Although the photos do not include a full view of the puzzle board, the portions visible suggest an appearance similar to the 1974-81 style. The photos indicate that two people played at a time at individual miked podiums, with the Wheel between them (a similar setup to the Melody Roulette round on Name That Tune) and the puzzle board to their left (the audience's right). A set of photos that surfaced in June 2014 suggest that these were not 'true' episodes, but rather a 'mock' version, with audience members drawn randomly to play a reduced-stakes version with a vertical Wheel.According to Pat Sajak during some 1997 tapings at the same location, these tapings did not go over too well due to at least some contestants having no idea how to play the game. On August 29, four TV stations in Ohio (including WEWS in Cleveland, WKEF in Dayton, and WBNS in Columbus) debut Wheel with a special week of episodes taped at the Ohio State Fair on August 18-19.
According to recollections, at least two stations (WJRT in Flint, Michigan and WKBW in Buffalo, New York) debut Wheel this month, the latter on the 22nd.
