How Did It Take Wheel of Fortune This Long to Get A Letter-Based Sponsor?

Wheel of Fortune, the game show you watch either before or after that day’s Jeopardy! (depending on your TV market), is off to a fresh start in its 42nd season.

Following the well-deserved retirement of longtime host Pat Sajak, Wheel of Fortune brought in Ryan Seacrest as his replacement and gave the show’s iconic set a sizable overhaul. The most unexpected change for the new season, however, comes in the novel way that producers have elected to bring in some extra advertising dollars. Much like Sesame Street, this year’s Wheel of Fortune is brought to you by some letters, specifically the letters “L” and “G.”

As announced in a pre-season press release, South Korean appliance manufacturer LG is serving as a sponsor throughout Wheel of Fortune season 42. The multinational corporation isn’t just cutting some commercials and calling it a day though, it is putting one of the two letters that make up its name to good use by giving contestants a leg up in the competition.

For those unfamiliar with Wheel of Fortune‘s whole deal, the game show is essentially the word-based guessing game Hangman with extra steps. The game’s three contestants are presented with blank word puzzles and take turns guessing letters in the English alphabet to fill in the empty spaces. The twist at play is that prize amounts are determined by the spinning of a giant wheel before them, which also contains hazardous wedges such as “Bankrupt” and “Lose a Turn.”

The winner of the game advances to the Bonus Round, in which they must solve a world puzzle that has only a handful of letters filled in. The contestant is able to offer up four of those letters (three consonants and a vowel), while the show automatically spots them six other frequently-occurring letters: RSTLNE.

This is where LG’s sponsorship comes in. While Wheel of Fortune already provides its contestants an “L” in the bonus round, it is now also throwing in a “G” as well throughout the season. So far, the extra letter hasn’t proven to be too helpful for the Bonus Rounders. Throughout the first week of season 42, only one of the show’s five contestants have successfully completed the final puzzle. But still, this is all kind of creative and cute, right? If corporate sponsorship of our TV shows is a necessary evil (and it is) then it might as well be put to good use helping everyday folks to win some extra money.

If there’s one complaint to be had with LG’s additional G maneuver it’s that “G” isn’t that great of a letter in the first place. For future seasons, we would urge Wheel of Fortune to consider any of the following initialized sponsors:

– AT&T (for the “A”)
– CVS (for the “C” and “V”)
– BP (for the “B” and “P”)
– BMW (for the “B,” “M,” and “W”)
– SAP (for the “A” and “P”
– IBM (for the “I,” “B,” and “M”)

You’re welcome, Sony Pictures Television.