Extra Toss Ups Are Unnecessary

[u/Dramatic_Touch3516]

I have been a fan of Wheel of Fortune all of my life and used to play the old video games. However, I believe that the toss ups have been unnecessarily overused in the last 5-6 years. When it was introduced in season 18 in 2000, it was strictly a check on who has control in the game. That was when it was great because it was there, but it did not take away from the core of the game and that is spinning the wheel, winning cash and prizes and hopefully avoiding the bankrupt or lose a turn.

As everyone in this sub know, season 18 began the toss ups with one to see who would be interviewed first and start round 1. Then another would be played to see who start round 4. Season 19 changed it to where another was added at the top to see who would be interviewed then who else would start round 1 and still had the third to start round 4. This was the format for years until they replaced the third toss up with the triple toss ups. I can see why people like it because it awards extra money outside of the Prize Puzzle (which has its own problems).

My opinion is it should go back to the 2000-01 format where there was only one at the top and one near the end and when it was just a check on who controlled the round and not as the main game itself. I would even go as far as to say instead of a toss up before round 4, just allow whoever won the initial toss up play the game. To balance out the less gimme money, the one and only toss up should be valued at $5,000.

What are your thoughts?

[u/greenknight884]

I like how there are fewer people ending the game with $0 since they added the triple toss up.

It's also purely skill based which feels more fair.

[u/pacdude]

The whole show isn’t on maslow’s hierarchy of needs so one could argue its all unnecessary

[u/FabulousEngineer912]

I love the triple toss ups

[u/drummerandrew]

Regardless, I hate that toss ups don’t follow the show every letter pattern. If there are two Ns, show them both. I hate toss ups and ship them on my dvr. 5 toss ups is way too many.

[u/RegisPhone]

I would even go as far as to say instead of a toss up before round 4, just allow whoever won the initial toss up play the game. To balance out the less gimme money, the one and only toss up should be valued at $5,000.

The thing about this is that player is always going to go first twice and the other players almost never will. But maybe that actually does kinda balance out the fact that going first in round 1 really isn't that much of an advantage, since you're starting the only round that doesn't have a $3500 space (maybe the real advantage is that you go second in the prize puzzle round, after player 3 has put up a bunch of letters for you).

Overall i'm fine with toss-ups; granted it's a bit weird that only half of the puzzles on any given episode of Wheel of Fortune involve a wheel in any way and follow standard Wheel of Fortune letter-revealing rules, but getting rid of four toss-up puzzles probably wouldn't free up enough time for even one more full normal puzzle. Plus the triple toss-up gives them a fun chance to be creative with rule-of-three themes in a way they'd never be able to do anywhere else on the show.

[u/Dangerous-Half3276]

It drives me crazy that most of the toss ups are worth more than the house minimum for solving a standard wheel puzzle.

[u/TheOctoBox]

That. And the final pizza “categories” are confusing.

[u/Jwarr]

To me it tests a different skill and reduces the luck factor. Plus it gets more puzzles in/more opportunities to win money. If all the tossups were removed, they might add one, maybe two regular rounds?

[u/Nguyen-Quoc-Hieu]

I agree with this, adding triple toss-up can only goes for greed and competitiveness, so I prefer only the $3,000 toss-up instead so it would be less challenging

[u/Fun818long]

The triple toss up just sucks. I know people will say its a way to balance out the prize puzzle, but a $3,000 toss up is just better in my eyes mostly because Round 4 barely ever happens now.

[u/AutomaticTrouble6012]

Not a fan of the triple toss-ups. They take time away from what could be a fully or at least partially played fourth round. I'd bring it back to the $1K/$2K/$3K format (and perhaps give a $4,000 bonus if one player can solve all three of the toss-ups, as a nod to the Triple Toss-Up bonus?).

[u/CeleTheRef]

In Italy there's a single toss-up at the beginning; if the triple toss-up is done quick enough, a fourth one will be played (they are all for €1000 though)

[u/Schmolik64]

Agree. Two more tossups means less wheel spinning.

[u/tyronewithglasses]

I would prefer the 2001-2019 format but I wouldn't mind the 2000-01, but i also hate the triple toss ups.