The wheels in The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune, for all intents and purposes, are somewhat similar: a contestant spins the wheel, and fate decides where it lands: riches, or heartbreak. That’s where the similarities end, other than the circularity of each device (is circularity a word?). “The Big Wheel” is the penultimate round before the Showcase Showdown on the former, while the Fortune Wheel is used throughout the game on the latter. One, “The Big Wheel,” stands vertically, while the Fortune Wheel lies flat. The Fortune Wheel is much more colorful, The Big Wheel has two green spots and one red, otherwise they’re all black.
‘The Price is Right’ vs. ‘Wheel of Fortune’: The Battle of the Wheels
These things you know already, so let’s move on. The Big Wheel has been spun more than 63,000 times, while the Fortune Wheel has been spun significantly more, in theory (no exact numbers here, but on a somewhat related note, Vanna White holds the Guinness World Record for most frequent clapper, 3,480,864 times as of January 2013). But which wheel is heavier? The Price is Right‘s Big Wheel weighs 2,000 pounds (907kg) while the Fortune Wheel on Wheel of Fortune bests that by 400, coming in at 2,400 pounds (1088 kg).
The Wheel Danger Behind ‘The Price is Right’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’










The Price is Right itself is more dangerous than Wheel of Fortune. Many people have tumbled spinning the wheel, one contestant fell over during a dice game (per USA Today), and host Drew Carey was injured on-set while showing a contestant how to play the “Grocery Game.” To add insult to his injury, this happened prior to taping his first gig as host of the show. Another contestant by the name of Henry dislocated his shoulder. No, not because of the Big Wheel, but rather because of his enthusiastic response to winning a game called “Bonkers.” His wife came in to spin the wheel in his place, landing on 95 cents. Unlike poor Judy, he walked – sorry, limped away with nothing but a twisted ankle, he won a trip to Hawaii. And to the ER.
The Price is Right is available to stream in the U.S. on Paramount+, while Wheel of Fortune airs on ABC every weekday, and is available to stream on YouTube TV