During the wedges' first round of existence, the announcer would even say 'The Mystery Round: It's all or nothing.' ** For the Express Wedge, the contestant can either choose to continue their turn as normal or play a solo SpeedRound, with each correct consonant earning $1,000 while vowels still deduct $250. ** For the Mystery Wedges, ] means the contestant either wins a $10,000 cash prize or loses everything to a Bankrupt. ** The show itself averts it, as contestants are guaranteed at least the house minimum]or before Season 23, parting gifts for a player who finishes a game with $0]by the end of the game however, the Mystery Wedges in Round 2 and the Express Wedge in Round 3 play the trope straight during their respective rounds.
For reasons unknown, the category took a brief hiatus when the show filmed six weeks of episodes in UsefulNotes/LasVegas in 2013, but that didn't stop them from using several puzzles that would normally fit the category, such as the infamous CORNER CURIO CABINET puzzle, which was categorized as 'Thing'.
Since 2014, contestants receive a $1,000 bonus for calling the 'Same Letter' in question. ] ] * AddedAlliterativeAppeal: The 'Same Letter' category, in which every word in the puzzle begins with the same letter.