"Wheel of Fortune"- 30TH SEASON PREMIERE

We start w/ a clip of Pat introducing Vanna White for the very first time in daytime back in '82 before the opening titles.

This first week of the season's Spa Getaway & keep in mind that in the last two of these weeks w/ that theme, there have been two Million Dollar Bonus Rounds. As usual w/ this theme, the endgame car's a Mazda MX-5 Miata.

$1K Toss-Up: Phrase

T _ I S / _ A _ _ S

F _ R / A / T O A _ T

Candace says "THIS CALLS FOR A TOAST" to strike first blood in this match. Here are the first three contestants of S30:

Candace Dewberry (North Myrtle Beach, SC; originally from Atlanta)- Bank teller engaged to Will, as well as a former pole vaulter in high school (her best distance's 10 feet)
Matt Huff (Hemet, CA)- 4th Grade teacher at McSweeney Elementary married for 20 years
Lisa Gordon-Hosch (San Diego)- A liaison & advocate to 97K businesses in the area married for eight months married to Alex; she's a fifth-generation San Diegan (her family dates back to 1889)

$2K T-U: Person

 _ R U S _ E D

F R I _ N D

Matt says he's a TRUSTED FRIEND.

Monday's Featured Spa Trip: Argentario Golf Resort & Spa courtesy of Spa Finder Wellness ($7,200; most of the new money graphics are similar to the ones we saw in Seasons 24 & 25 and there's also a new prize transition graphic)
Mon./Wed./Fri. Gift Tag: Spa Finder.com

IHOP Jackpot Round (w/ a revised Jackpot Wedge graphic & a new Jackpot readout mostly in blue): Movie Title
Maingame Category Wipe of the Week: Flower from the right side

Matt starts w/ the very first letter of this puzzle, a $300 T. He secondly calls a $400 H, buys two E's to fill out the first word, finds a $600 R & buys three A's, but he then becomes the season's first Bankrupt victim in between $650 & $900 to the tune of $800. Second in line, Lisa calls up a $700 S, two $450 N's but then buys a dud vowel in O. Third, Candace duds out right away w/ L. On Matt's second turn of the round, he grabs an $1,800 M pair & a $500 Z for the vacation...

T H E / A M A Z _ N _

S _  _ E R - M A N

...& identifies "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" for another $9.5K in cash & spa getaway.

DUDS: $400 L (Candace), O (Lisa)
SOLE BANKRUPT: Matt
LEFT BEHIND IN JACKPOT: $9,250

Current Scores:

Lisa: $0/Candace: $1K/Matt: $11.5K in cash & Europe (Pat announces the correction just before the start of the next round)

Mystery Round: Before & After

Lisa leads off by making the call of an S while on the Mystery Wedge next to the Million Dollar Wedge & flips it over instead of taking a safe $1K...Bankrupt. Second, Candace calls the two $500 T's for the 1/2 CAR in between $350 & $900 (this week, it's a Ford Fiesta; the other plate's in between $450 & $300 & both 1/2 CARS are on green $500 wedges) but then Loses a Turn right after. Third, Matt's got quadruple N's for $1,800, five E's but then the other regular Bankrupt strikes both him & Lisa; it costs him $1,550 this time. As we return to Candace, she puts in two $550 G's but then duds out w/ K. Matt's next spin of the wheel lands on a $500 & he calls a couple P's & a $900 B (a yellow $500's next to the Wild Card, which is in between that & $3.5K) and...

S _ E E P _ N G

B E _ _ T _

P _ G E _ N T

_ _ N N E _

...we shouldn't imagine a "SLEEPING BEAUTY" PAGEANT WINNER in our lives, but he's $1,900 richer.

SOLE DUD: $500 K (Candace)
SOLE LaT: Candace
BANKRUPTS: 3 (two by Lisa, Matt)

Current Scores:

Lisa: ZIPPO/Candace: $1K/Matt: $13,400 in cash & travel

Bonus Puzzle Blast from the Past ('98 from Vegas; she called CPMA)(Thing):

_ E A N

_ A _ _ E T

A: JEAN JACKET (& it was solved back then)

Prize Puzzle Round: Event (no PP graphic anymore)

Candace has called two S's for an $1,100 start, but she then loses that amount right back to the Bankrupt in between $650 & $900. Second for Matt are two $500 T's for the other 1/2 CAR but then a negative vowel of A. Third, Lisa Bankrupts out next to $3.5K, which is her third of the night. Fourth, Candace says a baddie of R. After Matt's $1,600 N pairing, quadruple E buy, $7K G couplet, quad I purchase, $400 H & O buy to clean out the vowel shop, the board...

S I G H T S E E I N G

E _ _ E _ I T I O N

...give him another nine grand & a $5,800 SIGHTSEEING EXPEDITION at the Lapaz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica.

DUDS: A (Matt), $600 R (Candace)
BANKRUPTS: 2 (women)

Current Scores:

Lisa: NADA/Candace: $1K/Matt: $28,200 in cash & vacations

$3K T-U: Things

_ _ _ R L

E _ _  R I _ _ S

Matt gets PEARL EARRINGS to break the 30 grand mark w/ $31,200.

Speed-Up: Show Biz

Consonants pay...$1.5K a pop. After Lisa's call of the twin C's...

_ N C _ R _

P _ R _ _ R M A N C _

...too bad she can't have an ENCORE PERFORMANCE of that, but she does avoid getting gooseegged by earning six big ones. Candace had half that at the time & Matt left behind $4.5K.

(AIRED) DUDS: D (Matt), H (Lisa)

Final Scores:

Lisa: $6K/Candace: $1K/Matt: $31,200 in cash & trips
GT: $38,200

TONIGHT'S BANKRUPT TRASH: $4,450

First BR This Season: The Rebuilding Together charity bank begins this season at $100K. Matt spins the single-star.

Topic: Phrase

The usual help:

 _ _ R T _ / T _ E

_ _ _ T

He knows it already like we do! After calling WHDA...

W _ R T H / T H E

W A _ T

...we see the new round clockwise BR timer (at least for the circular BR contestant window; it's green on top of a red circle) & he nearly doubles his winnings by saying the hiatus towards this landmark season was certainly WORTH THE WAIT (& Jimmy says "Wait no more" before plugging the $30K)! He leaves w/ $61,200 in cash & voyages (which also makes the new charity bank total $102.5K)!

$5K SPIN ID: DF9584137

EPISODE RATING: 7