The Big Spin

The Big Spin is the California Lottery's first television game show.

It ended with a fixed top prize of $3 million and a minimum guaranteed cash prize of $1,750. The total cash and prizes given in 2007 came out to $17,872,500, the most money given away in a game show that year, therefore being "the biggest money game show on Earth" as its introduction stated.

Originally, the show was taped in Hollywood, California at Hollywood Center Studios. From 1986 to 1998, the show was taped in Sacramento; Mike Side hosted a short time when the show was done at the KTXL studios in Sacramento, the state capital as well as headquarters of the lottery. From 1999 until the end of its run, the show was taped in Hollywood at KCET Studios.Los Angeles Resident Wins More Than $2 Million

The Big Spin ended as the second longest-running lottery game show on January 10, 2009, over 23 years since its first broadcast in October 1985; it was replaced with Make Me a Millionaire on January 17."The Big Spin" Show Signs Off, Making Way for "Make Me A Millionaire", 2009 1st Quarter Press Release, California State Lottery, January 9, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2009. "Commission Advisory, Videos of the Commission Meeting" of December 3, 2008, Agenda Item 7E, California State Lottery.

Hosts The show debuted October 28, 1985, with Chuck Woolery as host and Charlie O'Donnell as the announcer. The two previously worked together on Wheel of Fortune. Only three weeks later, however, Woolery left the program after its November 18 broadcast to concentrate on hosting Scrabble and Love Connection. On November 25, Woolery was succeeded by Geoff Edwards, who soon hosted the Canadian-produced Chain Reaction, requiring him to commute between the two countries. Edwards hosted the show until December 24, 1994.

For a six-week period after Edwards left, various guest hosts were used in what were on-air auditions for a permanent job. Among those who did so were former Match Game host Ross Shafer, comedian (and That's My Dog host) Wil Shriner, and Peter Tomarken of Press Your Luck. In addition, future hosts Larry Anderson and Jack Gallagher each hosted an episode.

On February 11, 1995, Anderson (who also hosted the 1980s version of Truth or Consequences) took over as the show's host. On September 14, 1996, he was replaced by Gallagher, who remained with the show until March 6, 1999.

On March 13, 1999, Pat Finn took over the show, which was briefly retitled Big Spin 2000 to herald the new millennium. During Finn's reign as host, an award honoring a "Hero In Education" was presented each month by a celebrity guest. The California Lottery has donated over $20 billion to state public schools since its inception in 1985.

Other talent By 1991, there were so many Spanish-speaking contestants on the show that Maiquel Alejo (known as Maiquel Suarez until 1997) was brought in as co-host, in addition to serving as a translator for Spanish-speaking contestants.

The announcer for at least the first three months was Charlie O'Donnell, then Rich Hardaway until 1999, followed by Jackie Taylor from 1999 to 2003 (who also filled in for Alejo as co-host during her 2001 maternity leave).

Veteran game show announcer Randy West joined in 2004 and was the show's final on-camera personnel change prior to its cancellation.

Getting on the show When the California Lottery first started, there was only one kind of scratcher ticket. All participants who won a $100 prize sent in their tickets to participate in a random draw; one out of every 2,000 tickets sent in was selected, and the participant qualified for The Big Spin. (In the earliest days, there were 20 spins per week, not all of which were televised.) Later, instead of the $100 winners qualifying for the draw, qualifying tickets had their own symbol; as more of these tickets were printed, the chance of qualifying for the draw became 1 in 4,000. During a point in the Geoff Edwards run, a bonus drawing was also featured, in which a winning scratch-off ticket was drawn at random, and the person who mailed it in won a car.

Ultimately, for participation in Aces High or the Big Wheel, the lottery produced a Big Spin scratcher. This scratcher has numerous dollar amounts from $1 to $500. There are also TV SHOW, SPIN, and TICKET spaces. Matching three of a given word or amount wins the specified prize. TV SHOW scratcher winners went to the 10-person elimination rounds, while SPIN scratcher winners went right up to the Big Wheel, usually at the end of the show.

Although the show ended with its last broadcast on January 10, 2009, replaced the following week by Make Me a Millionaire, Big Spin Scratchers remained in circulation for a few months. During that time, winners who would have gone to The Big Spin had a choice: become a contestant on Make Me a Millionaire, or spin the wheel or play Aces High on an untelevised Big Spin episode.Make Me a Millionaire FAQ, California State Lottery

A player who bought a $5 Fantasy 5 ticket got a coupon to mail in for a "second-chance" draw. Winners of this random draw originally played the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine on The Big Spin, but later became contestants on Make Me a Millionaire.

Games

The Big Wheel The player spun a vertically mounted carnival wheel divided into 100 spaces, with pegs mounted around its circumference. The wheel did not have a flipper or pointer to slow it down, in contrast to those used on shows such as The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune. A ball bounced among the pegs, and the outcome of the spin was determined by the first space in which it came to rest for a minimum of five seconds. The wheel had to make at least three full revolutions in order for the spin to be considered valid.

When the series started, the wheel was made up of 40 $10,000 spaces, 30 $50,000 spaces, 20 $100,000 spaces, and 10 $2-million spaces. When Geoff Edwards took over, the $2-million spaces were replaced by five $1-million and five $3-million spaces. Later still, the $3-million spaces were replaced by a sixth $1-million, a 41st $10,000, and three "Grand Prize" spaces (the jackpot started at $3 million and went up $25,000 per spin; there were 20 spins per week, not all of which were shown, and the highest jackpot won was $15,220,000). After that, the wheel added $25K, $50K, $100K, and $500K spaces, along with a "DOUBLE" space; landing on it earned another spin at double value, including the "Grand Prize".

When the state started Lotto in 1986 (which was the main reason most people voted for a lottery in the first place), interest in the "scratch-off ticket" games that led to the show dropped sharply, and so did the prizes. As such, in 1988, the "Grand Prize" spaces were changed to $1-million spaces.

On August 22, 1987, a truck driver from Los Angeles, Dave Flynn, spun the wheel, and landed on the "Grand Prize" slot, and won $3,825,000. During that run of the "Grand Prize" slot, it was a progressive jackpot that started at $3 Million, and for each spin that it was not won, the grand prize slot grew $25,000 per spin.

In 1995, the wheel was changed again, as "DECISION" spaces were added, which offered a player $50,000 to stop or another spin of the wheel, at the risk of landing on a smaller amount. In 1999, the "DOUBLE" and "DECISION" spaces were removed in favor of "TRIPLE" spaces, which earned a second spin at triple value. Any subsequent spins that land on "DOUBLE" or "TRIPLE" did not count and the wheel was spun again. These spins were cut from the show as they did not influence the outcome.

By the end of the series, a spin of the wheel always closed the show, whether the spinner got three "SPIN"s on the Big Spin scratcher or was the winner of Aces High.

The top winner of Aces High went up to spin the "Big Wheel". People who had "SPIN" three times on "Big Spin" scratchers also got to spin the wheel, although ultimately they did so without being televised when they had the alternative of going to Make Me a Millionaire.

Super Scratcher A game of chance with a buyout option. Ran from Fall 1991 to January 21, 1995.

Each contestant faced the "Super Scratcher Board," a screen with 16 numbers. Cash amounts of $25,000 were hidden behind eight of the numbers, and wheel symbols behind the other eight; two of the latter were also marked with the word "BONUS." The contestant chose two numbers, then had the option to either take $40,000 and quit the game or play on. If both numbers showed $25,000, the contestant won that amount; if both of them showed wheels, the contestant earned the right to spin the wheel. If the symbols did not match, the contestant chose a third number and received whatever was behind it.

The wheel contained one "BONUS" section, which awarded $1 million or $2 million if a contestant found one or both "BONUS" wheel symbols respectively. Otherwise, it awarded $25,000.

10-player rounds In these games, introduced in 1995, ten players competed for a chance to go to the Big Wheel. One player would go on, the rest would get various amounts of money.

Winner's Circle A simple game of chance. Ran from 2/4/95 to 11/98.

Ten players stood around a circular maze. A motorized ball named "Scooter" was dropped in the center, moving randomly. The game ended when the ball fell through a hole. The player standing behind the hole went on to the Big Wheel round; the others won $1,500.

California Countdown The first two-round elimination game. Ran from 11/98 to 12/26/98.

Ten players stood behind a letter in the word "CALIFORNIA." When announced, the amounts were displayed. Seven players won a cash amount from $1,750 to $2,500. Three players then went to the second round, where each player chose a part of a California map (or one of three surfboards). One player went to the Big Wheel, the others won cash.

California Gold Ran from 1/02/99 to 11/08/03.

The first round had ten players, each standing behind a mock dynamite plunger. Players pushed down the plunger, revealing either the word "Gold" or a money amount (which would be either four of $1,750, two of $2,000, one of $2,500, or one of $4,000). “Gold” or a money amount would be revealed in random order. The player who found “Gold” first would go last in round 2.

The second round originally had gold dust from January to May 1999, which later changed to gold nuggets in boxes suspended by pegs. For the first segment players would each pick a set of buckets, usually blue, from A to I having random amounts of gold from one to nine ounces/nuggets. The player who has the higher amount of gold units would pick first in the second segment. In the second segment, which usually consisted of pink buckets, if a player added more gold to their cart but did not go over the 10 gold ounce/nugget limit and then chose to stop, the other player would get their own set of buckets, usually purple, from A to I.

Examples of certain episodes where the Round 2 game play does not need purple buckets is where one player overflows/ends up with eleven nuggets from the pink set of buckets after gaining control with the blue set of buckets (or first segment). Alternatively the player with the most nuggets after the first set may choose to stop and therefore their opponent needs to only work with the pink buckets.

The second format lasted from May 1999 to December 2003. The player to get the most gold dust or nuggets without going over 10 advanced to the Big Wheel, and the loser got $5,000.

In the event the players were tied, the buckets used prior to the tie were taken out, and the gold carts were emptied. Finn asked each player to pick another bucket, and whoever had the most gold got to spin the wheel.

Aces High The last 10-player elimination round, introduced in 2004. Usually played near the beginning of the show, but if there were no people going directly to the wheel, it was in the second half. Rarely, two Aces High games were played.

First round