by Erin Yorke

Created on: May 02, 2010   Last Updated: July 23, 2010

TV. Corrupting, stupifying, sedentary demon. The "box" isn't It all bad, though. Used wisely and appropiately, it is a great tool and toy, part of a complete entertainment diet. Try these favorites of mine.

         1.  BEST GAME SHOWS

             A. WHEEL OF FORTUNE. http://www.wheeloffortune.com

             Anyone who knows me knows I am addicted to Wheel of Fortune. Since I love words and word games like Scrabble, I enjoy competing with the show contestants. From the comfort of my living room, I try to solve the puzzle before they or anyone else in the room does. I like imagining myself on the show, hopefully making up for my unemployment woes with a cool $100,000 prize for being such a great speller. For the past 25 years, this popular show has been  hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White. Beautiful Vanna wears a different custom-designed dress every episode, for us to admire as she touches puzzle letters correctly guessed by a contestant. She says nothing during the show, clapping for each contestant as they spinthe wheel. Then, at  show's end, she says cute things about her kids, pets, etc. She graciously smiles and laughs at Pat's rather corny jokes and comments. This show is based on the game Hangman, in which one person comes up with a word or phrase and the other person has to guess enough letters to stay alive long enough to guess the solution. The major differences are that you cannot "die" while being a contestant, but you can hit bad spaces on the Wheel, such as Lose a Turn or Bankrupt. There are 3 contestants instead of 2 (sometimes 3 teams of 2 people each play- ie. Best Friends Week), and you can win money.  You can also win trips, gift certificates to popular businesses, and even sometimes a car. Some contestants, especially celebrity contestants, donate their winnings to charity. The game begins with a Toss Up Round. This is a 30 second puzzle, which gradually fills itself up with letters as the contestants watch and try to guess the solution. Because there is no wheel spinning involved in this puzzle, there is no risk in guessing. The winner of this round receives $1000 US. After this, it is time for the contestants to introduce themselves. Each says where they are from, and gives a 20 second self description. We find out about such things as their jobs, family, hobbies, church, etc. Then there are puzzles and a few more Toss

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