Wheel of Fortune is back for another season, and with it came changes. Aside from a new announcer, after Jim Thornton was fired from the show, format changes also had fans reacting.
Barbara Ditoto, from Bowie, Maryland, played against Rob Clark, from Ambler, Pennsylvania, and Ernesto Sookhoo, from Floral Park, New York. Normally, the show would start with a toss-up, contestants’ interviews, and another toss-up before moving on to the full puzzles, but Season 44 looked a little different.
“So, you wanted more puzzles, and we heard you,” host Ryan Seacrest said. “This season, we’re introducing a brand-new game, Fortune Frenzy. Our contestants have 30 seconds to solve as many puzzles as possible.” All of them are in the same category, and they are worth $1,000 each.
Clark, a man who finished chemotherapy and is now cancer-free, solved two toss-ups, earning $2,000. Ditoto and Sookhoo both solved one, giving them $1,000.
“Great opening game! I liked the new opening game. Everyone got some money right away,” a Reddit user said.
“I enjoyed it. I love the new puzzle!” another wrote.
“Oh my god, Fortune Frenzy into the first puzzle into interviews is so much better than what they were doing before,” a third added.
Check out a video of the new game below.
Then, it went right into the first puzzle in the category “On My Playlist.” Clark won a trip to Hollywood and $13,500 when he solved “Songs to Sing in the Shower.”
After that, the game show moved on to the introductions. The next puzzle was a Crossword that was “Welcome ____.” Clark solved “Mat, Wagon, Home, Center.” This gave him $15,050.
Clark solved most of the letters in the “Food & Drink” puzzle. However, Ditoto, a retired federal employee, solved “Olive Oil And Feta Cheese” and won a trip to Greece. This gave her $11,562.
The Triple Toss-ups still made an appearance at the end of the game. Ditoto solved all three of them and added $10,000 to her bank, giving her the lead with $21,562.
She also solved the final puzzle – “The Cat’s Meow” – for a total of $26,562. Clark ended with $15,050. Sookhoo, a cricket player, went home with $1,000.
For the Bonus Round, Ditoto chose “Fun & Games” for her category. Another change fans noticed was that the Bonus Round wheel changed from “America’s Game” to “Everybody’s Game.”
“The new frenzy round isn’t a bad change of pace. However, I was expecting introductions before the 1st round. What caught me most off guard was the Bonus Wheel. It used to say, ‘SPIN & WIN AMERICA’S GAME’ with stars in between, but they changed that to say… ‘AMERICA’S WITH EVERYBODY?’ How does that relate to the show and its prizes?” one fan said.
“I understand there’s a new bonus wheel layout,” a fan said.
Wheel of Fortune gave her “R,S,T,L,N, and E.” Ditoto rounded out her puzzle with “B,G,H, and I.” The puzzle then looked like “BL_ _ING B_BBLES.”
She added $45,000 to her total after solving “Blowing Bubbles,” giving her $71,662. “What a win to start off our 44th season,” Seacrest said.
“The pace of the show felt sped up. People talking faster? Music seemed faster? Can’t put my finger on it… it just felt more frantic,” a Reddit user said.
What did you think of the changes? Let us know in the comments.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream on Hulu and Peacock