Wheel of Fortune kicked off its 39th season on Monday, and right away, fans of the show were not feeling the show’s big changes. On top of unveiling a super bright-and-colorful set, the classic game show also debuted its new theme music, which did not go over well. Shortly after the season premiere, Wheel Watchers flocked to Twitter where they voiced their opinions. As you’ll see, most of the comments were centered around the new music, but a few were not feeling the new set design either.
Bold choice of Wheel of Fortune to make their music and sound effects significantly more annoying for the new season
— Zoe Kennard (@ZoeKennard) September 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/Stigg00/status/1437597199807008774
Sorry, Wheel of Fortune. I do not care for any of the new music. pic.twitter.com/HpSc72PqCO
— Peggy W (@Peggyw66) September 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/Daynah_Singh/status/1437557502888058882
The new @WheelofFortune music is horrible. Yikes!! #WheelOfFortune
— Hannah Sorensen (@HSorensenFargo) September 13, 2021
My husband dislikes the new Wheel of Fortune soundboard so much he logged into Twitter to his 23 follower account to see if others felt the same
— frankie gabagool 🤌 (@beantownthot) September 13, 2021
Of course, the biggest question is how many of these changes were done at the behest of Mike Richards who was recently fired as the executive producer of both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune following his disastrous attempt to install himself as Alex Trebek’s successor. While it’s not known how much input Richards had on the Wheel changes, some fans aren’t afraid to lay the bad music at his feet:
https://twitter.com/ArchivistLauren/status/1437557156350472194
However, not all of the changes were rejected by fans. This season, Pat Sajak will no longer perform the Final Spin. Instead, whoever has control of the wheel will do the honors, which is a change Sajak has been wanting for a while.
“If you think about it, by doing the ‘final spin’ I, as host, had an impact on the outcome of the game, and that has always bothered me because it just didn’t feel right,” Sajak told Deadline earlier in the month. “With this change, only the contestants determine the outcome of the game and the host does not impose themself in any way.”
The Final Spin change elicited at least one positive response, which is more than can be said about the music:
The contestant now does the Final Spin in Wheel of Fortune.
We can no longer blame Pat Sajak for crappy spins.#WheelofFortune pic.twitter.com/cfYSK4EkxX
— AC (@ACinPhilly) September 14, 2021
(Via TVInsider)