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- The South African adaptation of Wheel of Fortune premieres on Monday, 8 April, at 19:30 on S3 (DStv 193).
- The show is hosted by Rorisang Thandekiso, the first female ever to anchor an edition of the legendary game show.
- "I am incredibly honoured to follow in these giant footsteps and be the first Wheel of Fortune South Africa host and the lucky person introducing the show to Africa," says Thandekiso.
Starting Monday, Rorisang Thandekiso will host Wheel of Fortune SA and help contestants spin the wheel and choose letters to guess the right way to get a phrase and win prizes.
The South African version of the game show is filmed at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town. It is produced by Homebrew Films and Primedia Studios for SABC3 according to the format licensed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
READ | Wheel of Fortune: SABC picks up game show format titles, BBC and Netflix content
While the American version produced by Sony Pictures Television, in addition to a host, has Vanna White, who turns the correct letters on the "hangman"-like screen when contestants guess a letter correctly, the South African version won't have an assistant, similar to the British version.
Across 260 half-hour episodes, which will air on weekdays on SABC3 at 19:30, three contestants will spin the "wheel of fortune" daily as they get chance after chance to guess letters that make up phrases on a screen.
As with the American version, a car is one of the possible prizes, and in the South African version, it's a Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid.
"I am incredibly honoured to follow in these giant footsteps and be the first Wheel of Fortune South Africa host and the lucky person introducing the show to Africa," says Thandekiso.
She adds:
Lala Tuku, the SABC's acting head of video entertainment, says, "Rorisang radiates all the attributes required to hold the reins of this world-famous word-quiz game show".
"She comes with gravitas and years of experience in front of the camera but also embodies a unique mix of sparkle, confidence, and calmness. Furthermore, we're thrilled to break the mould with a powerful female host. It fits in with SABC's mission to celebrate diversity and put the spotlight on women."
Primedia Studios president Jan du Plessis says, "We are extremely excited and honoured to finally add the African continent to Wheel of Fortune's phenomenal legacy".
"Wheel of Fortune is arguably the most successful game-show format of all time in terms of its universal appeal and longevity. But best of all, South Africans will now have the opportunity to spin their lives around by playing this spectacular yet simple game on a state-of-the-art set. Add mind-blowing amounts of cash and unimaginable prizes – even cars – up for grabs, and Wheel of Fortune South Africa is in a league unseen on local television before."
Emma Stow, Paramount Global Content Distribution's director of format sales, says, "Wheel of Fortune is one of our longest-running game shows, and we look forward to working with Primedia Studios to bring this successful format to the audience in South Africa".
How the show works
Three contestants participate in each episode, which starts with a "Toss-up" round in which the trio tries to unravel a word phrase by themselves to earn money and determine which one will spin the iconic wheel first.
There are different wedges on the wheel – anything between R100 and R800 and some dreaded ones like "Lose a turn" or "Bankrupt", which might ruin their game. In addition to the cash amounts, the wheel includes other prizes, which the contestant will pocket if they figure out the word phrase.
In solving the puzzle, the amount of money indicated on the wheel multiplies with the number of letters they choose to put on the game's giant puzzle board – but only if the letters are indeed part of the phrase.
If they don't use a consonant, they can also buy a vowel, but once they opt to put a wrong letter on the board, it's the next contestant's turn to spin the wheel.
Ultimately, the contestant who calls out the correct phrase bags the money they have accumulated in their own wallet. After that, the contestant with the biggest winnings moves on to the bonus round, where even more impressive prizes await.
