Both the hosts play important but contrasting roles in the shows but they have completely different personalities. Ann Robinson hosts in the Weakest Link and isn’t the nicest of presenters. She is very mean, confrontational and intimidating. She faces the contestants with a very stern face and she never smiles or laughs which makes the contestants very nervous and adds to the tension of the show. Her dress is always very black but formal this sets the scene for the show, making it dim all the way through. This is completely different from the Wheel of Fortune’s host, Nicky Campbell. He is very friendly and polite with all of the contestants and likes to chat to them about their lives, their families etc to make them feel calm and relaxed. He is also very tactile and stands close to the contestants in a non-confrontational way. He dresses more casually in light coloured relaxed open necked shirts These features help to make the contestants feel very relaxed because all they need to think about is the game now not impressing the host and getting on their side etc.
The set and the lighting in the two shows are very different. In the Weakest Link the lighting is very dim with spotlights directed onto the contestants as they answer their questions adding to the pressure on them. The Wheel of Fortune’s lighting is very bright and garish with no spotlights creating a relaxed and happy feel to the whole show. The lighting remains the same all the way through the show so the relaxed feeling is maintained. The sets of the two shows are also very different. The set of the weakest link is quite large with Ann standing on a podium towering over the other contestants who are in a semi circle around her being intimidated by her. The wheel of fortunes set is much more relaxed and open with the contestants standing close to each other and Nicky Campbell moves around the stage interacting with the contestants and his lady assistant
The music in both shows is used to create the mood for that part of the show .The music in the weakest link uses electronic sounds with lots of minors. Which creates a nervous and tense atmosphere. Whereas in the wheel of fortune, the music is much more upbeat and cheerful. They use majors to create this effect. This sets the atmosphere as much more cheerful and relaxed The contestants on both shows are usually normal people from the public apart from in the weakest link where they sometimes have celebrities or a certain job category of people in.
Both the Wheel of Fortune and The Weakest Link have a set format, which is familiar to the audience and to the contestants. There are eight contestants in the Weakest Link and only three in the Wheel of Fortune but in both shows the contestants are competing for themselves and not as a team. Both shows have a sort of knockout system. The contestants in the Weakest Link have a wider role than those on the Wheel of Fortune who do little more than answer questions. They co-operate to bank money, are involved in the elimination of other competitors at the end of each round and have to respond to Ann Robinson’s nasty comments, all under the glaring spotlight. This all helps to make the show much more tense and nerve-racking for audiences as well as contestants
Although both The Wheel of Fortune and The Weakest Link are both quiz shows and share the conventions of quiz shows they differ in a number of ways creating a very different atmosphere in each. Lighting, set, music, host, and the game rules in the Weakest Link are designed to build up tension whereas in The Wheel of Fortune they help to create a much more relaxed and informal atmosphere. As far as audience is concerned both shows have wide appeal, as almost everyone will enjoy those shows.
The wheel of fortune has always had a greater family appeal partly to do with the show format described above and also the big prizes which are much more exciting then money. People usually watch the weakest link to see the fight between Ann and the contestants. People aren’t really that bothered about who wins and how much money they make etc. Both the shows bring in people because they like to join in on answering questions, and seeing if they are better than the contestants. You can see that almost all of the aspects of the weakest link are trying to create a nervous tense and dim atmosphere where as the wheel of fortunes aspects are trying to create an easy going happy atmosphere. Overall I think that, that and the contrast between the hosts are the main differences of the two shows and also the main points that bring viewers to watch.
