# Can you spin the wrong way on Wheel of Fortune? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671 "2003-08-17T00:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/1 "2003-08-17T00:07:37Z")
On the game show Wheel of Fortune, it seems that everyone reaches to their right, then pulls the wheel towards themselves, thus spinning the wheel the same direction (clockwise). What if, because you were left-handed, or just felt like being different, you tried to spin it the other way? Is that physically possible, or would it lock up? Is it against the rules? I can’t see anything wrong with this, so I’m just curious about what would happen. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/2 "2003-08-17T00:43:37Z")
I wondered thsi for **The Price Is Right** wheel. Where it is normally spun ‘down’. Has there ever been an upward spin? ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/3 "2003-08-17T02:05:52Z")
You could spin it the opposite way, but that would turn it into the wheel of misfortune, and no one wants that. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/4 "2003-08-17T02:35:18Z")
I’ve seen them grab it and pull it back, then spin it in the correct direction, so obviously there is nothing physically preventing it from moving in the other direction. I don’t know about the rules though. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/5 "2003-08-17T04:40:24Z")
Years ago, I did see one fellow on “The Price Is Right” ask Bob if he could spin the big wheel upward instead of downward. Bob said no. I doubt there’s anything physically preventing it from going in the opposite direction (Bob often turns the wheel the “wrong way” to position it for bonus spins and such), but there’s probably something in the game rules about how the wheel must be spun. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/6 "2003-08-17T05:18:51Z")
You know, what you’re right. Or at least partially right. I remember Bob saying that the wheel must make one complete cycle or it doesn’t count. So spin direction could easily be another important factor. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/7 "2003-08-17T05:20:01Z")
Comma error: You know, what you’re right … Correction: You know what, you’re right … :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/8 "2003-08-17T08:24:53Z")
Why should the rules care which direction the wheel was spun? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/9 "2003-08-17T16:22:21Z")
Somebody spun the _Price is Right_ wheel upward instead of downwards, and was forced to spin again. Bob said, “In our 30 years on the air, that’s the first time somebody’s spun the wheel the wrong way.” So it obviously _can_ be done, but shouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![trabi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@trabi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trabi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/10 "2003-08-17T20:39:03Z")
I always assumed that there’s a way the TV people can make the wheel stop where they want it to. Possibly the device that makes this possible only works if you spin the wheel clockwise… ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spin-the-wrong-way-on-wheel-of-fortune/195671/11 "2003-08-17T22:10:29Z")
“Why should the rules care which direction the wheel was spun?” They might not matter statistically. but the show may only display those times it went in the right direction because it looks more pretty that way.