is Pacific Northwest, taped July 29.
• On October 11:
  • The Wheel is not preset before Round 1, as the yellow arrow is on the left of the pink $650 instead of in the center of $2,500.
  • Contestant Peggy only spins twice in the entire game, landing on Bankrupt both times; however, she wins $5,400 in the Speed-Up.
  • Round 4 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?

• October 17 is Bed & Breakfast, taped August 11.
• On October 18:
  • Against precedent, the reverse of the Mystery Wedge is not shown when contestant Tina declines to flip it.
  • There is a ½ Car win.
• On October 20:
  • Round 4 is an unusually short answer of MONOPOLY MONEY; this is all the more unusual as a fifth round is played.
  • Neither Bankrupt nor Lose A Turn is hit.
• On October 21, six rounds are played.

• Between October 23 and December 9, the Sears smartphone app features a "Wheel of Fortune Holiday Puzzler". This is a game in which the user may guess up to five letters in a holiday-themed puzzle; solving after the fifth turn gives the user five entries in the sweepstakes, and failing to solve the puzzle at that point awards one entry, with a limit of one game per person per day. 480 Sears gift cards valued at $100 each are awarded.

• October 24 is the Wyndham Rewards Sweepstakes, taped August 12. During this week, the Prize is a trip to a Wyndham-owned hotel, for which Jim reads the copy.
• On October 24:
  • As the winning contestant does not have anyone in the audience, Vanna holds the Million-Dollar Wedge at the start of the Bonus Round.
  • Unusually, there are two plugs between the Bonus Round and closing chat.
• On October 25:
  • The Prize Puzzle trip is a $10,500 trip to Thailand.
  • The $2,000 Toss-Up is Movie Title, and the $3,000 Toss-Up is Title.
  • The second-place contestant has $19,100.
• On October 26:
  • The board reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT! during the intro, and Pat and Vanna discuss his birthday after walking out.
  • Jim is shown on-camera before reading the Prize copy, and again after he is done.
• On October 27:
  • There is a ½ Car win.
  • A "null" cycle is not edited out of the Speed-Up.
  • Contestant Bonnie leaves with only the Prize Puzzle package, and no other cash or prizes.

• October 31 is College Week, taped September 8. During this week, the Bonus Round is sponsored by the Wheel of Fortune Slots app.
• On October 31:
  • The intro from Season 28's Halloween Week is used, spooky organ music is played coming out of every round, and a spooky sound effect plays in place of the Bonus Round envelope chime; despite this, no Halloween-related puzzles are used.
  • For the first time, a Crossword Round uses an existing category (specifically, College Life).
  • Vanna reads the Prize Puzzle copy.

November 2016

• On November 1:
  • The Prize is $6,000 cash and a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack of Star Trek: Beyond, for which Jim reads the copy.
  • The bonus puzzle UNBEATABLE COMBINATION ties the third-longest known bonus puzzle to be used on the show, and the longest under three-and-a-vowel rules, at 21 letters. Interestingly, this answer is also longer than all but two maingame puzzles.
• On November 2, the Prize is an $11,200 trip to Maui.
• On November 3:
  • The Prize is $10,000 cash courtesy of the Wheel of Fortune Slots app.
  • The Gift Tag is $500 cash and two solar backpacks from BirkSun.
  • The Retro Bonus Round is one that has not already been used on this feature.

• November 7 is Veterans Week, taped September 6. During this week, the Prize is a $7,500 Sears shopping spree.
• On November 7, after Round 2, Jim promotes Craftsman, who provided hats to the studio audience.
• On November 8, Wheel and Jeopardy! are pre-empted on most U.S. stations airing the shows due to presidential election coverage. Sometime after this week's shows were taped, it was decided to reschedule the week's weekend repeat (originally aired November 23, 2015) for Tuesday the 8th for U.S. markets that still choose to air Wheel. As a result, the rest of this week's first-run shows are delayed by one day, with the November 11 show airing on the 12th. This is the first time on the syndicated version where a single episode is replaced with a rerun, as well as the first time a new episode is nationally scheduled to air on a Saturday. Canadian stations air the full week and the repeat in their originally-scheduled order. In addition, despite the November 11 show airing on Saturday, the show's Bonus Round Puzzle page is not updated to reflect this. This Wiki will refer to the episodes according to the dates they actually aired.
• On November 11:
  • The $2,000 Toss-Up, Round 1, and Bonus Round are all Phrase. This is due to Pat accidentally accepting an incorrect answer in the original Round 1, which was a Crossword Round. As a result, only two Crossword Rounds are done this week.
  • Contestant Tennia wins despite failing to claim $30,000 in the Speed-Up.

• November 14 is Wheel Across America, taped September 7.
• On November 14, the Gift Tag is a $1,000 Visa card courtesy of Hunter Fan.
• On November 15:
  • The Round 3 puzzle AN UNDISCOVERED JEWEL is inexplicably categorized as Place instead of Thing.
  • For the first time, the same contestant hops on Express twice. This is also only the third occurrence of two Express runs in one game.
• On November 17, the Prize is $10,000 cash courtesy of the Wheel of Fortune Slots app.
• On November 18:
  • The $1,000 Toss-Up, HONEY-ROASTED PEANUTS, is not themed to the week.
  • The Gift Tag is a $1,000 Visa card courtesy of Hunter Fan.
  • The daily promo shows a portion edited out of the actual show (contestant Sylvia explaining that her SPIN ID has only three digits).
• During the week of November 14, all five Bonus Rounds are played for the $34,000.

• November 21 is America's Game.
• On November 21, six rounds are played.
• On November 22, the Prize is $10,000 cash courtesy of the Wheel of Fortune Slots app.
• On November 24:
  • It is the sixth episode from Shopping Spree.
  • Oddly for a sixth episode, Round 1 is themed to the airdate (TURKEY WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS).
  • While the retro Bonus Round is a Title from a late-1996 episode (BAYWATCH), the closed captioning claims it is a Phrase from 2000.
• On November 25, contestant Lindsay calls the last consonant on a Mystery Wedge, and flips it to find a Bankrupt on the reverse. As a result, the completely filled-in puzzle gets passed to the next contestant, who solves.

• November 28-December 9 are the Sears Secret Santa Sweepstakes, taped September 22 and 23 respectively. During these weeks:
  • The SPIN ID drawings temporarily return, keeping with prior Secret Santa weeks.
  • As with prior Secret Santa weeks, the show begins with Pat, Vanna, Jim, and the day's contestants promoting the Sweepstakes. As Jim announces "Our Secret Santas have given away over $1,000,000 in cash and prizes to lucky Wheel watchers", clips are shown of the Wheel landing on the top dollar, Million-Dollar Wedge, or Prize wedges.
  • The Prize is a $7,500 Sears shopping spree. It is placed on the red $800 due to the wedge being red, but still awards only $500 per letter if claimed.
  • The Gift Tag is a $1,000 Sears shopping spree.
  • The Speed-Up wipe is a Wheel of Fortune ornament.

• November 28 is also Family Week. During this week, the category strips have Christmas lights along the top and bottom when the puzzle is revealed, and the usual chime is followed by sleigh bells.
• On November 28, the second-place team has $23,300.
• On November 29, contestants Otto and Olivia sweep the game but lose $34,000 in the Bonus Round. This is also the first time that a two-player team has swept the game since February 13, 2003.
• On November 30:
  • Contestants Debby and Ray mention that their mother was on the daytime version "about thirty years ago".
  • The ornament wipe does not appear in the Speed-Up; a dissolve is used instead.
  • The third-place team has $15,050.
  • There is a $100,000 loss.

December 2016

• On December 1:
  • Rounds 3 and 4 are Thing, while Round 2 and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
  • The second-place team has $19,350.
  • There is a $100,000 win, resulting in the second instance of that envelope being hit on consecutive shows.
• On December 2, the second-place team has $22,050.
• During the week of November 28, a high total of $469,570 is given away.

• During the week of December 5, the category wipe is the Pat avatar driving a sleigh.
• On December 5:
  • There is a $100,000 loss.
  • Pat promotes Rebuilding Together in the final segment.
• On December 6, the bonus puzzle BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION is the second-longest known bonus puzzle to be used on the show, and the longest under three-and-a-vowel rules, at 23 letters. Interestingly, this answer is also longer than all but two maingame puzzles.
• On December 7, Round 3 is PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I'M GOING PAT.
• On December 8:
  • The Round 4 puzzle PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES is a very rare appearance of Landmarks.
  • For only the seventh known time, a contestant calls Q in the Bonus Round.
• On December 9:
  • The Wheel is not preset at the start of the show, as the yellow arrow is on the pink $600 instead of $2,500.
  • Round 2 is a Same Name that spells out AND, the first such occurrence this season.
  • The Speed-Up wipe is not used; again, a dissolve is used instead.
• During the week of December 5, all five winners are male.

• December 12 is Fabulous Food, taped November 11.
• On December 12:
  • Contestant Jim solves Round 2 with only the $10,000 Mystery Prize.
  • After Round 2, Jim reads an Orbitz plug which includes a shot of the spinning Wheel modified so that every wedge is either a Prize or an Orbitz logo.
  • The Bonus Round begins to be sponsored by V8; a promo is shown before the Bonus Round.
  • Oddly, two ads are done between the Bonus Round and closing chat.
• On December 13:
  • The $1,000 Toss-Up (FORGET-ME-NOTS) is is not themed to the week.
  • For the second time, a Crossword Round (Round 1) uses an existing category (In the Kitchen).
  • Unusually, the audience does not shout out suggestions when contestant Lori decides to flip a Mystery Wedge.
  • The Prize Puzzle package includes a DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack of the 2016 film Ben-Hur.
• On December 14, On the Map makes its first appearance in the Bonus Round since December 18, 2014.
• On December 15:
  • There is a ½ Car win.
  • While a retro Bonus Round is done in-studio (BRAN MUFFIN from 1991), it is edited from the episode as aired.
• On December 15 and 16, the founder of this Wiki is in the audience.

• December 19 is Home for the Holidays, taped November 10. During this week:
  • The staff gives holiday wishes after Round 1 and before Round 3:
    • Monday: producers and marketing/promotions departments.
    • Tuesday: production department and contestant department.
    • Wednesday: stage crew and Jim Thornton, Robert Ennis, and control room.
    • Thursday: production staff and post-production department.
    • Friday: art department, licensing and clearance department.
  • The category strip includes a candy cane with a bow on it when the puzzle is revealed, and sleigh bells accompany the chime.
  • The Prize is a shopping spree.
  • The retro Bonus Rounds are not done.

• On December 20, contestant Jona begins to solve the $1,000 Toss-Up just before getting locked out; as a result, the board begins to activate again before her answer is accepted.
• On December 21:
  • Pat and Vanna read the Prize Puzzle copy.
  • The V8 promo before the Bonus Round is not done.
• On December 22:
  • There is a jump cut to Pat when contestant Christine solves the Speed-Up, due to her solving on the buzzer; while Pat does announce that her answer will be checked, the outcome is not clarified before the Bonus Round.
  • During the closing chat, Pat shows a replay of winning contestant Adam's family rushing onstage after he wins the Bonus Round, due to Pat catching a member who nearly falls over.

• December 26 is America's Game.
• December 26-29 are the sixth episodes from Veterans Week, Great Escapes, Home for the Holidays, and Fabulous Food respectively.
• On December 27:
  • Contestant Ashley asks to solve in Round 1 but changes her mind; oddly, the buzzer sounds while Pat asks her whether she wants to spin or buy a vowel instead. A voice is then heard saying "Oh, the buzzer" before control passes to the next contestant.
  • Round 1 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?
• On December 28:
  • Jim is shown on-camera during the contestant interviews.
  • In Round 5, the first six turns are all lost; the first three are edited out, but the next three are not due to one of them being a Bankrupt that claims a Wild Card.
  • Six rounds are played.
• On December 29:
  • The founder of this Wiki is in the audience.
  • In Round 3, contestants Leo hits Express on his first spin, and uses it to fill in the entire puzzle WILD ORCHIDS & GIANT FERNS by himself.
  • The retro Bonus Round (YAKETY-YAK from 2005) is once again mis-identified as 2004.
  • Round 4 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing?
  • For the only known time, there is an additional scene after the credits: as a call-back to Vanna doing push-ups during the closing chat with the audience counting along, Pat has Vanna do more push-ups while the audience counts up from 115.
• On December 30:
  • Unusually for a sixth episode, a puzzle is themed to the airdate (WHAT A GREAT YEAR).
  • The V8 promo before the Bonus Round is not done.

January 2017

• January 2 is Weekend Getaways, taped December 1.
  • On January 2, the opening/closing theme and all other music cues (Toss-Up, commercial outros, Express, Speed-Up, Bonus Wheel spin cue, Bonus Round envelope ding, Bonus Round timer, Bonus Round win cue, and puzzle-solve cue) are all changed. The cue for solving a Toss-Up is once again different from the cue for solving a maingame puzzle. The new music package is also dubbed into Saturday reruns.
  • Before Round 3, there is a promo for the V8 Sweepstakes.
• On January 3:
  • The Retro Bonus Round is one not previously used on this feature.
  • For the first known time, Song/Artist is used as a Toss-Up (the $3,000).

• January 9 is "Always Great! Wheel & V8", taped December 2. During this week:
  • The Prize is $7,500 cash courtesy of V8; as with prior V8 weeks, the wedge is placed on the red $800 instead.
  • After the Bonus Round, a special V8 puzzle is shown; home viewers may submit the puzzle on the show's website for a chance to win $1,000 cash. As usual, the puzzle contains a V which is done in the same font as the V8 logo.
  • On Monday and Wednesday, Jim reads a trivia fact about V8 as the post-Round 2 bumper.
• On January 9, during the closing chat, Pat and Vanna announce that they will give bottles of V8 to everyone in the audience; Pat can also be seen drinking a bottle during the credits.
• On January 10 and 12, instead of a Retro Bonus Round, a short clip is shown after Round 2 of the control room being directed to focus the cameras on a bottle of V8; after this, Jim announces "V8: the official beverage of Wheel of Fortune" over a shot of the crew drinking from bottles of V8 in the break room, followed by a shot of the puzzle board reading "V8 THE OFFICIAL BEVERAGE" (center-aligned with the "V8" portion rendered in the same font as the logo).
• On January 11, Round 4 is a non-sequitur answer of BEES FLEAS & MANATEES.
• On January 12, for only the third time, a contestant gets buzzed out on Express.
• On January 13, the winning contestant leaves with only $7,000, likely the lowest winning total since Season 23 (when Prize Puzzles began occurring daily).
• All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of January 9, part of a seven-day losing streak beginning on the 9th.

• January 16 is California Coast, taped December 15.
• On January 16:
  • Contestant Nicoletta solves the $1,000 Toss-Up FISHERMAN'S WHARF with only the second S revealed.
  • $5K Every Day returns.
  • Six rounds are played.
  • A "null" cycle is not edited out of Round 6 (an incorrect T, an incorrect N, and a Lose A Turn).
• On January 17:
  • The Gift Tag is two solar-powered backpacks and $500 cash courtesy of BirkSun.
  • The retro Bonus Round is one not previously used on this feature.
  • Both Rounds 2 and 3 are completely filled in before being solved.
  • For the fourth time, a contestant who has a successful Express run does not win the game.

February 2017

• February 13 is Disney Sea & Shore, taped August 26.