There is now officially a back and forth between “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” on Twitter. After “Jeopardy!” reached out for some help with “Wheel” themed categories on Wednesday’s episode, the hangman-style game show responded.
So how did “Wheel of Fortune” help “Jeopardy!” out? They outsourced the work to their fans, of course.
“Jeopardy!” featured two separate categories Wednesday evening that stem from the unique act of “buying a vowel” on “Wheel of Fortune.” The first, “I’d like to buy,” was pretty straightforward. According to the J! Archive, the $200 first clue was as follows, “I’d like to buy a Flodalen, a terry cloth this from IKEA.” Any guesses? It’s just a bath towel.
The second, and a slightly trickier category, was “‘A’ Vowel.” All of the correct responses here featured the letter “A” as their only vowel. For example, “A situation involving conflict, or a Pulitzer Prize category for plays.” If you guessed “drama,” you’d be 100% correct.
So you get the gist, “Wheel of Fortune” themed categories, but the clues themselves are nothing specific to the game show. “Jeopardy!” used the references as an opportunity to create some social media engagement. And we’re here for it. The interaction between the two shows on social media is entertaining in and of itself.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Try Their Best to Help Out
With an entire team of people dedicated to researching categories and clues, “Jeopardy!” was never in need of serious help. It’s just a fun exchange between two iconic gameshows on Twitter. But that didn’t stop fans from taking the request seriously. Or being clever, at the very least.
“I’d like to waste money on a vowel that I don’t need and solve the puzzle like a complete idiot right afterwards,” replied one Twitter user, taking shots at a frustrating strategy mistake they see “Wheel of Fortune” contestants making.
“I’ll take E for $2000,” another replied.
There is already some overlap between the show’s audiences. Many people watch both shows as part of their nightly routine. But on the flip side, there is a major divide between the fans. And late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek once spoke on it.
“There’s a lot more excitement with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ because luck plays a much greater role — there’s the spin of the wheel,” Trebek told Vulture in 2014. “On ‘Jeopardy!’ it’s all what you know. People relate more positively to the element of luck. They’re a little intimidated by ‘Jeopardy!’.”
Then again, the long-running game shows have more in common than you might think. Both have legendary hosting figures associated with them, both of them have been on the air for decades (“Wheel” has the edge, starting in 1975, depending on if you count the original “Jeopardy! or not), and they’ve each used the other’s host on occasion.
