RTLzwei is spinning the 'Wheel of Fortune' again. On Thursday, August 27, the network will air a new episode of the game show at 8:15 PM, followed by the second episode a week later on September 3 (available in advance on RTL+). Both primetime episodes will be hosted by Sonya Kraus (53) and Guido Cantz (54), as they were most recently.
Six contestants stand at the wheel per episode. They compete against each other and must decipher terms, phrases, and complete sentences from various categories on the letter wall.
Buzzer rounds test reaction speed, while the main rounds involve the famous wheel where contestants play for cash prizes. Anyone wanting to advance to the finale must survive a buzzer duel. According to the network's announcement, the bonus round features mascot Ernstl and an additional prize.
Ratings were recently a nail-biter
'Wheel of Fortune' has celebrated multiple comebacks. The show originally aired on Sat.1 from 1988 to 1998, then on kabel eins until 2002. After just four episodes of the revival, Guido Cantz replaced Thomas Hermanns (63) as co-host alongside Sonya Kraus. The two regularly switch places, so each takes turns revealing the illuminated letters.
Hardly anyone is as closely associated with the format as the host: In 1998, Kraus took over on 'Wheel of Fortune' from Maren Gilzer (66) and spent four years as the letter girl revealing words for host Frederic Meisner (73). The job at the letter wall launched a career with numerous television engagements.
The return to primetime is not without risk for RTLzwei. As 'Quotenmeter' reports, after initial success in spring 2024, the game show was watched by only 0.38 to 0.63 million viewers at times. The overall market share fluctuated between a weak 1.6 and 2.6 percent.
