RECAP EXAMPLE: Wednesday, September 19

Jim: From the deck of the beautiful cruise ship Fortune's Wheel, here's Pat Sajak and Vanna White!
Pat to Vanna: Welcome to Cruise Week! Have [chuckles] fun at the puzzleboard.

It's Day 3 of our "On the Water" voyage.

Time to drop anchor with a Toss-Up...
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ _ _ _
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Ding!
_ _ E I N G
_ _ _ / W _ R _ _
_ Y / _ H _ P
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

David's SEEING THE WORLD BY SHIP.

Ja'Nay: $0
Marty: $0
David: $1,000

Tonight's players?
David Wilson: A stage actor from Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ja'Nay Thomas: A youth minister from Atlanta, GA
Marty Jenkins: A stay-at-home dad with 2 kids from Quincy, MA (near Boston, he mentions)

Another Toss-Up here...
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
PHRASE

Ding!

E X _ _ I C
_ _ X _ R Y
PHRASE

Marty solves EXOTIC LUXURY.

Ja'Nay: $0
Marty: $2,000
David: $1,000

Tonight's featured cruise is of Seattle, and it's worth $5,500!

And we have one thing we need to work on...winning the Jackpot.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ / _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
THING

Marty
1/2-CAR ($500) - 1 T
$300 - 2 R's
2 E's
3 O's
JACKPOT - 2 S's
Can't solve for a $7,300 Jackpot.
2 A's
$400 - 2 N's
LOSE A TURN
Current Bank: $2,150 + 1/2-CAR

T _ _ N _ E R O _ S
R O _ N _ / O _
A _ _ _ A _ S E
THING

David
$600 - 1 L
No I
Current Bank: $350

T _ _ N _ E R O _ S
R O _ N _ / O _
A _ _ L A _ S E
THING

Ja'Nay
JACKPOT - 2 P's!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $1,000

T _ _ N _ E R O _ S
R O _ N _ / O _
A P P L A _ S E
THING

JACKPOT WIN! Ja'Nay solves THUNDEROUS ROUND OF APPLAUSE for a $10,800 Jackpot! Total that round: $11,800!

WRONG LETTER: I (David)
LOSE A TURN: Marty ($2,150 + 1/2-CAR)

Ja'Nay: $11,800
Marty: $2,000
David: $1,000

Two D's, but Ja'Nay got the Jackpot anyway!

All our hard work paid off...let's celebrate with a minigame! It's called High/Low.

Ja'Nay: $300
Marty: $800
David: MDW's right side --> $0

Vanna picks the low amount, so David will guess first.

L _ I _ / _ F
P O R _
FOOD & DRINK

David solves LOIN OF PORK.

Ja'Nay: 0
Marty: 0
David: 1

Next up on our list - 2 Mystery wedges.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
FOOD & DRINK

David
$600 - 2 T's
$300 - 2 S's
2 E's
BANKRUPT near $600 ($1,550 gone)

_ _ T T E _ _
S _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ E _ S
FOOD & DRINK

Ja'Nay
BANKRUPT btw. $600/$900

Marty
$800 - 3 R's
2 A's
No I
Current Bank: $1,900

_ _ T T E R _
S _ A _ _
_ R A _ _ E R S
FOOD & DRINK

David
$300 - 3 C's
1 U
No more vowels!
$800 - 2 K's
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $2,250

_ U T T E R _
S _ A C K
C R A C K E R S
FOOD & DRINK

David solves BUTTERY SNACK CRACKERS.

WRONG LETTER: I (Marty)
BANKRUPTS: David ($1,550), Ja'Nay ($0)

Ja'Nay: $11,800
Marty: $2,000
David: $3,250

Another minigame we can play is 2nd Guess Bonus Round. This one's from...uh, IDK.
_ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
PROPER NAME

RSTLNE:
_ _ _
_ E L _ S _ _
PROPER NAME

MDCO:
_ _ M
_ E L _ S _ _
PROPER NAME

David...nails JIM BELUSHI (from "According to Jim"; his late brother John was in the original cast of "Saturday Night Live", RIP).

Ja'Nay: 0
Marty: 0
David: 2

How about starting about our next round?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
THING

Ja'Nay
$600 - 6 T's! Almost hit $3500, wow.
5 A's!
4 I's!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $3,100

_ _ _ _ _ A _
I T A _ I A _
T _ _ _ I _ T
A T T _ A _ T I _ _
THING

QUICK DOMINATION! Ja'Nay solves POPULAR ITALIAN TOURIST ATTRACTION for an $8,500 trip to Rome! Total that round: $11,600!

Ja'Nay: $23,400
Marty: $2,000
David: $3,250

Yes, there were two P's, three R's, two L's, AND two N's, but Ja'Nay still has a big lead.

The last minigame of the night is Most Frequent.
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
PLACES

And Ja'Nay will start! You go on, girl!

Consonants: 2 S's, 1 R, 1 T, 2 N's, 1 L, 1 M, 2 D's, 1 P, 2 G's
Vowels: 3 O's, 1 I, 1 U

Ja'Nay: 9
Marty: 4
David: 5

O L D / S T O M P I N G
G R O U N D S
PLACES

Ja'Nay reads off OLD STOMPING GROUNDS.

Ja'Nay: 1
Marty: 0
David: 2

David's our new Minigame Champ!

Time for our 3rd Toss-Up:
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
PEOPLE

Ding!

C I V I _
G _ O U _
PEOPLE

Marty is one letter off with CIVIL GROUP. Right after that, David solves CIVIC GROUP.

Ja'Nay: $23,400
Marty: $2,000
David: $6,250

Round 4 could be Marty's redemption...
_ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
IN THE KITCHEN

David
$900 - No T

Ja'Nay
$400 - No S

Marty
$450 - 1 R
Current Bank: $450

_ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ R
IN THE KITCHEN

Ding 4x!
Time for a Final Spin. What does Pat land on...$300, so we have a $1,300 Speed-Up (another name for the Final Spin).

Next Up: 2 N's

_ _ N
_ _ _ N _ R
IN THE KITCHEN

Marty solves CAN OPENER for $3,050.

WRONG LETTERS (before the FS): T (David), S (Ja'Nay)

Ja'Nay: $23,400
Marty: $5,050
David: $6,250

Maingame Winnings: $34,700
Bankrupt Trash: $1,550

Ja'Nay could win a Motorcycle or some more money to add to her jackpot if she claims either from the R in AMERICA'S.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
THING

RSTLNE:
_ _ _ L _ _
S _ E _ _ _ N _
THING

PCBI:
P _ B L I C
S P E _ _ I N _
THING

She says PUBLIC SPEAKIN' (46 sec.), but gets PUBLIC SPEAKING at 42 sec.! That earns her $40,000 ("transfer these funds")! Final total: $63,400!

My rating: 7.5

RECAP EXAMPLE: Tuesday, September 18

Jim: From the deck of the beautiful cruise ship Fortune's Wheel, here's Pat Sajak and Vanna White!
Pat to Vanna: Welcome to Cruise Week! Have [chuckles] fun at the puzzleboard.

Well folks, you just read something pretty exciting last post...Laney Sorrentino won $122,900 cash last night (including the $100,000 prize)! Will more big winnings follow? Let's find out as we cruise our way through "On the Water" Week: Day 2.

Time to hop aboard with a Toss-Up...
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
EVENT

Ding!

_ A _ L _ N G
A D V E _ T _ R _
EVENT

Grayson solves SAILING ADVENTURE.

Grayson: $1,000
Albert: $0
Cherise: $0

Our next guests (we don't refer to them as passengers)? Here they are.
Grayson Chandler: A professional skier from Medford, OR
Albert Nixon: A camp counselor and Navy veteran (he has my salute!) from Jonesboro, GA
Cherise Dornan: A 5th-grade teacher from Flushing, NY (in Queens)

Let's start up another Toss-Up:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _
THING

Ding!

_ E _ _ _ _ _ U _
_ _ U _ / _ A T E _
THING

Grayson quickly triples up with BEAUTIFUL BLUE WATER.

Grayson: $3,000
Albert: $0
Cherise: $0

Tonight's featured cruise is of Maine's Bar Islands, and it's worth $5,000!

And we have a Jackpot awaiting us...
_ _ _ / _ / _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _
PHRASE

Grayson
$500 - 2 T's
1 E
$300 - 1 H
WILD - No R
Current Bank: $1,050

_ _ T / _ / _ _ _ _ _
_ _ / T H E / _ _ _
PHRASE

Albert
$900 - 1 S
1 A
FREE PLAY - 2 O's
1/2-CAR ($450) - 2 N's
GIFT - 1 L!
$300 - 1 C
BANKRUPT btw. $2500/$300 ($1,950 + GIFT + 1/2-CAR gone)

N O T / A / C L O _ _
_ N / T H E / S _ _
PHRASE

Cherise
$300 - 1 D
$600 - 1 K
$450 - 1 Y
No more consonants!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $1,350

N O T / A / C L O _ D
_ N / T H E / S K Y
PHRASE

NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY for Cherise.

WRONG LETTER: R (Grayson)
BANKRUPT: Albert ($1,950 + GIFT + 1/2-CAR)
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $9,350

Grayson: $3,000
Albert: $0
Cherise: $1,350

Our first minigame of the night is 2nd Guess Bonus Round. This one's from March 31, 2010, during Hawaii Week:
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
EVENT

RSTLNE:
_ _ _ T _
_ _ N _ S _
EVENT

CMYA...ZERO.

Albert...still solves PHOTO FINISH!

Grayson: 0
Albert: 1
Cherise: 1

$30,000 was lost.

Two Mystery wedges...one of them could mean a treasure chest.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
THINGS

Albert
WILD - 1 S
MDW's left side (WILD gone)

_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ S
THINGS

Cherise
$900 - No T

Grayson
FREE PLAY - No E
$600 - 1 R
1 A
$900 - No N
Current Bank: $350

_ _ _ _ A R
_ _ _ _ S
THINGS

Albert
Maine - 1 D!
$300 - 1 B
1 I
$900 - 4 L's!
No more consonants!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $3,650 + Maine

D _ L L A R
B _ L L S
THINGS

PRIZE WIN! Albert solves DOLLAR BILLS!

WRONG LETTERS: T (Cherise), E (Grayson on FP), N (Grayson)
BANKRUPT: Albert (WILD)

Grayson: $3,000
Albert: $8,650
Cherise: $1,350

Now we've got a game!

Let's win another prize - winning Most Frequent.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
FOOD & DRINK

Albert will start.

Consonants: 3 R's, 2 S's, 1 T, No N, No L, No C, No D, 1 M, 1 H
Vowels: 2 O's, 2 E's, 1 A

There's a TIE btw. Albert and Cherise at 5 letters each, so let's do a Tiebreaker.

Letters: No F, 1 B

Grayson: 3
Albert: 5
Cherise: 6

R A S _ B E R R _
S M O O T H _ E
FOOD & DRINK

Cherise solves RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE.

Grayson: 0
Albert: 1
Cherise: 1

Let's start Round 3!
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ / _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
SHOW BIZ

Why am I so excited? Because it's our...
PRIZE PUZZLE!

Cherise
LOSE A TURN

Grayson
$350 - 2 S's
6 A's!
$600 - No T
Current Bank: $450

S A _ _ A
_ A _ _ _ / A S
_ _ _ _ A
_ A _ _ _
SHOW BIZ

Albert
$600 - 1 R
1 E
BANKRUPT near $3500 ($350 gone)

S A _ _ A
_ A _ E _ / A S
_ R _ _ A
_ A _ _ _
SHOW BIZ

Cherise
$300 - 2 H's
$300 - 2 L's
MDW's right side ($1,200 gone)...She's so sad!

S A L _ A
H A _ E _ / A S
_ R _ _ A
_ A H L _
SHOW BIZ

Grayson
$900 - No C

Albert
LOSE A TURN

Cherise
ONE MILLION - 1 M!
$600 - 1 Y
$500 - 1 D
BANKRUPT btw. $3500/$300 ($1,100 + MDW gone)...UGH. Everyone's mad.

S A L M A
H A Y E _ / A S
_ R _ D A
_ A H L _
SHOW BIZ

Grayson
$3500 - 2 K's! Close call there (almost went down to zero).
$400 - 1 F
No more consonants again!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $7,850

S A L M A
H A Y E K / A S
F R _ D A
K A H L _
SHOW BIZ

Grayson FINALLY solves SALMA HAYEK AS FRIDA KAHLO for a $6,500 trip to Mexico City! Total that round: $14,350!

WRONG LETTERS: T (Grayson), C (Grayson)
BANKRUPTS: Albert ($350), Cherise ($1,200), Cherise again ($1,100 + MDW)
LOSE A TURN: Cherise ($0), Albert ($0)

Grayson: $17,350
Albert: $8,650
Cherise: $1,350

That was a VERY UGLY ROUND.

Recovering from that nasty round will be easy. All we have to do is play a minigame we call High/Low.

Grayson: $350
Albert: $500 (former 1/2-CAR)
Cherise: $700

Vanna picks the high amount, so Cherise has a good chance at having better luck.

_ / B I G
P R O M _ T _ _ N
_ I T H / _
_ A Y / _ _ I _ _
EVENT

Cherise almost messes it up with A BIG PROMOTION WITH A DAY...but quickly changes it to PAY RAISE!

Grayson: 0
Albert: 1
Cherise: 2

And Cherise is your new Minigame Champ! Great!

Let's do a Toss-Up now.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
FICTIONAL CHARACTER

Ding!

_ O C T O _
D _ L _ _ T L _
FICTIONAL CHARACTER

Cherise solves DOCTOR DOLITTLE.

Grayson: $17,350
Albert: $8,650
Cherise: $4,350

Round 4, comin' at ya!
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
EVENT

Cherise
$800 - No N

Grayson
$550 - 1 T
2 E's
Current Bank: $300

_ _ _ _ _
_ E _ T _ E _
EVENT

Ding 4x!
Time is definitely running short. Pat spins up...$300, so consonants are worth $1,300 apiece.

Letters: 1 R, No C, No S, 2 H's

H _ _ _ _
_ E _ T H E R
EVENT

Grayson solves HUMID WEATHER for $4,200.

WRONG LETTER (before the FS): N (Cherise)
WRONG LETTERS (after the FS): C (Albert), S (Cherise)

Grayson: $21,550
Albert: $8,650
Cherise: $4,350

Interesting that everyone's total ends in -50.

Maingame Winnings: $34,550
Bankrupt Trash: $5,500 + WILD + 1/2-CAR + MDW

Grayson got out of a quite brutal maingame. Could he earn more green or a Sports Utility Vehicle? He lands on the E in AMERICA'S, so no $100,000 tonight.
_ _ _ / _ _ _
FICTIONAL CHARACTER

RSTLNE:
T _ _ / _ _ T
FICTIONAL CHARACTER

MBCO:
T O _ / C _ T
FICTIONAL CHARACTER

No answer. It was TOP CAT (produced by Hanna-Barbera, who made Scooby-Doo) and he loses $45,000. Final total: $21,550.

My rating: 6

RECAP EXAMPLE: Monday, September 17

Jim: From the deck of the beautiful cruise ship Fortune's Wheel, here's Pat Sajak and Vanna White!
Pat to Vanna: Welcome to Cruise Week! Have [chuckles] fun at the puzzleboard.

Welcome to "On the Water" Week! We're cruising our way around the world.

Let's set sail with this first Toss-Up!
_ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
SONG TITLE

Ding!

C O _ _ / _ _ _ _
A _ _ _
SONG TITLE

Tobias quickly knows it's Styx's "COME SAIL AWAY".

Grady: $0
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $0

Tonight's players are:
Tobias Mathison: A synagogue worker from Brooklyn, NY
Laney Sorrentino: A driving instructor from Surprise, AZ ("yes, there is such a city called that", she says)
Grady Johnson: An aspiring actor from the Bronx, NY

Tonight's 2nd Toss-Up has something to do with cruises.
_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
EVENT

Ding!

_ H E / _ E R _ _ C _
T R _ P
EVENT

Laney solves THE PERFECT TRIP.

Grady: $0
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $2,000

As you may have guessed, all this week, the featured trips are cruises. Tonight, it's a cruise of Florence worth $8,500!

And our Jackpot wants to come along, too! Let's bring it!
_ _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _ _
_ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _ _
PHRASE

Laney
$300 - 3 T's
3 E's
WILD - 2 N's
2 A's
JACKPOT - 4 H's!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $2,400 + WILD

H _ T / T H E / N A _ _
_ N / T H E / H E A _
PHRASE

DOMINATION and JACKPOT WIN! Laney just HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD for a $7,800 Jackpot! Total that round: $10,200!

Grady: $0
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $12,200 + WILD

I love when a week starts with a Jackpot win, don't you? Nice job, Laney!

Let's get some more winning going with a minigame - Most Frequent.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _
PHRASE

And Laney, fresh off her Jackpot win, will start.

Consonants: 3 T's, 2 N's, 2 S's, 1 G, 1 H, No C, 1 W, No M, 1 R
Vowels: 2 I's, 2 O's, 1 E

Grady: 5
Tobias: 4
Laney: 7

H I T T I N G
S T O R E S / N O W
PHRASE

Laney merely reads off HITTING STORES NOW.

Grady: 0
Tobias: 0
Laney: 1

Next round has two Mystery wedges.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PERSON

Grady
$600 - 1 R
MDW's left side ($600 gone)

_ _ _ R _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PERSON

Tobias
$900 - 1 T
2 E's
BANKRUPT near $3500 ($650 gone)

_ _ E R _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ T E
PERSON

Laney
1/2-CAR ($500) - 2 N's
Florence - 1 M!
BANKRUPT near $300 ($1,000 + Florence + 1/2-CAR + WILD out)...Ugh. Everyone's mad.

_ M E R _ _ _ N
_ _ N _ _ _ _ T E
PERSON

Grady
MYSTERY near $300 - 1 L
Flips it...$10000!
$500 (former 1/2-CAR) - 1 S
3 A's
$350 - 2 C's
No more consonants!
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $950 + $10000 MYSTERY

A M E R _ C A N
C _ N S _ L A T E
PERSON

MYSTERY WIN! Grady solves AMERICAN CONSULATE!

BANKRUPTS: Grady ($600), Tobias ($650), Laney ($1,000 + Florence + 1/2-CAR + WILD)

Grady: $10,950
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $12,200

Pretty good game so far...

Let's do another minigame, shall we? How about...2nd Guess Bonus Round! Dunno what airdate this was on...
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
EVENT

RSTLNE:
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ R
EVENT

CDMA:
_ A _ _ _
_ _ _ R
EVENT

Grady...nails HAPPY HOUR!

Grady: 1
Tobias: 0
Laney: 1

I do know that this was used on September 30, 2010, but with PHDI. It was won for $30,000...although it could've been a million.

And our next round has some sort of...yeah.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
LIVING THING

PRIZE PUZZLE!

Tobias
$500 - 1 T

Laney
$300 - No S

Grady
1/2-CAR ($450) - 1 R
2 E's
No A
Current Bank: 1/2-CAR

_ _ _ _ E R
_ _ _ _ E _
LIVING THING

Tobias
MDW's right side

Laney
FREE PLAY - No I
$350 - 1 N
2 O's
BANKRUPT near $300 ($100 gone)

_ O _ _ E R
_ O N _ E _
LIVING THING

[NULL CYCLE]

Grady
$300 - No B
Current Bank: 1/2-CAR

Tobias
$400 - 1 M
1/2-CAR ($500) - No P
Current Bank: $400

_ O _ _ E R
M O N _ E _
LIVING THING

Laney
LOSE A TURN...She and Grady are furious, while Tobias is still enthusiastic.

Grady
$700 - 1 K
$300 - 1 H
$550 - 1 L
$300 - 1 W
Solve attempt...
Current Bank: $1,850 (+ a null/void 1/2-CAR)

H O W L E R
M O N K E _
LIVING THING

Grady solves HOWLER MONKEY for an $8,000 trip to Costa Rica! Total that round: $9,850!

AIRED WRONG LETTERS: T (Tobias), S (Laney), A (Grady), I (Laney on FP), B (Grady), P (Tobias)
AIRED BANKRUPTS: Tobias ($0), Laney ($100)
AIRED LOSE A TURN: Laney ($0)

Grady: $20,800
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $12,200

Ugly round thanks to that tough puzzle. Period.

Final minigame of the night: High/Low.

Grady: $700
Tobias: $500
Laney: $300

Vanna picks the lowest amount, so Laney will go first!

S O C _ E _
_ O _ C H
PERSON

Laney solves SOCCER COACH.

Grady: 1
Tobias: 0
Laney: 2

And your new Minigame Champ is Laney!

Final Toss-Up of the night...
_ _ _ / _ _ / _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
PHRASE

Ding!
_ _ P / _ O / B E
S _ U A _ _
PHRASE

Laney solves HIP TO BE SQUARE. Good for her.

Grady: $20,800
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $15,200

Round 4 deals with something good.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _
FOOD & DRINK

Laney
$350 - 2 S's
$500 - 1 H
1 A
Current Bank: $950

_ A _ _ _ _
H _ _ S _ / _ _ _ _ S
FOOD & DRINK

Ding 4x!
That means this Final Spin will decide between Grady and Laney. Pat lands on...$350, making the consonant value $1,350.

Letters: 3 R's, No T, No M, 2 L's

_ A R _ _ R
H _ _ S _ / R _ L L S
FOOD & DRINK

Laney solves PARKER HOUSE ROLLS for $7,700 and the win!

WRONG LETTERS (after the FS): T (Grady), M (Tobias)

Grady: $20,800
Tobias: $1,000
Laney: $22,900

Tobias pretty much fizzled out after solving the 1st Toss-Up.

Maingame Winnings: $44,700
Bankrupt Trash: $10,850 + 1/2-CAR + WILD

Laney's survived a very tight match. Can she win more money or a Hybrid Sedan? The E in AMERICA'S will determine that.
_ _ _ _ _ _
PLACE

RSTLNE:
_ _ E _ L _
PLACE

CDBO:
_ _ E B L O
PLACE

She instantly solves PUEBLO for...
















































































...$100,000!!!

For the 2nd time this season, SPRAY THE CONFETTI ("a check made out to cash")! That gives her a final total of...$122,900, all cash! Congrats, Laney!

My rating: 10!

EXAMPLE: Week 2 Results

This Week's Grand Total: $227,700
This Season's Grand Total: $673,800
This Week's Bankrupt Trash: $16,600 + 1 WILD + 3 1/2-CAR + 1 MDW
This Season's Bankrupt Trash: $28,650 + 4 WILD + 6 1/2-CAR
This Week's Unclaimed Amount: $27,500 + 2 WILD + 4 1/2-CAR
This Season's Unclaimed Amount: $59,500 + 3 WILD + 6 1/2-CAR
1/2-CAR Wins: 2
Wild Card Usages: 0
$100,000/$1,000,000 Wins-Losses: 1-1
Jackpot Wins: 2
Mystery Flipped-Declined: 2-1
$10,000 Mystery Wins: 1
Mystery Bankrupts: 2 ($0, but $3,000 has been at stake)
Prize Wedge Wins: 2
Gift Tag Wins: 3
PERFECT BONUS ROUND WEEKS: 1
BONUS ROUND SHUTOUTS: 0 (this one should've been a shutout)
Highest-Winning Week: Grand Opening ($446,100)
Lowest-Winning Week: Aloha, Hawaii! ($227,700)
Biggest Round: Sept. 3, Round 3 ($22,900)
Biggest Bankrupt: $7,050 (Sept. 6)

RECAP EXAMPLE: Friday, September 14

Jim: And now, from Hawaii, here are the stars of America's Game...Pat Sajak and Vanna White!
Pat to Vanna: Hey, why don't we do all our shows in Hawaii? [chuckles]

Time to salvage what has been so far a NASTY "Aloha, Hawaii!" Week. Last night, Jess Turkowski became the lowest-winning player with just $9,550 cash/Chicago. Will we do better on Day 5?

Say hello to Toss-Up #1:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Ding!

_ O _ L _ _ _ I _ G

S E A S H E L L S

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Alex...blanks out. Right after that, Matt solves COLLECTING SEASHELLS.

Alex: $0

Matt: $1,000

Marisa: $0

Tonight's puzzle solvers...

Matt Morris: A hip-hop DJ (who goes by M Squared) from San Dimas, CA (near Los Angeles, he mentions)

Marisa Peters: A fraud lawyer from San Antonio, TX

Alex Graham: A Spanish teacher from Cincinnati, OH

Maybe Alex could redeem himself here...

_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

ON THE MAP

Ding!

H A N A

H I _ H W A Y

ON THE MAP

Could've very well had another stumper, but Matt barely IDs HANA HIGHWAY in Maui.

Alex: $0

Matt: $3,000

Marisa: $0

Tonight's featured trip is to Vancouver Island! It's worth $5,500!

For the last time this week, the Jackpot could be won.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _

AROUND THE HOUSE

Matt

1/2-CAR ($500) -  5 S's! Nice start.

3 E's

1 A

Vancouver Island - 2 N's!

$550 - 1 T

$300 - 1 Y

LOSE A TURN

Current Bank: $2,850 + 1/2-CAR + Vancouver Island

S _ _ _ _ _ N _ - S _ _ N _

S _ E A _ E R / S Y S T E _

AROUND THE HOUSE

Marisa

$600 - 1 M

$550 - No L

Current Bank: $600

S _ _ _ _ _ N _ - S _ _ N _

S _ E A _ E R / S Y S T E M

AROUND THE HOUSE

Alex

$300 - No C

Matt

$350 - 2 D's

2 O's

$500 - 1 P

$300 - 1 K

$2500 - 3 R's!

No more consonants!

Solve attempt...

Current Bank: $11,600 + 1/2-CAR + Vancouver Island

S _ R R O _ N D - S O _ N D

S P E A K E R / S Y S T E M

AROUND THE HOUSE

PRIZE WIN! Matt solves SURROUND-SOUND SPEAKER SYSTEM to keep the trip!

WRONG LETTERS: L (Marisa), C (Alex)

LOSE A TURN: Matt ($2,850 + 1/2-CAR + Vancouver Island)

Alex: $0

Matt: $20,100 + 1/2-CAR

Marisa: $0

This is the start of something better, I guess!

Let's start a minigame to follow up that very nice opening round. It's called 2nd Guess Bonus Round! This one's from May 19, 2005, during Big 12/College Week in Kansas City.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

PEOPLE

RSTLNE:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ N S

PEOPLE

CMPA:

_ A _ A _ _ A N S

PEOPLE

Matt...solves HAWAIIANS - how fitting for the theme!

Alex: 0

Matt: 1

Marisa: 0

Matt's a pretty good player so far! And $45,000 was lost here.

Coming up: two Mystery wedges.

_ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

THING

Marisa

BANKRUPT btw. $3500/$300

Alex

MYSTERY btw. the MDW/$300 - No T

Matt

$900 - 1 S

No E

Current Bank: $650

_ _ _ _ / S _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

THING

[NULL CYCLE]

Marisa

WILD - 2 L's

$600 - 1 G

2 I's

$550 - 1 C

$600 - 3 H's

Solve attempt...

Current Bank: $2,700 + WILD

H I G H / S C H _ _ L

_ I _ L _ _ _

THING

Marisa solves HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.

AIRED WRONG LETTERS: T (Alex), E (Matt)

AIRED BANKRUPT: Marisa ($0)

Alex: $0

Matt: $20,100 + 1/2-CAR

Marisa: $2,700 + WILD

Our next minigame is Most Frequent.

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

FOOD & DRINK

And our big leader Matt will start.

Consonants: 1 T, No R, No S, No N, 1 L, No C, No D, 2 M's, 1 Z

Vowels: 2 A's, 1 E, 1 O

Alex: 2

Matt: 3

Marisa: 4

M A T Z O

M E A L

FOOD & DRINK

It's a Passover tradition, and Marisa reads off MATZO MEAL.

Alex: 0

Matt: 1

Marisa: 1

Next round asks a great question.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ / _ _ _ _

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

And we'll answer it with a...

PRIZE PUZZLE!

Alex

$800 - No M (he meant N)

Matt

$500 - 1 N

1 I

BANKRUPT btw. $600/$900 ($250 + 1/2-CAR gone)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ I N _

_ / _ _ _ _

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Marisa

1/2-CAR ($450) - 1 G

3 A's

$500 - 2 T's

1 O

1 E

No more vowels!

1/2-CAR ($500) - 2 R's!

Solve attempt...

Current Bank: $1,750 + 1/2-CAR + 1/2-CAR

_ _ A R T E R I N G

A / _ O A T

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Marisa...is PAINFULLY INCORRECT BY A LETTER with CHARTERING A COAT. Ouch.

Alex

Solve attempt...

...but he says exactly what Marisa just said (CHARTERING A COAT)! Ugh.

Matt

LOSE A TURN

Marisa

Solve attempt...

Current Bank: $1,750 + 1/2-CAR + 1/2-CAR

CAR WIN! Marisa is RIGHT THIS TIME with CHARTERING A BOAT! Not only does she win a $6,500 trip to Barbados, she wins a $10,000 Sedan! Total that round: $18,250!

WRONG LETTER: M (Alex)

BANKRUPT: Matt ($250 + 1/2-CAR)

LOSE A TURN: Matt ($0)

DISQUALIFICATIONS: Marisa's one-letter mistake ($1,750 + 1/2-CAR + 1/2-CAR), Alex making the same mistake ($0)

Alex: $0

Matt: $20,100

Marisa: $20,950 + WILD

Lucky break there for Marisa! But this is not looking good for Alex so far...

Time to end this madness soon. Let's do a third minigame first - High/Low.

Alex: BANKRUPT near $300

Matt: $500 (former 1/2-CAR)

Marisa: $450

Vanna picks the low amount, so Alex has a real shot!

_ O _ F _ R _ A B _ _

_ A I L I N G

A _ T _ _ E

THINGS

Alex...blows it with COMFORTABLE SAILING ACTIVE.

Marisa...knows it's really COMFORTABLE SAILING ATTIRE.

Alex: Deserving 0

Matt: 1

Marisa: 2

Your new Minigame Champ is Marisa!

Let's do a Toss-Up.

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

FOOD & DRINK

Ding!

_ A L _ U _

B R E A _

FOOD & DRINK

Marisa solves WALNUT BREAD.

Alex: $0

Matt: $20,100

Marisa: $23,950 + WILD

Round 4 is coming up!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

THING

Ding 4x!

But time is running out. Pat's spin is...$500, so consonants are worth $1,500.

Letters: 1 N, 1 D, 2 L's, 1 C, 1 G

C _ L L _ G _

_ _ N D

THING

Alex is wrong with COLLEGE MIND.

Next Up: No B, No H, 1 F

No more consonants!

C _ L L _ G _

F _ N D

THING

Alex...BLOWS IT AGAIN (and this time by a letter) with COLLEGE FIND.

What Else?: 2 E's

C _ L L E G E

F _ N D

THING

Matt FINALLY solves COLLEGE FUND for $3,000, but he still loses by $850. Alex left behind $4,500 because of his missolves and Marisa left behind $3,000.

AIRED WRONG LETTERS: B (Matt), H (Marisa)

DISQUALIFICATIONS: Alex's 2 missolves

Alex: VERY DESERVING $0 --> $1,000

Matt: $23,100

Marisa: $23,950 + WILD

Alex really ruined it for me tonight. PERIOD.

Maingame Winnings: $48,050!

Bankrupt Trash: $250 + 1/2-CAR

Marisa can help end the week with a win. If so, more money or a Motorcycle await her. She can get either one from the ✩✩✩.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

FOOD & DRINK

RSTLNE:

R _ _ S T E _

_ _ S _ E _ S

FOOD & DRINK

DBPIW:

R _ _ S T E D

_ _ S _ E W S

FOOD & DRINK

There's no guess from her. The answer was ROASTED CASHEWS, and she loses $40,000. Final total: $23,950.

My rating: 6.5 (thanks a lot, Alex)

This week's rating: 5

I really hope we can recover from this ugly week.