Real Reason ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Ended ‘Friday Finals’
Wheel of Fortune is still rolling along as it always has been. Ryan Seacrest replaced Pat Sajak after his retirement, but the show remains mostly the same as it always was. However, one part of the show has been dead and gone since 1985. That is what used to be called the Friday Finals.
Here is a look at the old Friday Finals and why it is no longer part of the hit game show.
What Was Friday Finals On Wheel Of Fortune?
Starting in Season 14, Friday Finals became part of Wheel of Fortune. Before that, there was a three-day Returning Champion Format. It was similar to Jeopardy!, where the returning champs could return and compete for more money. However, there was a three-day limit to that.
In Season 14, it changed. There were no longer returning daily champions on the game show. Instead of champions returning for up to three days, the show started the Friday Finals. This allowed the three players with the highest winnings from that week to return to compete against each other on Friday.
This offered a similar format to a returning champion, but it gave three people a chance to wrap up the week with a chance to win more money. It tied each week together into one batch of contestants. It was a fan favorite because it allowed viewers to have someone they loved from earlier in the week to cheer for in what was mostly a championship round.
However, in 1985, it all changed. The game show removed the Friday Finals and never did the returning champions format again. From that point on, every episode had new contestants.
Why Did Wheel Of Fortune Make This Change?
Fans missed the Friday Finals and the idea of returning champions. However, Pat Sajak said this was an important change to make. Pat was not a fan of returning champions on Wheel of Fortune for one big reason.
“Sometimes the luckiest person wins, and that’s okay—it’s part of the charm of the game,” Pat Sajak said. He emphasized that there was no reason to have returning champions because the show was not like Jeopardy! According to Sajak, this was not a game of skill. It was a game of luck with a spinning wheel. Since the winners were based on luck, champions were unnecessary.
Plus, Pat said having three brand-new contestants on every episode was better. He said that made it better for anyone who wanted to be on the show. “Allowing new contestants every night makes the dream of being on Wheel of Fortune accessible to more people.”
Do you miss things like Friday Finals on Wheel of Fortune? Do you prefer always having new contestants? Let us know in the comments below.
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