‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Introduce Major Format Shake-Up: Report

Dan ClarendonSat, August 29, 2026 at 4:23 PM UTC

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Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest on 'Wheel of Fortune' Season 42 - Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune is reportedly tossing in a big change to its gameplay by starting each episode of the syndicated game show’s upcoming 44th season with a Toss-Up Sprint round.

Citing audience reports from Season 44 tapings, BuzzerBlog explains that the Toss-Up Sprint round will challenge Wheel contestants to solve as many toss-up puzzles as possible in 30 seconds.

Each contestant has one guess to solve each puzzle. If a contestant buzzes in with the correct answer, they win $1,000 for that puzzle. If they buzz in with the incorrect answer, the puzzle board displays the correct answer and then the next puzzle, in which that contestant can still compete. Also, a contestant can still provide an answer to the current toss-up puzzle after 30 seconds has elapsed, as long as they buzzed in before the clock ran out.

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BuzzerBlog adds that Season 44 players have been going through an average of five to six puzzles per Toss-Up Sprint. The gameplay then segues directly into the first standard puzzle — with the solver of the last toss-up controlling the wheel — followed by contestant introductions.

In recent seasons, Wheel of Fortune episodes started with a $1,000 toss-up puzzle, then had the host introduce the contestants, then continued with a $2,000 toss-up, with a Triple Toss-Up coming later.

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On Reddit, Wheel watchers seem to be intrigued and even in favor of the Toss-Up Sprint idea.

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“Wow, that’s definitely an interesting change,” one person wrote. “I’ve been feeling like they could stand to do something with the format for the opening Toss-Ups. Since they’re saying [five to six] puzzles average, it could end up being a deciding factor in who wins, more so than the original format.”

Another fan said, “I don’t hate it. One of the biggest complaints is how much filler there is. This is a good way for contestants to make a little extra money, which I’m always going to be a proponent of.”

And a third user wrote, “All for getting the gameplay going immediately. Would prefer that guesses are not one-and-done, but gotta see how that looks in action first. Pending seeing [it] in action, [it’s a positive change.”

Wheel of Fortune, Season 44 Premiere, Monday, September 14, Check Local Listings

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”