Wheel of Fortune: A Classic Game Show for All

I have been a fan of Wheel of Fortune since my infancy. My parents lived with my grandparents for a couple of years after I was born. My grandfather was very ill, and apparently Wheel of Fortune was his favorite show. He watched it daily, while I played in my playpen in front of the television.

Family legend says that one night when I was about eighteen months old, we were all gathered in the living room. I was playing with my blocks. I crawled over to my mother, held up the "b" and called out, "B!" My parents and grandparents blew it off as a fluke, until I kept bringing over more and more, accurately exclaiming each letter of the alphabet. My astute knowledge was attributed to all of the hours of Wheel of Fortune I was logged with my grandpa.

To this very day, Wheel of Fortune continues to be on the family television sets every night at 7 p.m. In fact, no one dares call my grandmother when it is on.

So what is it that makes this show so popular?

It never hurts to have an attractive host and hostess who never seem to age. Vanna has been a fashion icon for as long as I can remember.

It also helps to have a game that anyone can play. You can feel smart and successful, whereas the quiz shows like Jeopardy can make you feel less intelligent.

There is all kinds of drama every time someone spins the wheel. You ride an emotional roller coaster. You're disappointed, if not devastated when someone gets a "Bankrupt". You're excited when a free spin is won or the high dollar amount is earned. You get annoyed at the people who should just give the answer instead of being greedy and spinning the wheel over and over again, only to lose it all right at the end. It's kind of like that gambler's high that people get at the casino.