After being on the air for over four decades, Wheel of Fortune has recently made some major
changes during its most recent season.
While the show has made changes in the past, these new changes aren’t sitting quite so
well with longtime fans.
Join Facts Verse as we explore why fans are furious about Wheel of Fortune changes.
Co-hosted by the iconic duo of Pat Sajak and Vanna White, the beloved game show Wheel of
Fortune has been on the air for over four decades.
Over the course of those four decades, fans have not only become familiar with the show’s
format and cohosts but have also become familiar with the show’s music and visuals.
This includes the show’s iconic set design, as well as the various pieces of theme music
that play during the show’s different segments.
With the show’s most recent season, a number of changes have been made.
In addition to the introduction of some new faces to the show’s beloved co-hosts, these
changes also include alterations made to both the set and the music.
While plenty of changes have been made to aspects of Wheel of Fortune before, these
changes were always incredibly subtle and occurred over time.
With these new changes, fans were quick to notice and take umbrage.
Even fans that weren’t initially satisfied with the show’s iconic set and theme music
seem to consider the new changes made to be a downgrade!
However, other changes have been met with less of a challenge, such as the promotion
of Pat Sajak to the role of a consulting producer and the introduction of his daughter as the
show’s new social media consultant.
As Wheel of Fortune’s new social media consultant, Pat Sajak’s daughter is going to have a
lot of work cut out for her when it comes to responses from fans to the show’s new
changes.
Fans took to social media immediately after the premiere of Wheel of Fortune’s new season,
an episode that introduced these changes to the audience all at once.
While many fans were outraged at the creative decision to change so many iconic aspects
of the show, others were simply put off, and were curious to see if other fans felt the
same way.
One of the biggest changes made for Wheel of Fortune’s most recent season is the altercation
of the show’s classic “Toss Up” music.
Of course, this is the theme music that plays during the “Toss Up” segment of the game
show.
The memorable theme music has always been incredibly intense and very catchy, and the
new altercation apparently isn’t.
Another piece of memorable theme music that has been changed for Wheel of Fortune’s
most recent season is the music that plays whenever a contestant correctly solves one
of the show’s many puzzles.
The music previously provoked an almost Pavlovian response amongst both contestants and audience
members alike, whether at home or in the studio.
However, the recent music seems to be having a much more underwhelming, and sometimes even
negative, reaction amongst the beloved game show’s fans.
In addition to the changes that have been made to the show’s beloved music, the most
recent season of Wheel of Fortune has also brought changes to the show’s iconic set.
These changes are numerous, and serve to make the overall aesthetic of the show a lot less
dynamic and a lot more streamlined.
Understandably, fans aren’t too happy.
While many are angry at the changes made to Wheel of Fortune because they were happy with
the way that the show originally sounded and looked, others are simply annoyed by the fact
that they feel these new changes aren’t much of an improvement.
Even fans that were open to the idea of the show’s iconic set design and music changing
have expressed that they feel the new changes introduced to the show are underwhelming and
don’t serve to make the experience any more pleasant for the viewer whatsoever.
In addition to changing established aspects of the show, the producers of Wheel of Fortune
have also made the decision to add several new elements to the show.
This includes an increased role for the show’s longtime announcer, Jim Thornton.
The most notable new part of Wheel of Fortune, however, is the aforementioned introduction
of Pat Sajak’s daughter into the role of the show’s social media consultant, a position
that sees her filming segments that take a look behind the scenes of the program and
its social media.
Pat Sajak’s daughter’s name is Maggie, and longtime fans of Wheel of Fortune were
likely familiar with her well before the premiere of the beloved game show’s most reason season.
Not only had Maggie previously filled in for Vanna White while Vanna was filling in for
Pat during Pat’s 2019 medical leave, but she also appeared on the show when she was
just a baby.
As well, Maggie has made somewhat of a name for herself as a country singer.
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While fans are upset at the most recent changes that have been made to the beloved game show
Wheel of Fortune, the show’s iconic theme music has been altered a staggering number
of times over the course of the show’s four decades on the air.
However, most of these changes were so subtle and gradual that audiences simply didn’t
take notice.
The core of the theme has always been the same; an iconic jingle that television fans
can recognize without seeing the name.
The original theme music for Wheel of Fortune was created in the early 1970s but composer
and actor Alan Thicke.
In addition to his role on the 1980s series Growing Pains, Alan is also known today as
the father of popular singer Robin Thicke.
However, there was a time when Alan’s most memorable accomplishment was crafting the
music for Wheel of Fortune.
Alan Thicke also crafted many other television compositions, including themes for the game
shows Blank Check and Celebrity Sweepstakes.
However, none of the other game shows that Alan wrote the theme music for remain on the
air.
Alan Thicke’s Wheel of Fortune theme is known as “Big Wheels”.
In 1983, the theme music by Alan Thicke was replaced by another composition known as “Changing
Keys”, which was written by Merv Griffin.
The purpose behind the introduction of this new theme was the fact that Wheel of Fortune
was about to be syndicated, and the original theme wasn’t going to be cleared for syndication
usage.
The original version of Merv Griffin’s composition was used for over a decade before being officially
remixed in 1997.
Several years later, a man by the name of Steve Kaplan was brought on as Wheel of Fortune’s
new music director, and he replaced Merv’s composition with a song by the name of “Happy
Wheels”.
“Happy Wheels” became the Wheel of Fortune theme starting in the year 2000.
In the year 2009, “Changing Keys” was nominated for an award at the Game Show Network’s
own award show.
The award it was nominated for was the Best Game Show Theme Song, but it ended up losing
the award to the composition “Think!”, which audiences may better know as the classic
theme from the show Jeopardy! that plays whenever contestants must answer a question.
Starting in 2006, two men by the names of Frankie Blue and John Hoke were put in charge
of composing Wheel of Fortune’s music.
In addition to a variation on the classic theme “Happy Wheels”, the show went on
to use an original rock composition that was written by the duo.
Although fans haven’t taken too kindly to the changes made to the music and set of Wheel
of Fortune, they have been a bit more kind when it comes to the introduction of Pat Sajak’s
daughter as the show’s new social media consultant.
Maggie’s new role certainly represents an increased presence in the public eye, but
she has been featured on the show previously.
As well, Maggie has achieved a good degree of notoriety as a country singer and has been
featured in a photoshoot for the magazine Teen Vogue.
Maggie’s new role on Wheel of Fortune will see her interacting with fans of the show
via social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
As well, she will film behind-the-scenes segments that will air during the show.
While Maggie is certainly excited for the attention that her new role on Wheel of Fortune
will bring her, she is still continuing to pursue higher education with the hopes of
becoming a lawyer.
Maggie is currently attending undergrad at Princeton University after graduating from
a post-graduate program at Columbia University.
Maggie had initially been studying pre-med at Princeton before deciding to make the official
switch over to studying law.
When Pat Sajak had to take medical leave from Wheel of Fortune in 2019, cohost Vanna White
took over his duties for the time being.
Since there was no letter turner, Maggie was invited to take over for Vanna.
However, this appearance on Wheel of Fortune wasn’t Maggie’s first brush with fame.
As a country artist, Maggie has released several singles.
Her single “First Kiss”, released in 2013, was even featured on a CMT reality show by
the name of Sweet Home Alabama.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White are signed onto Wheel of Fortune until 2024.
Although many changes have been made to Wheel of Fortune over its nearly half of a century
on the air, these new changes simply aren’t sitting right with the beloved game show’s
longtime fans.
Comment down below to share if you have any opinion on these controversial new changes,
or if you’re one of many that are hoping that these changes are removed in favor of
the show’s more iconic music and set design.
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