The latter is known to have happened on the Septemepisode, where a player hit Buy a Vowel on the first spin of the game and lost their turn. Others recall that the wedge resulted in a lost turn if the player did not have enough. What it did if the player did not have enough to buy a vowel: At least one eyewitness reported an early screenshot of a contestant with a negative score, so it is believed that the $250 was still deducted.
Other than this, it is one of the most uncertain elements in the show's history, with recollections being contradictory on every aspect including the above:
Given this and the fact the 1974 pilots added the wedge in Round 2, it would seem the purpose of Buy a Vowel (which was never hit in the first two pilots) was to be the 'impulse buy' that could backfire. From the Shopper's Bazaar pilot through at least September 5, 1975, contestants could buy vowels at their discretion provided they had enough to do so, making the wedge redundant. Buy a Vowel was one of the gameplay elements on Wheel of Fortune.Ī red wedge on the Wheel (two in Rounds 3+) from which contestants purchased a vowel for $250.