Big Toss-Up Changes Reportedly Coming To Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune is reportedly getting a new lightning round.
For many years, each episode began with two toss-ups, which were worth $1,000 and $2,000 respectively. But season 44 has begun taping, and fans have stated that the traditional toss-up format is being revamped quite substantially. According to reports from the audience, every episode will now start with the Toss-Up Sprint.
During this round, the three contestants will race to solve toss-ups for 30 seconds. Each puzzle is worth $1,000, and only one guess is permitted per puzzle. If the contestant who rings in gets it right, they earn the money. If they get it wrong, the actual solution is revealed immediately, and then the next puzzle begins. The clock doesn’t stop at any point until time runs out. Contestants will be allowed to answer even after time expires, as long as they buzzed in before the clock stopped running. According to audience members, you can expect to see 5 to 6 puzzles per sprint on average.
It’s also been stated that the Toss-Up Sprint has no lockout system. If a contestant solves incorrectly, there appears to be no penalty other than the current puzzle being removed from play. They’ll still be allowed to buzz in for the next puzzle, which means we may see multiple consecutive missolves from the same player in this round.
After the Toss-Up Sprint, the first standard round will begin immediately. Whoever solved the last toss-up puzzle will have control to start that round. In previous years, contestant chats would take place in between the first two toss-ups. However, with this format change in place, they will now happen after round 1.
This isn’t the only toss-up related format change Wheel of Fortune has made in recent years. In 2019, the $3,000 toss-up was replaced with the Triple Toss-Up. Now contestants aim to solve three puzzles that share a category back to back. Each individual puzzle in the set was worth $2,000, but if one contestant solved all three, they won $10,000 instead. Whoever solves the third puzzle starts round 4 with control of the wheel.
Wheel of Fortune also did one special bonus round full of toss-ups this past season. Chorsie Calbert IV won the DraftKings Casino Multiplier Tournament, and went on to play a completely revamped bonus round. He was tasked with solving up to 5 toss-ups in 45 seconds. Each puzzle had a base value of $10,000, and Chorsie solved 4 of them. His score of $40,000 was tripled to $120,000, because he spun the bonus wheel to earn a multiplier of 3x.
Wheel of Fortune season 44 premieres in syndication on September 14.
