Wheel of Fortune controversial call

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Wheel of Fortune has a rule, evidently a strict one, about proper pronunciation. What is your opinion about how it should have been called?

More on the story at today.com.

It's not even like he mispronounced the word with the missing letter - what a silly rule.

He mispronounced the first and second words -- "corno kerro cabinet." It's not the first time I've seen people mispronounce words that were completely revealed and they were buzzed for being incorrect. The other guy pronounced all three words correctly. As to whether or not it was the right or fair call, I'll let others decide that.

He most likely did not miss out on the $1 million anyway since he would have to make it to the final round without hitting a bankrupt spot along the way; land on the envelope containing the $1 million in his spin before the final puzzle; plus get the final puzzle right. The odds were stacked against him anyway.

I believe in accuracy. Close doesn't count.

Clearly the right decision.
These shows are already dumb enough to cause brain damage to viewers.
If you remove the requirement that the contestants should be able to pronounce a few simple words then heaven help us.

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I think it was the right call. There has to be a hard line on solving a puzzle correctly, whether all the letters are there or not. The did not solve the puzzle correctly.

ZCore13

I'm sure they said before the game that it had to be pronounced correctly.

Corner Curio Cabinet

Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet.

Tough luck, try to ask Vanna out backstage. She probably can't be as picky as she used to be able to be.

In the interview, he focuses on having never seen the word 'curio' before. Tough. It's not that uncommon of a word. Rules are there for a reason.

If you let that slide, then you gotta ask, just how badly can you mangle a word and have it be acceptable?


And besides, JB is absolutely right:

Quote: JB

He mispronounced the first and second words -- "corno kerro cabinet."

Quote: JB

He most likely did not miss out on the $1 million anyway since he would have to make it to the final round without hitting a bankrupt spot along the way; land on the envelope containing the $1 million in his spin before the final puzzle; plus get the final puzzle right. The odds were stacked against him anyway.

The news report made it sound like he had the million in hand prior to missing the puzzle. But I haven't watched in quite awhile, so don't know how it even works for the million prize.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

That's the major complaint I have here. Every news story I've seen also has said he would have won the $1,000,000 had he solved the puzzle which is completely false.

Agreed.

Agreed, and it's the perfect example of how news reporters/editors these days know just enough about everything to think they are experts. To win the Million on Wheel you must.
1. Land on the tiny sized wedge (he did this)
2. Choose a letter in the puzzle (he did this)
3. Solve that puzzle, but do so without hitting bankrupt in the round (the point of contention)
4. Don't hit Bankrupt the rest of the puzzles (not sure if he did or not)
5. Have the most money at the end of all of the puzzles (he didn't do this, and still wouldn't have even if he won the Corno puzzle)
6. Spin the mini wheel in the bonus game and land on the million dollar envelope (1 in 30 chance)
7. Solve the bonus puzzle (it was hard, but solved by the other guy because he got lucky with his letters)

So even if they gave him Corno Curo Cabinet, the odds he would have won the million are effectively zero, since he didn't win enough money to even make the bonus round.

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He was badly off; so your poll suggesting "he knew it" does not seem accurate given the guy himself had no idea what the word was. And he only had the potential for the million, not a lock on it. I had to vote for rules are rules, but really, I wanted to vote for John Galt. Dagny Taggert is a favorite character of mine.

Dagny has three romantic relationships, each with a man of ability: Francisco d'Anconia, Hank Rearden, and John Galt.

I can see why she is a favorite character of yours. SIGH And I once thought I was the only one. Silly me !

Silly you, indeed. I am a great admirer of men of ability. Dagny has been an inspiration on how to thrive and enjoy the company of strong men without sacrificing either femininity or brains. Of course, she only consorts with men who are self-aware and confident of their strengths. And, yes, Buzz, you have always been among them. :)

That's it for me. Going to bed and have a sweet dream. OMG, what might have been !

I saw a guy a few years ago mispronounce Wayne Gretzky. Fortunately, he got it right on his second chance because he had an extra spin card.

Quote: Wizard

Watch this video.

Wheel of Fortune has a rule, evidently a strict one, about proper pronunciation. What is your opinion about how it should have been called?

More on the story at today.com.

"I knew that I messed up...I totally goofed it."

Wheel of Fortune contestants have to be prepared to come in with that flat Midwestern accent and mode of pronunciation. That's all there is to it. Later in the video, we see a contestant miss (but not for a million) on, "Seven Swans a-Swimmin'," that pronunciation of, "Swimming," wouldn't even cause an English teacher to bat an eye where I'm from, it's really common. As is saying, "Going ta the mall," as opposed to, 'to.' So, you have, "Goin' ta the mall." You'll be lucky if, 'the,' doesn't end up being, 'da,' for, "Goin' ta da mall."

Nobody ever accused us Appalachians of being intelligent, because for the most part, we speak like a bunch of driveling goddamn idiots. Except me, because I refuse to do that, unfortunately, I over-enunciate to compensate...I also admit that I often drop the g on 'ing' endings, but I try really hard not to.

I am a former contestant on Wheel of Fortune. I'll have to dig up the hard-copy of rules they supplies the contestants, but I made sure that pronunciation and enunciation were on the top of the list of things to do while playing. They tell you to make sure Vanna can hear you as if you aren't mic'ed.

I can tell you for a fact that the other contestants he was playing with, as well as those waiting in the wings, felt absolutely miserable that this happened to him. (Okay, I know the middle guy felt bad, but was also secretly cheering.) You do feel a little comradery with fellow contestants, but you still want to whip their ass in the game.

As for this example, he really wasn't that close, to be honest. I heard "corno curro cabinet." It's not even the word "curio" I'm having a problem with, but "corno"? He likely wouldn't have won the million dollars, though the possibility existed.

Note: There are 24 spaces on the main wheel as well as the bonus round wheel. The odds of hitting the million wedge on the main wheel is 1 in 72 (there are three 'pegs' per wedge), and the odds of hitting in on the bonus wheel is 1 in 24 (even though there are two 'pegs' per wedge, there is no space smaller than any other).

As for the lady who mispronounced "Seven Swans A-Swimming", that wasn't the worst of it. THE VERY NEXT DAY, some guy leaves a "D" off of a word, and he is credited with a correct answer. See the two videos here.

Another recent "good call" that upset people was on the Kids' Week of Jeopardy. See article here. The kid would've place second anyway, and yes, his misspelling caused the answer to be wrong.

Dween,

An excellent and informative post! Would you mind divulging how you performed in the game, or do you prefer to keep that to yourself? I don't know if you are aware of this, but Member TeddyS is actually a jeopardy champion! If anyone here were ever on the Price is Right, we'd have a trifecta!

Just make sure, if you do dig that up, that there is nothing that says it is to be in any way confidential. I haven't watched WoF as much (i.e. almost never) as I did when I was a kid, but now I understand why half of the contestants seem to scream their answers!!! To every contestant I have ever accused of, "Screaming like an idiot," I apologize.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Were any of you Las Vegans at the taping of this episode at the Venetian?

Not this episode, but I was in the audience for two that will air next week (Sept 26 & 27th).

It'll be interesting for me to watch the 27th's episode to see how it's edited together, because there were a couple times when Pat screwed up and they had to stop taping and go back and resay some things. A contestant said he'd like to "buy an N" and Pat didn't respond correctly to his mistake so they had to stop and re-do it.

If you'd like to see how I did, I encoded the episode a while back in a Flash player (never did upload to Youtube, which would likely be easier). You can watch my episode here.

If you just want to read how I did, highlight the spoiler area: I won! I ended the main game with $20,550, which included a God-awful trip to Guatemala. I won the bonus round, and picked up an additional $30,000.

I can't imagine there would be any disclaimer about reproducing the rules, but nonetheless, I will check on the confidentiality.

Quote: Mission146

...but now I understand why half of the contestants seem to scream their answers!!! To every contestant I have ever accused of, "Screaming like an idiot," I apologize.

No apologies needed. They want people to be animated. I was genuinely excited to be on the show, so if you watch the video, that's going to be the real me. Granted, I'm not always like that, but I was having fun, and living a life-long dream to be on a game show. I blew an audition for "Pyramid" a number of years ago because I was TOO serious when playing a practice round. I was trying to be a competitive player, but I ended up being too boring, I suppose.

Along those lines, getting on a prime-time game show is tougher nowadays. A lot of contestants come from "central casting," which is why you get the pretty boys and girls that are more interested in being on TV than winning a game show. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy still do it the right way, picking out real people that are energetic and smart about the way they play.

Quote: ams288

It'll be interesting for me to watch the 27th's episode to see how it's edited together, because there were a couple times when Pat screwed up and they had to stop taping and go back and resay some things. A contestant said he'd like to "buy an N" and Pat didn't respond correctly to his mistake so they had to stop and re-do it.

There were very few (if any) errors made on the shows I saw taped. Of course, being in a large auditorium in Vegas is going to make it tougher for Pat and the contestants. Even still, they can usually tape a 30 minute show (22-minutes without commercials) in well under an hour. They tape 5 or 6 shows in one day.

On the first episode taped on my week, a woman kinda screwed up at the end of her interview portion, and turned as if to walk off set. I think everyone was mortified for her! Pat was on the ball, helped her back up, and said, "It's ok, I once came out and told everyone 'Welcome to the Price is Right!'" I was a bit surprised they didn't stop tape and redo it, but Pat made everything smooth out. I think she even got over her butterflies and won her game.

There are times where they will keep taping, and direct people to do things. I was told to pick up my Wild Card and show it off, which they just edited into a commercial outro. Looked great.

Being in the audience is exhausting, though. People are clapping most of the time you hear it. They also do what is called "Sweetening," which is the addition of laughter or applause to beef up sounds or fill in silence. They added laughter to something Pat said to me, and added applause at one point when I was spinning the wheel.

The one I remember was, a woman in the bonus round lost on "MILAN ITALY" because she said "Mylun" - despite the fact that this is (apparently) how you pronounce Milan, Indiana (famous for the high school featured in Hoosiers).

In the Woolery days, it was a little more lenient - I remember the puzzle was "TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER", and someone answered, "Tune of the Unknown Soldier"; at first, the producer ruled it incorrect, but after a little back-and-forth with Woolery, who pointed out that all of the letters of "TOMB" were already revealed, they said, "That's just the way he pronounces 'tomb'," and ruled it correct.

It's not rocket science.
I think they made the right call.
If you have a HS diploma, you've seen the word "Curio" and you SURE have seen "Corner"
He didn't even say "Corner" correctly. Either he's illerate or just plain stupid.

Quote: Dween

If you'd like to see how I did, I encoded the episode a while back in a Flash player (never did upload to Youtube, which would likely be easier). You can watch my episode here.

If you just want to read how I did, highlight the spoiler area: I won! I ended the main game with $20,550, which included a God-awful trip to Guatemala. I won the bonus round, and picked up an additional $30,000.

Thanks for loading that video, I'll be sure to watch it on Sunday as I won't have time to pay sufficient attention to a video prior to that. Congratulations on the win, that's huge!

I probably wouldn't have even went on that trip, though...

The number of people who get to see a lifelong dream satisfied are few, so also congratulations on that aspect!

Quote: Dween

On the first episode taped on my week, a woman kinda screwed up at the end of her interview portion, and turned as if to walk off set. I think everyone was mortified for her! Pat was on the ball, helped her back up, and said, "It's ok, I once came out and told everyone 'Welcome to the Price is Right!'" I was a bit surprised they didn't stop tape and redo it, but Pat made everything smooth out. I think she even got over her butterflies and won her game.
l.

Pat usually rolls with the errors pretty well. Once a lady tried to pick up the Jackpot wedge (it's a bigger, lit up one), and he said something like "no no, you'll destroy Southern California if that this comes up!"

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Quote: ClarkWGriswold

It's not rocket science.
I think they made the right call.
If you have a HS diploma, you've seen the word "Curio" and you SURE have seen "Corner"
He didn't even say "Corner" correctly. Either he's illerate or just plain stupid.

At the risk of sounding stupid - I have a Master's Degree and I have no idea what "curio" means...

EDIT - And it's a real Master's Degree from a Big 10 university... :-)

Quote: Dween

I am a former contestant on Wheel of Fortune. I'll have to dig up the hard-copy of rules they supplies the contestants, but I made sure that pronunciation and enunciation were on the top of the list of things to do while playing. They tell you to make sure Vanna can hear you as if you aren't mic'ed.

I give similar instructions to the best man when I DJ weddings. Sometimes they listen. More often, they hold the mike a mile from their mouth, and mumble, then look at me like I'm the idiot when nobody can hear them...

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Another thing I haven't understood and I'm sure they keep her for "looks", but ever since they went to the electronic board some years ago, I see no need for Vanna anymore.

Ditto.

Heaven help her when her looks give out, and they replace her with ... nobody.

Quote: FinsRule

At the risk of sounding stupid - I have a Master's Degree and I have no idea what "curio" means...

I never really thought about it, but I think it's short for curiosity.

Quote: FinsRule

At the risk of sounding stupid - I have a Master's Degree and I have no idea what "curio" means...

EDIT - And it's a real Master's Degree from a Big 10 university... :-)

Technically, it can be any small and unusual object that someone possesses for aesthetic appeal.

Generally speaking, however, the term is applied to furniture as in, "Curio Cabinets." Curio Cabinets are cabinets that are meant for aesthetic appeal that are generally shaped in an unusual way. Corner curio cabinets do what the name implies, and there are other curio cabinets that may go in living and dining rooms that are generally both smaller (in height) and more narrow than a classic buffet and hutch. There are also jewelry curios, which essentially serve the same function as, and look roughly similar to, a jewlery box, except they tend to be larger than jewelry boxes. There are also book curios, which serve the same function as a bookshelf, but tend to be shaped in an extremely unique manner.

There are other types of curios, as well. I used to sell furniture, otherwise, I probably wouldn't know what a curio is. In terms of aesthetics, I tend to prefer things to be Spartan (though my wife doesn't) so would never own a curio or any such thing if it were up to me.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I never really thought about it, but I think it's short for curiosity.

That was my assumption, but I didn't know the exact definition either. But online dictionaries seem to agree that the word comes from "curiosity". And like Fins, I also have an advanced degree from a Big Ten university. However, the degree I did receive was definitely not in English.

Re: Vanna's age/looks/usefulness

She is 56 at the time of posting. I think I remember another thread that mentions how the young celebs of today don't hold a candle to the classy ladies of yesteryear, and Vanna is a shining example. Poised, well spoken, lovely and fit. On set, she said hello to the contestants wearing her sweats. Looked pretty good without makeup or anything.

Is she "necessary" on the show? She is not only the letter turner toucher, but she is also the model, co-host, cheerleader, and even announcer in some capacity. Even if they eliminated her need for touching letters, she is still a big part of the show. Call it tradition to have her at the puzzle board. After all, they could also replace the physical wheel with a digital screen, but why mess with tradition?

Quote: Dween

Is she "necessary" on the show? She is not only the letter turner toucher, but she is also the model, co-host, cheerleader, and even announcer in some capacity. Even if they eliminated her need for touching letters, she is still a big part of the show. Call it tradition to have her at the puzzle board. After all, they could also replace the physical wheel with a digital screen, but why mess with tradition?

Vanna White is necessary because it is the older demographic that watches Wheel of Fortune, for the most part, so the show's advertisers tend to target the older demographic. Having found some ratings for 2002, it appears that Wheel of Fortune got 10% of households for one week, but they only got 2.6% of the 18-49 demographic that advertisers crave.

Still, viewers are viewers and individuals who are fifty and older buy stuff, too. Perhaps not the highest margin stuff, such as overpriced tennis shoes, but consumer goods companies still make money if enough people are buying from the stores.

From what I have seen on-line, Vanna White commands in the neighborhood of 3M-5M annually.

The first thing to look at is the cost per episode for Vanna, which would be between $11,538.xx-$19,230.xx, assuming the above salary range is correct. If you replace Vanna White with no hostess at all, then you lose all that nice camera time with her parading around touching letters. If you lose all that nice camera time, letters are shown faster which is going to necessitate more banter with the players, or more puzzles, to fill the running time. More puzzles, of course, is more money.

The average cost of Vanna White, per episode, is almost certainly less than the average cost of having an extra puzzle or two on the show's budget. At the same time, though, there is some time value there. You simply can't take five seconds to reveal a single, "R," unless someone is there actually touching the letter. Why do you think it is (on the puzzles that take less horizontal space) that she often returns to the far side of the board, rather than standing right beside the first or last letter?

Furthermore, the older demographic tends to be more change-resistant, in general. They like things to be predictable and the same on shows such as Wheel of Fortune, because it is certainly repetitive, could you sit through a ten-hour WoF marathon? I sure couldn't.

The other thing about the older demographic is that they would be very offended if you replaced Vanna White with some P.Y.T. for no reason other than to have a P.Y.T. on the show, so you'd lose some viewers...probably quite a few female viewers. For this reason, if Vanna White leaves the show, it'll likely be because she retired, was injured or is deceased.

Can't remember where I read it, but Merv Griffin personally cast Vanna. She was one of several women being considered. Merv had their headshots/CV's on his desk, and he said, "cast this one". The casting director said, "why?". Merv said, "Because her head's too big for her body. She'll look great on tv."

Quote: Mission146

The other thing about the older demographic is that they would be very offended if you replaced Vanna White with some P.Y.T. for no reason other than to have a P.Y.T. on the show, so you'd lose some viewers...probably quite a few female viewers. For this reason, if Vanna White leaves the show, it'll likely be because she retired, was injured or is deceased.

Vanna isn't going anywhere unless the show gets canceled, she retires, or Pat retires.

yup, sorry chump rules are rules (I didn't vote) I watched that 5 million second crap for 2 hours last night though and could have beat them all down I'll flop a fone to apple for that app lol could win. NOT If you don't know the word 'curio' and couldn't pronounce it if you did, sorry sucker. no soup for you

Let us all, please, never confuse the rules of a game show with the simple contract of a bet laid is a bet paid.

Quote: Dween

Is she "necessary" on the show? She is not only the letter turner toucher, but she is also the model, co-host, cheerleader, and even announcer in some capacity. Even if they eliminated her need for touching letters, she is still a big part of the show. Call it tradition to have her at the puzzle board. After all, they could also replace the physical wheel with a digital screen, but why mess with tradition?

And why mess with a formula that spits out a nice profit year after year? When it came out, WoF looked like lots of game shows, today to be honest it looks very simplistic. But it keeps pulling in ratings. Just like things as diverse as a the simple radio controls on a Toyota where the radio function is similar to any car from the 1960s to The Drudge Report that actively avoids modernizing; the people who like it that way like it that way. They may use other "more modern" things or not, they like it and because of that it sells.

Quote: Mission146

Vanna White is necessary because it is the older demographic that watches Wheel of Fortune, for the most part, so the show's advertisers tend to target the older demographic. Having found some ratings for 2002, it appears that Wheel of Fortune got 10% of households for one week, but they only got 2.6% of the 18-49 demographic that advertisers crave.

Still, viewers are viewers and individuals who are fifty and older buy stuff, too. Perhaps not the highest margin stuff, such as overpriced tennis shoes, but consumer goods companies still make money if enough people are buying from the stores.

I am always surprised more TV execs do not catch on to this, then again I am not given the herd mentality of the industry. And all industries. Marketing class in college always seemed to stress hitting the growth market and making the new product. It spent too little time explaining how to ride a declining market for years and make a fortune. Suck the last drop of blood.

Quote:

Furthermore, the older demographic tends to be more change-resistant, in general. They like things to be predictable and the same on shows such as Wheel of Fortune, because it is certainly repetitive, could you sit through a ten-hour WoF marathon? I sure couldn't.

The other thing about the older demographic is that they would be very offended if you replaced Vanna White with some P.Y.T. for no reason other than to have a P.Y.T. on the show, so you'd lose some viewers...probably quite a few female viewers. For this reason, if Vanna White leaves the show, it'll likely be because she retired, was injured or is deceased.

I can't sit thru one episode, but I am more of a quiz-show guy. Vanna has, and always had, a "classy" presence about her. I remember back in college they had a sub while Vanna was on vacation. Said sub could be considered hotter in quantifiable terms (no replies to that, please) to the average male. She was younger. But she was not Vanna. She was not classy.

We have had the same conversation about Holly Hallstrom on TPIR here many times. The people here who could never agree on political matters almost all liked Holly best. And it was almost always just something about "her presence" that was cited. On that note, I cannot watch that show anymore. Same show, different host, different models, no longer the same show. And they have a male model now! Might as well paint The White House blue.

At 56 I figure she has about 4-5 years left, after which she may get a nudge. I think her and Pat are so intertwined in the show, however, that they will have to leave at the same time for retirement. Just like Carson and McMahon. And when they do the show would be effectively finished. The show is "comfort TV." You might have had a bad day, but Pat and Vanna are there. If they are not there, well lets see what else is on.

Quote: Mission146

Wheel of Fortune contestants have to be prepared to come in with that flat Midwestern accent and mode of pronunciation. That's all there is to it. Later in the video, we see a contestant miss (but not for a million) on, "Seven Swans a-Swimmin'," that pronunciation of, "Swimming," wouldn't even cause an English teacher to bat an eye where I'm from, it's really common. As is saying, "Going ta the mall," as opposed to, 'to.' So, you have, "Goin' ta the mall." You'll be lucky if, 'the,' doesn't end up being, 'da,' for, "Goin' ta da mall."

It's interesting that they are so intolerant of accents. If a contestant incorrectly pronounced the word "water" as wah-der, like every native born American does every day, would they disqualify him? I doubt it.

Quote: JimRockford

It's interesting that they are so intolerant of accents. If a contestant incorrectly pronounced the word "water" as wah-der, like every native born American does every day, would they disqualify him? I doubt it.

There are two incidents that stand out in my mind regarding pronunciation that haven't been brought up.

Long ago, a contestant said "cooperation" instead of "corporation." Pretty cut and dry, that's a different word altogether. Easy call.

Much more recently, a contestant had this word in a puzzle: "Espresso."
She pronounced it "Express-o."
Did they accept it? Here's the spoiler: Yes. It is apparently an "accepted way of pronouncing the word". I wish I could remember the exact explanation they used.