Two Game Shows I Like Are Going Through Some Changes

UPDATE for 6/27/23: Ryan Seacrest has been announced as the new host for, "Wheel of Fortune," so that settles that!

I enjoy a wide variety of programming and always have fun viewing, "The Price is Right," and, "Wheel of Fortune." Here in the Saint Louis region, you can enjoy, "The Price is Right," at 10 AM, and then, "Wheel of Fortune," comes on at 6:30 PM. There has been some news about both as of late.

The 40th season of, "Wheel of Fortune," is currently running and longtime host, Pat Sajak, declared that the 41st season (which kicks off in September) will be his last. It's been a good long run and even if some of his other entertainment endeavors failed (few recall his talk show), his tenure on, "Wheel of Fortune," has been a successful one. I've seen all kinds of names floated to replace him ranging from Ryan Seacrest to folks such as Whoopi Goldberg and Andy Cohen saying they'd take a stab at it. Perhaps the 42nd season will have multiple people trying out--and hopefully, that will have less controversy than, "Jeopardy," did when they tried such a thing.

Meanwhile, "The Price is Right," had less earth-shattering but still interesting news. After filming for 51 years at one location with Bob Barker and then Drew Carey (who took over back in 2007 if you can believe it has been that long), the show will be moving its studio. Instead of being in Los Angeles, the show will now film in Glendale. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the set was changed multiple times and currently is a lot less full overall, so I'm curious if the new location will have a big audience again or not. We shall see sooner than later and in the meantime, I'll enjoy watching, "The Price is Right," as well as, "Wheel of Fortune," while Sajak is there and afterward (as long as the new host is good).

"Wheel of Fortune," Fans Are Enraged About Changes for the Latest Season

If you're a big fan of, "Wheel of Fortune," you might be an old person or my child, Clarkson. He used to really be into, "The Price is Right," but then developed a real affection for Wheel. The 39th season kicked off this week and there were a number of changes to the music, set design, and rules. Upon seeing all these tweaks I thought, "I bet longtime fans are pissed." I was right. People literally wrote they were, "Distraught," over changes. What exactly changed though besides the jingle and a refresh of the set? Well, a handful of things.

One massive alteration is that Pat Sayjack no longer spins the wheel for the Final Spin at the end of the regular game rounds. Now, the player in control of the board does it as Sayjack said he never liked feeling as if he had an impact on the game, it should've been players. Okay, that's not too much. Also, if a contestant solves all three puzzles in the triple toss-up they get a $4,000 bonus. Not too wild either. For the bonus round, you get at least $39,000 now too, which again seems reasonable. Oh, and the Free Play wedge is gone, replaced with an $850 wedge...what? Now, that's a bit much!

I liked the Free Play spot because it made it possible for players to call a vowel early when they didn't have any money yet or try a risky letter and still be allowed to spin even if it wasn't present. It added some fun strategies to the game. Oddly enough, it replaced the Free Spin wedge in 2009 and people were really angry then too, so I guess the more things change the more they stay the same.

Even with the alterations, the show still feels like, "Wheel of Fortune," without a doubt. I think little fixes now and then can be good and even if they upset me at first blush (like getting rid of free of the Free Space) I think it'll all work out in the end. Clarkson loves watching still, and if he's happy I'm happy.

Happy Birthday, Clarkson!

He gave me a goodnight kiss yesterday!

Two years ago today my fantastic son was born. Clarkson came into this world at 8:14 AM weighing 4 pounds and 2.3 ounces. He was 10 weeks premature and spent 70 days in the NICU before coming home on May 9th. Clarkson is now a lot bigger and loves to run, jump, and climb. He likes to play with his toys, have books read to him, and is a big fan of listening to music. We try to limit his screen-time but when we do let him watch television he enjoys, "Moana," "Puppy Dog Pals," and interestingly enough, "The Price is Right," along with, "Wheel of Fortune," because we think he likes all the excited cheering people on the shows along with the lit-up games/wheel.

Clarkson is so wonderful and I'm honored to call him my son. It's wild to think he joined our family two years ago as a tiny little nugget and now is growing so fast. Samii and I love him immensely and feel joy everyday being able to call him our son. Happy birthday Clarkson, you are an awesome little guy!