# Wheel of Fortune: how did they not know that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635 "2009-06-13T02:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/21 "2009-06-13T13:43:36Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > Yeah, Wheel of Fortune has really gone downhill. Back in my day (I’m 42) they used actual sayings and cliche’s and not made up stuff like sayings that connect based on a common word or heck, just plain things like “grilled albacore tuna”. And I remember when Chuck Woolery made contestants use their money to buy crappy gifts from a pool of crappy gifts “I’ll take the porcelain horse statue for $30 and put the rest on a gift certificate, Chuck.” And when the letters actually had to be hand TURNED! And you didn’t get any letters to help you guess the final one. Ah, yes… it was more challenging back then… Heck, I remember when there _wasn’t_ a “final” puzzle. The winner was whoever’d racked up the most winnings (sometimes a mind-blowing $3500!) and I think they got to come back as returning champion. It was well into Sajak’s tenure that the final puzzle came into play, and since everyone just picked R,S,T,L, N and E (reasonably enough), they eventually just gave these letters away. My dad suggested a contestant should pick as his four A,B,C and D, since when you start running through the alphabet for possible solutions, you can start at F and save time. Anyway, that you misremember this suggest you are going senile at 42. I’m 40 and this fills me with dread, let me say. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/22 "2009-06-13T13:52:33Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Hot or not, she’s [superfluous.](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+superfluous&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1) > > Imagine how Jeopardy! would be if some broad had to turn over each dollar amount card to reveal the clue. Anyone ever catch the (I assume) original Lingo babe? It was like someone told a twelve year-old boy to design a girl they wanted to watch. Vapid expression? Check. Big fake boobs? Check. Bleached hair that would make Dolly Parton say, “Honey, that’s a bit trashy don’t you think?”? Check. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/23 "2009-06-13T14:09:58Z")
A few years ago, there were playing in teams - mother and daughters together; two brains for the price of one. The board showed: mexican c\_i\_ua\_ua dog The mother and daughter guessed the letter “B”. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/24 "2009-06-13T14:34:35Z")
What the heck is COCA COBA? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/25 "2009-06-13T14:39:22Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > What the heck is COCA COBA? It’s the title of one of Barry Manilow’s biggest songs. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/26 "2009-06-13T15:23:07Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Maybe it’s a less common knowledge item than I thought. Ah well. Well, I notice that both the people who say they’ve not heard that word are from Australia. Maybe it’s just not as common there as in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/27 "2009-06-13T15:28:53Z")
MO\_AVE DESERT You can probably guess what happened next. > [@Shawn1767](#): > > Yeah, Wheel of Fortune has really gone downhill. Back in my day (I’m 42) they used actual sayings and cliche’s and not made up stuff like sayings that connect based on a common word or heck, just plain things like “grilled albacore tuna”. And I remember when Chuck Woolery made contestants use their money to buy crappy gifts from a pool of crappy gifts “I’ll take the porcelain horse statue for $30 and put the rest on a gift certificate, Chuck.” And when the letters actually had to be hand TURNED! And you didn’t get any letters to help you guess the final one. Ah, yes… it was more challenging back then… You probably remember the original letter turner, too, [Susan Stafford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Stafford). Or, as the Wikipedia article indicates, Dr. Susan Stafford. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/28 "2009-06-13T15:34:05Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Also, remember when Jeopardy used to be on after Wheel of Fortune? I took their swapping time slots as an indication of society’s doom, myself. In some places, Jeopardy still comes on after WOF. They’ll be the only survivors after the Apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/29 "2009-06-13T18:10:57Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > And I remember when Chuck Woolery made contestants use their money to buy crappy gifts from a pool of crappy gifts “I’ll take the porcelain horse statue for $30 and put the rest on a gift certificate, Chuck.” They don’t do that anymore? Since when? 'Course, guessing wrong could happen to anyone, no? “People who annoy you” :: N\_ggers ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/30 "2009-06-13T18:58:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Anyone ever catch the (I assume) original Lingo babe? It was like someone told a twelve year-old boy to design a girl they wanted to watch. I’ve only ever seen one assistant on Lingo, and she’s quite attractive, and certainly gives an impression of intelligence. Was there another one, very early on? And last I saw, Vanna White was still “turning” the letters (which now just involves touching the screens), and she’s looking pretty good for being in her fifties. The most frustrating performance I ever saw on _Wheel_ was around 1997 or 1998: There was a fellow who had the wheel itself down-pat. Every single spin, he hit the $10,000 space (the skinny 1/3 width one, sandwiched between two “Bankrupt” slivers), but he never actually got a letter right to claim it. I can’t help but wonder, first, how in the world could someone develop skill with the wheel without having already been on the show, and second, how one could _not_ learn that you guess “T” first. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/31 "2009-06-13T21:03:33Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > 'Course, guessing wrong could happen to anyone, no? > > “People who annoy you” :: N\_ggers [Ohhh…(NSFW)](http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155459) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/32 "2009-06-13T21:23:26Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > What the heck is COCA COBA? It’s Coca-Coma ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/33 "2009-06-13T21:42:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Or, as the Wikipedia article indicates, Dr. Susan Stafford. Not [in Illinois or several other states.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Western_University) She received her “doctorate” from Pacific Western University, an unaccredited diploma mill. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/34 "2009-06-13T21:45:24Z")
You know how people sometimes cook food on a hot car engine (at least sometimes in movies)? “Alfacore tuna” sounds like the sci-fi equivalent of that. Like a guy takes long journeys in his small starship, and since it doesn’t have a proper kitchen, he cooks food on the alfacore that powers the thrusters. Mmm… alfacore tuna… ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/35 "2009-06-13T21:50:41Z")
The one I remember best was CAPTAIN _IR_ OF THE ENTERPRISE. The woman spun and guessed “P.” Not only was she clueless about an American TV show classic, “P” was already up there! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/36 "2009-06-14T00:12:17Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Oh God, the worst one I ever saw was also one of those question ones. The question phrase was “9th Planet or Disney Do\_”, the eventual bonus answer being Pluto, of course. This guy had like $12k and he asked to solve the puzzle: “9th Planet or Disney Doc?” > > :smack: Usually these people are weeded out when they can’t find the studio using a map. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/37 "2009-06-14T00:48:59Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > MO\_AVE DESERT > > You can probably guess what happened next. I’m guessing the player guessed _H_ and the “correct” response was _J_, although [Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mohave) says both are acceptable. Although _Mojave Desert_ is the more common spelling, I don’t know why everyone would be expected to know that, especially if someone were familiar with the Mohave tribe, Mohave County, and Fort Mohave in Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/38 "2009-06-14T01:20:52Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > The one I remember best was CAPTAIN _IR_ OF THE ENTERPRISE. The woman spun and guessed “P.” Not only was she clueless about an American TV show classic, “P” was already up there! But Captain **Archer** doesn’t fit. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/39 "2009-06-14T01:39:04Z")
I remember a couple years ago, they had all the letters on the board, and all the woman had to do was say it. Instead of saying, “WHITE SANDY BEACH,” she said, “WHITE SANDY BEACH **ES** ” and they didn’t give it to her. Which is fine, I guess. However, a few weeks later, during a college week of WoF, another girl had all the letters (“EAT FRESH”) and instead of saying it, she said, “SUBWAY,” and they still gave it to her. I didn’t think that was right. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635/40 "2009-06-14T01:45:07Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I’m guessing the player guessed _H_ and the “correct” response was _J_, although [Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mohave) says both are acceptable. Although _Mojave Desert_ is the more common spelling, I don’t know why everyone would be expected to know that, especially if someone were familiar with the Mohave tribe, Mohave County, and Fort Mohave in Arizona. Heh, I wouldn’t have said H. Because I don’t know what a Mojave is, and because I misread it as “dessert”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheel-of-fortune-how-did-they-not-know-that/499635.md?page=3)