Currently in its 37th  season in syndication, Wheel of Fortune is America's Game®. Created by Merv Griffin in 1975 as an NBC daytime show, Wheel of Fortune is based on the popular game "Hangman." Pal Sajak and Vanna White have hosted the show since its debut in syndication in 1983. Jim Thornton became the show's announcer in 2011.

Three contestants compete by spinning the Wheel and calling out consonants to solve the puzzle for cash or prizes. Contestants with enough money to do so can buy vowels for $250 each.

The contestant who has won the most cash and prizes at the end of the main game goes on to play in the "Bonus Round" for additional prizes. He or she has the chance to choose the category of their bonus puzzle from three options. No one leaves Wheel of Fortune empty-handed; each contestant is awarded a minimum of $1,000 cash.

Some of the exciting game elements include:

- "Million Dollar Wedge": If a contestant collects the wedge, solves the puzzle and makes it to the"Bonus Round" without hitting "Bankrupt," he or she will be playing for a top cash prize of $1 million on the Bonus Wheel.

- "Free Play": This wedge gives contestants the choice to buy a vowel for free, call a consonant to earn $500 each or solve the puzzle. Right or wrong, the contestant will continue their tum.

- "Wild Card": Gives the option to call an additional consonant either in the regular rounds of play or in the "Bonus Round."

- "Mystery Round": During the second round of play, two "mystery" wedges are placed on the Wheel, each hiding either a "Bankrupt" or "$10,000" on the face-down side. After correctly calling a consonant, a contestant can either take the wedge's face value of $1,000 per letter in the puzzle or take the    50/50 chance of getting $10,000 or Bankrupt. If the $10,000 prize is won, a Wheel Watchers Club member can also win $10,000.

- "Express Wedge": When this is landed on, the contestant must call a consonant. If correct, he or she earns $1,000 per letter and is given the option to "pass" or "play." By "passing" gameplay proceeds as usual. By "playing," the contestant continually calls consonants, earning $1,000 for each one in the puzzle, and buys vowels for $250 each, until he/she solves the puzzle or makes a wrong move and goes "Bankrupt."

- "Prize Puzzle": The contestant who correctly solves the "Prize Puzzle" will win a luxurious prize in addition to their winnings for the round.

- "Crossword Puzzle Round": Words that are tied together by a clue will appear intertwined, horizontally and vertically across the puzzleboard. Contestants play the game normally until they solve  the puzzle by reading all of the words in any order.

- "Triple Toss Up": Three toss up puzzles are played in quick succession. Each puzzle correctly solved is worth $2,000, making the value of the round $6,000. A toss up puzzle is when a blank puzzle is revealed and slowly filled in, and all three contestants compete to buzz in first and solve correctly.

Wheel of Fortune is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. The executive producer is Harry Friedman. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Studios International, both units of CBS Corp.