Some ground was regained after Seven and Grundy's in an embarrassing about-face reinstated as much of the old rules as possible after the first five weeks. The ratings for the first two nights appeared promising to begin with but plummeted badly from then on. Additionally, Burgess had made media appearances saying how he had been badly treated and only found out about his sacking accidentally when a Grundy executive had to cancel a golf date with him because he was needed at the studios to continue work on the new format.

Beside the fact that viewers did not appreciate the fact that Burgess was sacked without a chance to say goodbye on air, viewers had difficulty accepting the new rules except for Barber's energetic hosting style. The following Monday after Burgess' final episode, Tony Barber began as host despite much controversy. However, Burgess' final words referred only to the show's relocation, thus suggesting that he was at the time oblivious to his sacking. By the time that Burgess' final episode went to air it had become common knowledge that the show had relocated and that changes would occur. Along with a new set, new music, faster game format and modified rules, John Burgess was sacked from his twelve-year stint as host and replaced by Tony Barber. In 1996, as part of an attempted major revamp with the remaining of the show's famous theme music and sounds, the program relocated from Adelaide to Seven flagship ATN-7 in Sydney. The show's production moved to SAS-7 when ADS and SAS swapped network affiliations and channel frequencies at the end of 1987. The new show began airing on the Seven Network on 21 July 1981, and was produced at the studios of ADS-7 in Adelaide. In 1981, the Grundy Organisation purchased the rights to American singer, songwriter, and producer Merv Griffin's successful game show Wheel of Fortune. 2.2 Major Prize Round: The Golden Wheel.1.1 2008 revival: 'Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune'.

Wheel of fortune logo 1993