Wheel 2000 is a children's version of the American game show Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)

Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...

. The show was created by Scott Sternberg. David Sidoni hosted the program and Cyber Lucy (whose movements and voice were provided by Tanika Ray

Tanika Ray

Tanika Ray is an American television personality. She was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from Spelman College in Atlanta and studied theater at New York University....

), a virtual reality

Virtual reality

Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

 character, served as hostess.

The show premiered on September 13, 1997 on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 and lasted one season. It was broadcast simultaneously on CBS and GSN

Game Show Network

The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...

.

The gameplay was very similar to the adult version, except children aged 10–15 competed for points and prizes instead of cash with the eventual winner playing for a grand prize in the bonus round.

Gameplay differences from the adult version

• Round categories were chosen by the contestants from a possible three. New categories replaced those chosen in each round. In Round 1, the coin toss winner/the red player would choose, Round 2, the yellow player, Round 3, the blue player and so on.
• The house minimum in each round was 500 points.
• Contestants received a prize for solving each puzzle. The player who solved the puzzle also added the points to their bank, with the eventual top winner advancing to the Bonus Round.
• After each round, Cyber Lucy (or a celebrity) presented a short video clip related to the solved puzzle.
• Vowel cost 250 points.

Categories

Categories resembled those used on the adult version but with minor name changes.

• GlobetrotterPlace or On The Map
• Just StuffThing(s)
• VIP
  VIP
  VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
  
  sProper Name(s)
• Book SoupPuzzles related to literature
• Made in the USAPuzzles related to the United States
• Space CasePuzzles related to outer space
  Outer space
  Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
  
  
• Above & BelowPuzzles related to Earth
  Earth
  Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
  
  
• It Adds UpPuzzles related to mathematics
• Every BodyPuzzles related to body parts
• Word RapPuzzles related to grammar & punctuation
• Lab TestPuzzles related to science
• Bright IdeasPuzzles related to inventions
• Paint by NumbersPuzzles related to art
• MeasurementSelf-explanatory

The Wheel

The top values on the wheel were 1,000 points in Round One, 2,000 points in Round Two, and 5,000 points for Round Three and beyond. The wheel was redesigned with brighter colors and different names for various spaces:

• "Bankrupt" became "The Creature", with the creature coming up from under the wheel to "eat" the player's points.
• "Lose A Turn" became "Loser".
• If a player hit the WWW.WHEEL2000.COM and called a consonant that appeared in the puzzle, an at-home player who had previously registered on the site would win a Wheel 2000 hat and t-shirt. The in-studio contestant also earned 750 points per instance of the letter called.
• If a contestant hit "Double Up", host Sidoni asked the contestant a question. If the contestant answered correctly, the value of each consonant found in the puzzle on that turn was worth 1,000 points. If the contestant solves incorrectly, the value was 500 points.
• Three six-peg stunt wedges allowed the player who landed on them to play a stunt in order to earn up to three additional random letters. Each wedge featured a different stunt. Following the stunt, the contestant could either choose to see if the letters earned were in the puzzle or spin the wheel and choose their own letter. If the contestant did not earn any letters or if the random letters earned were not in the puzzle, play passed to the next contestant. Each stunt could only be played once; afterward the space became a six-peg wedge worth 250 points. Some episodes featured more than one stunt on the wheel, one in each round.
• In addition to 100 points per letter, if a contestant hit the "Prize Box", they automatically won a small prize regardless of the game's outcome. A new prize is added for each round.

With the exception of the top point space and physical game wedges, the wheel's layout remained constant throughout the program.

Bonus round

The top winner chose one of two prize packages, labeled "A" and "B". The bonus round puzzles had the same category names as the original version (usually "Person", "Place", or "Thing"; "Phrase" was never used). The letters R, S, T, L, N, E were shown in the puzzle, and the contestant was asked for three consonants and a vowel, and then had 10 seconds to solve it.

Wheel of Fortune 2000 - The Tour

In early 1998, Wheel of Fortune 2000 made a 12-city tour, appearing in shopping malls around the country. The tour was sponsored by The Bravo Card, and branded by Discover

Discover Card

The Discover Card is a major credit card, issued primarily in the United States. It was originally introduced by Sears in 1985, and was part of Dean Witter, and then Morgan Stanley, until 2007, when Discover Financial Services became an independent company. Novus, a major processing center, used to...

. The Chicago office of New Jersey-based promotion agency DVC Group coordinated the tour, sponsorship and promotion.

Sidoni hosted the touring show as well and was again joined by Ray as Lucy. The tour visited a variety of major market cities including Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., New York City, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Jose, and Anaheim. Winners from each market were invited to appear as contestants on the program in a grand finale.