History Main / RetiredGameShowElement

* Several categories have been retired over time. Among them are Nickname (perhaps the first victim), Foreign Word, Foreign Phrase, Slang, College Life and a whole line of themed decade categories (The '20s through The '90s; for a short time in the early 2000s, only The '70s through The '90s were used).

* They once had a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank, shown as just "Blank" on the category strip, was originally an unfinished phrase ending in a question mark, and the bonus answer involved completing the rest of the phrase exactly. At some point in the late 1990s, the original Fill In the Blank was renamed Next Line Please, which did not use the question mark. The name Fill In the Blank was later used for a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with the common word substituted by a question mark, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Is It?/Who Are They? [[hottip:*:(puzzle is a clue to a famous person)]], Where Are We?[[hottip:*:(puzzle gives three clues to a place)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]] and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, judging that basically amounted to "something resembling a sentence" and Pat's constant snarking at the category, it was clearly not a good idea)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]

* Subverted with ''FamilyFeud''. Initially, whoever rang in with the higher answer could choose to have their family play the question or pass it to the other family; [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome at least 99% of the time]], "play" was chosen. The play/pass option was retired for the 1988-95 revival, but inexplicably returned when the current version began in 1999.

* Subverted. Initially, whoever rang in with the higher answer could choose to have their family play the question or pass it to the other family; [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome at least 99% of the time]], "play" was chosen. The play/pass option was retired for the 1988-95 revival, but inexplicably returned when the current version began in 1999.
* ''Series/FamilyFeud'' also used a Bullseye (later Bankroll) round from 1992-95 and 2009-10. All five family members played survey questions ranging from $1,000-$5,000 in value, and whoever gave the top answer had that question's value added to the family's jackpot (determining how much they would play for if they proceeded to [[BonusRound Fast Money]]).[[hottip:*:(Bankroll {1994-95} only used three questions, and one person from each family went up to answer all three.)]]

* The American version of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' axed the Fastest Fingers early on and just had contestants brought in one at a time. Later on, they removed the 50:50 (replaced by Double Dip amidst fan allegations that it wasn't actually random), Phone-A-Friend (devolved into Phone-A-{{Google}}) and Switch The Question (ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin).

** The Star Bonus token in early 1978, which allowed a contestant earning it to overtake the leading contestant in a bonus round at the end, played for one of the four big prizes in the show. However, there was no guarantee that the Star Bonus round would be played, so when it unexpectedly was the episode would be awkwardly edited to fit it in. The prizes designated for the Star Bonus were ''also'' available during regular rounds, meaning that any contestant could earn enough money to buy them and render the Star Bonus token useless.

** Related to the above, some of the more "normal" categories were sometimes followed by bonus questions, which Charlie O'Donnell asked. For instance, a Quotation puzzle might be followed up by Charlie asking the contestant for the source of the quote; one episode had a puzzle answer of BATHTUB GIN & FLAPPERS, followed by the question "What was the most popular dance in the 1920s?"[[hottip:*:(The Charleston)]]
* From 1993 to 1996, the show tried puzzles that included differently-colored letters as part of a home viewer sweepstakes. The differently-colored letters spelled out a word, which home viewers could then mail to the show to enter a prize drawing. Variants included red letters that spelled a common word; gold letters that spelled the name of an Academy Award winner; red/blue letters that spelled out the last name of a President; and half red/half blue letters that spelled out an Olympic event.
** The season after it was used in the viewer sweepstakes, the "red letters unscrambled to form a common word" variant was also part of the actual game, with a $500 bonus to the contestant if he or she could unscramble the word within a time limit.

** Double Play, a token which could be used to double the value of the contestant's next spin. Far too many contestants wasted it by using it before hitting Bankrupt or Lose a Turn.[[hottip:*:(WordOfGod is that it also would've been discarded had someone used it before landing on a prize wedge, although this never happened on the show.)]]
** The original Jackpot space, used in 1987; instead of adding the value of each spin like the current Jackpot does, this one merely increased by $1,000 until it was won.

** 25 Wedge and Big Money Wedge, both used only in Season 25. The former offered a prize that was 25 of something (sometimes $2,500; i.e., 25 $100 bills), and the latter alternated among three different cash values (which were treated as an odd cross between a prize and a regular cash space: Like a prize, it was not multiplied by the number of times the letter called appears in the puzzle, but if claimed, the money could be used to buy a vowel as if it came from a cash space), Bankrupt and Lose a Turn. Season 25 also included a double-sized $2,500 wedge sponsored by Dawn dish soap in some episodes.

** The Free Spin. Originally a wedge that could be landed on to claim a Free Spin token, then replaced in October 1989 for a singular token placed on a money wedge. Any time that a contestant lost a turn (by guessing a wrong letter or puzzle answer), he or she could use Free Spin to get a second chance right away, or opt to hold it until later. It was replaced by the Free Play wedge, where the ExtraTurn is taken as soon as the wedge is hit.

* For the 2010-11 season, the clock system was retired as a part of a major reformatting. These changes also dumped Double Dip and Ask The Expert for two question-skipping lifelines.

Many {{Game Show}}s, once they take off and become enduring hits, will try to add new gameplay elements to the show to keep it fresh and interesting. Sometimes, these new elements will work; other times, they just don't for one reason or another. Maybe they weren't fully fleshed out, or maybe they just weren't that interesting.

* The 1985-86 ''[[LetsMakeADeal All-New Let's Make a Deal]]'' featured a "Door #4" element that would pop up at a random time over the course of the episode. A random contestant would be chosen via the "People Picker Computer" and have the opportunity to make deals with Monty which changed over time.

* They once had a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank, shown as just "Blank" on the category strip, was originally an unfinished phrase ending in a question mark, and the bonus answer involved completing the rest of the phrase exactly. At some point in the late 1990s, the original Fill In the Blank was renamed Next Line Please, which did not use the question mark. The name Fill In the Blank was later used for a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with the common word substituted by a question mark, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Is It?/Who Are They? [[hottip:*:(puzzle is a clue to a famous person)]], Where Are We?[[hottip:*:(puzzle gives three clues to a place)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote; for a while, the show just used the regular Quotation category with the "identify the source of this quote" question at the end)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]] and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, judging that basically amounted to "something resembling a sentence" and Pat's constant snarking at the category, it was clearly not a good idea)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]
* From 1993 to 1996, the show tried puzzles that included differently-colored letters, as part of a home viewer sweepstakes. The differently-colored letters spelled out an answer, which home viewers could then mail to the show to enter a prize drawing. Variants included red letters that spelled a common word; gold letters that spelled an Academy Award winner; red/blue letters that spelled out the last name of a President; and red/blue letters that spelled out an Olympic event.
** The season after it was used in the viewer sweepstakes, the "red letters unscrambled to form a common word" variant was also tried as a gameplay element, with a $500 bonus to the contestant if he or she could unscramble the word.
* Puzzler, a round used in Seasons 16-17. It was a mini-puzzle after Round 1, with an answer related to the Round 1 answer; the solving contestant had five seconds to solve the Puzzler puzzle for a $3,000 bonus.
* The Preview Puzzle, present only in Season 17, was a partially-filled puzzle intended as a teaser for viewers at the top of the show, with no bearing on the game. This and the Puzzler were removed the following season, with the Toss-Ups acting as their SpiritualSuccessor.

** Double Play, a token which could double the value of the contestant's next spin. Many contestants would choose to use this right before hitting Lose a Turn or Bankrupt.[[hottip:*:(Obviously, it was just discarded in such instances; WordOfGod is that it also would've been discarded had someone used it before landing on a prize wedge, although this never happened on the show.)]]

** 25 Wedge and Big Money Wedge, both used only in Season 25. The former offered a prize that was 25 of something (sometimes $2,500; i.e., 25 $100 bills), and the latter alternated among three different cash values (which were treated as an odd cross between a prize and a regular cash space: Like a prize, it was not multiplied by the number of times the letter called appears in the puzzle, but if claimed, the money could be used to buy a vowel as if it came from a cash space), Bankrupt and Lose a Turn. Season 25 also included a double-sized $2,500 wedge sponsored by Dawn dish soap for a short time.
** The $10,000 cash prize, a 1/3-size wedge flanked by 1/3-size Bankrupts. It was treated as a cash prize and could not be spent on vowels. This was re-worked in Season 26 for the identically-structured Million Dollar Wedge.

* The American version of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' axed the Fastest Fingers early on and just had contestants brought in one at a time. Later on, they removed the 50:50 (replaced by Double Dip amidst fan allegations that it wasn't actually random), Phone-A-Friend (devolved into Phone-A-{{Google}}), and Switch The Question (ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin).

* They once had a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank, shown as just "Blank" on the category strip, was originally an unfinished phrase ending in a question mark, and the bonus answer involved completing the rest of the phrase exactly. At some point in the late 1990s, the original Fill In the Blank was renamed Next Line Please, which did not use the question mark. The name Fill In the Blank was later used for a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with the common word substituted by a question mark, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote; for a while, the show just used the regular Quotation category with the "identify the source of this quote" question at the end)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]] and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, judging that basically amounted to "something resembling a sentence" and Pat's constant snarking at the category, it was clearly not a good idea)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]

* For a time in 1997, ''[=~Jeopardy!~=]'' tried "Bonus" categories, which were clues written to have two correct responses. Anyone who rang in with a correct response could try for the second right answer (for the same value), or offer the other right answer for another contestant. These were only used three times.

* Fan favorites that were retired include Superball!![[hottip:*:(took too long to play)]], Penny Ante[[hottip:*:(the prop was not only subject to constant mechanical breakdowns in its last few years, but became totally worthless in a rainstorm while the staff debated on the game's future)]], and $uper $aver[[hottip:*:(after an infamous playing where Bob Barker didn't explain the rules properly {forgetting to say that it was still "mathematically possible to win" after picking the marked-up product|, after which the contestant lost and blamed it on him)]].

* They once had a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank, shown as just "Blank" on the category strip, was originally an unfinished phrase ending in a question mark, and the bonus answer involved completing the rest of the phrase exactly. At some point in the late 1990s, the original Fill In the Blank was renamed Next Line Please, which did not use the question mark. The name Fill In the Blank was later used for a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with the common word substituted by a question mark, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]] and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, judging that basically amounted to "something resembling a sentence" and Pat's constant snarking at the category, it was clearly not a good idea)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]

* Several categories have been retired over time. Among them are Nickname (perhaps the first victim), Foreign Word, Foreign Phrase, Slang, and a whole line of themed decade categories (The '20s through The '90s; for a short time in the early 2000s, only The '70s through The '90s were used).
** A whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus, and shown as just "Blank" on the category strip. At some point in the late 1990s, that category was renamed Next Line Please, and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with that word missing, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords and the nebulous judging that basically amounted to "something resembling a sentence", consensus among fans is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]

** The season after it was used in the viewer sweepstakes, the "red letters unscrambled to form a common word" variant was also tried as a "$500 bonus" category for show contestants.

** 25 Wedge and Big Money Wedge, both used only in Season 25. The former offered a prize that was 25 of something (sometimes $2,500; i.e., 25 $100 bills), and the latter alternated among three different cash values (which were treated as an odd cross between a prize and a regular cash space: Like a prize, it was not multiplied by the number of times the letter called appears in the puzzle, but if claimed, the money could be used to buy a vowel as if it came from a cash space) as well as Bankrupt and Lose a Turn.

** The Free Spin. Originally a wedge that could be landed on to claim a Free Spin token, then replaced in October 1989 for a singular token placed on a money wedge. Any time that a contestant lost a turn, he or she could use Free Spin to get a second chance right away, or opt to hold it until later. It was replaced by the similar Free Play wedge, where the ExtraTurn is taken as soon as the wedge is hit.

** A whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank, Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus, and shown as just "Blank" on the category strip. At some point in the late 1990s, that category was renamed Next Line Please, and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases that ended in a common word were presented with that word missing, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for a bonus answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; among the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, the nebulous judging on the sentences and a BOMBASTIC incident detailed on the show's main page, consensus among fans is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]

* For a while in the 1990s, some puzzles included red letters in them. After solving, a contestant could unscramble the red letters to form a bonus word, also for a $500 bonus. This started as a home viewer sweepstakes.
* Puzzler, a round used in Seasons 16-17. It was a mini-puzzle after the Round 1 puzzle, with an answer related to that puzzle; the solving contestant had five seconds to solve the Puzzler puzzle for a $3,000 bonus.
* The Preview Puzzle, present only in Season 17, was a partially-filled puzzle intended as a teaser for viewers at the top of the show, with no bearing on the game. This and the Puzzler were removed the following season, evolving into the current Toss-Up rounds.

** Countless dollar values, most notably $1000, $1500, and $2000, which offered hope for anyone who just couldn't seem to hit the big-money space of that round.

* Perhaps the most famous element that was retired was the shopping aspect — until the late 1980s, contestants used their cash winnings to buy prizes. On a whim, the producers experimented with a play-for-cash format on the nighttime version in late 1987, and proved so successful the shopping was permanently ousted from there; the daytime show continued to use shopping until the first CBS episode (July 17, 1989), which began using a scaled-down version of the play-for-cash format.

** A whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank/Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus. For some reason, it was renamed Next Line Please and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases with a common word were used, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for an answer of TRIANGLE)]], Fill In the Number[[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified, used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for the bonus; between the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords, the nebulous judging on the sentences, and a BOMBASTIC incident that may have led to the category's own ousting along with longtime series producer Nancy Jones...consensus among fans is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, Season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]
* For a while, some puzzles were designed so that some of the letters were red. After solving, a contestant could unscramble the red letters to form a bonus word and earn a $500 bonus.

* The Preview Puzzle, present only in Season 17, was a partially-filled puzzle intended as a teaser for viewers at the top of the show. This and the Puzzler were removed the following season, evolving into the current Toss-Up rounds.
* Many wedges were also retired, usually rather quietly:

** Buy A Vowel, a single (two from Round 3 onward) wedge that contestants had to land on in order to buy a vowel, instead of having the ability to buy one anytime during their turn. Landing on it without having $250, or after all vowels in the puzzle had been bought, essentially turned it into another Lose A Turn. The space was used from the original 1973 pilot until some point in 1975, lasting long enough to see the ousting of the original two-digit spaces and appear in both of Milton-Bradley's {{Home Game}}s.

** Double Play, a token which could double the value of the contestant's next spin. Many contestants would choose to use this right before hitting Lose a Turn or Bankrupt.[[hottip:*:(Obviously, it was just discarded if a penalty space was hit after using it; WordOfGod is that it also would've been discarded had someone used it before landing on a prize wedge, although this never happened on the show.)]]

** The $10,000 cash prize, a 1/3-size wedge flanked by 1/3-size Bankrupts. It, too, was treated as a cash prize and not spendable money. This was re-worked in Season 26 for the identically-structured Million Dollar Wedge.
** The Free Spin. Originally a wedge that could be landed on to claim a Free Spin token, then replaced in October 1989 for a singular token placed on a wedge. Any time that a contestant lost a turn, he or she could use Free Spin to get a second chance right away, or opt to hold it until later. It was replaced by the similar Free Play wedge, where the ExtraTurn is taken as soon as the wedge is hit.

Many {{Game Show}}s, once they take off and become enduring hits, will try to add new gameplay elements to the show to keep it fresh and interesting. Sometimes, these new elements will work; other times, they just don't for one reason or another. Maybe they weren't fully fleshed out, or maybe they just weren't that interesting. Most of the time, these elements are also retired without a single mention after the fact, making this a game show-specific subtrope of ChuckCunninghamSyndrome.

* ''ThePriceIsRight'' began with only a very small amount of pricing games, and has constantly taken games in and out of the rotation over time.
** The first to be retired was Bullseye '72, which was ousted after the ''ninth episode'' because it was nigh {{Unwinnable}}. On September 19, the game was reworked into a two-player contest called Double Bullseye.
*** The original Bullseye board was pushed into use as the "support" for the first three playings of Clock Game (September 11, 13, and 15), and beginning on April 20, 1973 a four-sided faceplate was added to the prop and called Double Digits. It should be noted that the first three games to be retired, and the only ones for Season 1, were Bullseye (September 14), Double Bullseye (October 10), and Double Digits (May 18).
** Professor Price, which was retired after only two playings (November 14 and 21, 1977) because its setup had almost nothing to do with the show's core format of identifying prices. To its credit, it's the only game to be won on all of its appearances.
** Other games have been retired for a variety of reasons, including contestants (or hosts) having trouble understanding the rules, being too prone to mechanical failure, or simply proving not to be that interesting. Most games that get retired weren't that popular to begin with, but there are exceptions.
** Fan favorites that were retired include Superball!![[hottip:*:(took too long to play)]], Penny Ante[[hottip:*:(the prop was not only subject to constant mechanical breakdowns in its last few years, but became totally worthless in a rainstorm while the staff debated on the game's future)]], and $uper $aver[[hottip:*:(after an infamous playing where Bob Barker didn't explain the rules properly {forgetting to say that it was still "mathematically possible to win" after picking the marked-up product|, after which the contestant lost and blamed it on him)]].
* ''WheelOfFortune'' is ''all over'' this Trope:
** Perhaps the most famous element that was retired was the shopping aspect — until the late 1980s, contestants used their cash winnings to buy prizes. On a whim, the producers experimented with a play-for-cash format on the nighttime version in late 1987, and proved so successful the shopping was permanently ousted from there; the daytime show continued to use shopping until the first CBS episode (July 17, 1989), which began using a scaled-down version of the play-for-cash format.
** Several categories have been retired over time. Among them are Nickname (perhaps the first victim), Foreign Word, Foreign Phrase, Slang, and a whole line of themed decade categories (The '20s through The '90s; for a short time in the early 2000s, only The '70s through The '90s were used).

** For a time in 1975, later rounds had ''two'' Lose A Turn spaces on the wheel. Combine that with the above, and you get two each of Bankrupt, Lose A Turn, and Buy A Vowel. The early wheel was '''crowded'''!

** The show first tried a Jackpot round in 1987; instead of adding the value of each spin like the current Jackpot does, this one merely increased by $1,000 until it was won.
** For a while, some puzzles were designed so that some of the letters were red. After solving, a contestant could unscramble the red letters to form a bonus word and earn a $500 bonus.
** Surprise, a special Wheel prize which, if won, was not revealed until after the puzzle was solved.
** Puzzler, a round used in Seasons 16-17. It was a mini-puzzle after the Round 1 puzzle, with an answer related to that puzzle; the solving contestant had five seconds to solve the Puzzler puzzle for a $3,000 bonus.
** The Preview Puzzle, present only in Season 17, was a partially-filled puzzle intended as a teaser for viewers at the top of the show. This and the Puzzler were removed the following season, evolving into the current Toss-Up rounds.

** Countless dollar values have been quietly removed from the Wheel over time, most notably $1000, $1500, and $2000, which offered hope for anyone who just couldn't seem to hit the big-money space of that round.

* For a spell in 1997, ''[=~Jeopardy!~=]'' tried "Bonus" categories, which were clues written to have two correct responses. Anyone who rang in with a correct response could try for the second right answer (for the same value), or offer the other right answer for another contestant. These were only used three times.
* Subverted on ''Series/FamilyFeud''. Initially, whoever rang in with the higher answer could choose to have their family play the question or pass it to the other family; [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome at least 99% of the time]], "play" was chosen. The play/pass option was retired for the 1988-95 revival, but inexplicably returned when the current version began in 1999.
** ''Feud'' also used a Bullseye (later called Bankroll) round from 1992-95 and 2009-10. All five family members played survey questions ranging from $1,000-$5,000 in value, and whoever gave the top answer had that question's value added to the family's jackpot (determining how much they would play for if they proceeded to [[BonusRound Fast Money]]).[[hottip:*:(The Bankroll round, in play from 1994-95, only used three questions, and one person from each family went up to answer all three.)]]
* The American version of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' axed the Fastest Fingers early on and just had contestants brought in one at a time. Later on, they removed the "Phone-a-Friend" Lifeline after it devolved into "Phone-a-{{Google}}". "Switch the Question", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, was also removed along the way.
** In the 2010-2011 season, the clock system was also retired as a part of a major reformatting of the show. These changes, also dumped "50:50" and "Ask the Expert" for two question skipping lifelines.
* On ''The $25,000 {{Pyramid}}'', the "7-11" bonus offered a choice: the team could take $50 per word or try to get all seven words for the $1,100 bonus. The former option was retired because almost nobody ever took it.
** The John Davidson version of ''The $100,000 Pyramid'' used more bonus categories such as Double Trouble [[hottip:*:($500 for guessing seven two-word phrases in 45 seconds)]] and Gamble for a Grand/Gamble for a Trip [[hottip:*:(play the round in 25 seconds instead of 30; if all seven words were won in 25 seconds, the contestant won $1,000 or a trip)]].
* ''[[LetsMakeADeal The All-New Let's Make a Deal]]'' featured a "Door #4" element that would pop up at a random time over the course of the episode. A random contestant would be chosen via the "People Picker Computer" and have the opportunity to make deals with Monty which changed over time.[[hottip:*:(Originally it was a choice between a prize and a mystery amount ranging from $1,000-$5,000 behind said door, but quickly became a 20-space carnival wheel containing spaces ranging from {{Zonk}}s to a new car)]].

* ''ThePriceIsRight'' began with only a very small amount of pricing games, and has constantly taken games in and out of the rotation over time. The first to be retired was unofficially called Bullseye '72, which was retired because it was {{Unwinnable}}. Another notable example is Professor Price, which was retired after only two playings because its setup had almost nothing to do with the show's core format of identifying prices.

** Fan favorites that were retired include Superball!![[hottip:*:(retired because it took too long to play)]], Penny Ante[[hottip:*:(retired because the prop was subject to constant mechanical breakdowns in its last few years)]], and $uper $aver[[hottip:*:(retired due to an infamous playing where Bob Barker didn't explain the rules properly, after which the contestant lost and blamed it on him)]].

** Perhaps the most famous element that was retired from the show was the shopping rounds. Until the late 1980s, contestants used their cash winnings to buy prizes. On a whim, the producers experimented with a play-for-cash format on the nighttime version in late 1987, and proved so successful the shopping was permanently ousted from there; the daytime show continued to use shopping until the first CBS episode (July 17, 1989), which began using a scaled-down version of the play-for-cash format.

** The Free Spin. Originally a wedge that could be landed on to claim a Free Spin token, then replaced in October 1989 for a singular token placed on a wedge. Any time that a contestant hit Lose a Turn or Bankrupt, or mis-solved a puzzle, he or she could use Free Spin to get a second chance right away, or opt to hold it until later. It was replaced by the similar Free Play wedge, where the ExtraTurn is taken as soon as the wedge is hit.

** For a time in 1975, later rounds had ''two'' Lose A Turn spaces on the wheel. That's right — two each of Bankrupt, Lose A Turns, and Buy A Vowel. The early wheel was ''crowded''!

* ''ThePriceIsRight'' began with only a very small amount of pricing games, and has constantly taken games in and out of the rotation over time. One of the first to be retired was a game unofficially called "Bullseye '72", which was retired because it was {{Unwinnable}}. Another notable example is Professor Price, which was retired after only two playings because its setup had almost nothing to do with the show's core format of identifying prices. Other games have been retired for a variety of reasons, including contestants having trouble understanding the rules, being too prone to mechanical failure, or simply proving not to be that interesting. Most games that get retired weren't that popular to begin with, but there are exceptions. Fan favorites that were retired include Superball!![[hottip:* :retired because it took too long to play]], Penny Ante[[hottip:* :retired because the prop was subject to constant mechanical breakdowns]], and $uper $aver[[hottip:* :retired due to one infamous playing where Bob Barker didn't explain the rules properly, and the contestant lost and blamed it on him]].

** Perhaps the most famous element that was retired from the show was the shopping rounds. Until the late 1980s, contestants used their cash winnings to buy prizes. On a whim, the producers tried a play-for-cash format for a special nighttime week in late 1987, and after it proved successful the shopping rounds were retired from the nighttime version (although they stayed on daytime for two more years).
** Several categories have been retired over time. Among them are Nickname (perhaps the first victim), Foreign Word, Foreign Phrase, Slang and a whole line of themed decade categories (The 20's through The '90s; for a short time in the early 2000s, only The '70s through The '90s were used).
** There is also a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank/Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus. For some reason, it was renamed Next Line Please and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases with a common word were used, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for an answer of "triangle")]], Fill In the Number [[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; strangely, this category was used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for a bonus; between the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords and the nebulous judging on the sentences, consensus among fans is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]]. The last of the "$3,000 Bonus" categories were retired early in season 26, and after nearly two seasons in which none were used, season 28 introduced What's That Song?[[hottip:*:(the puzzle is a song lyric, and the corresponding song title then has to be identified)]]
** From the show's original pilot in 1973 through some point in 1975, contestants had to land on a red wedge marked Buy A Vowel to buy one, instead of having the ability to buy one anytime during their turn. Landing on it without having $250, or after all vowels in the puzzle had been bought, essentially turned it into another Lose A Turn.

* ''ThePriceIsRight'' began with only a very small amount of pricing games, and has constantly taken games in and out of the rotation over time. One of the first to be retired was a game unofficially called "Bullseye '72", which was retired because it was {{Unwinnable}}. Another notable example is Professor Price, which was retired after only two playings because its setup had almost nothing to do with the show's core format of identifying prices. Some fan favorites that were retired include Superball!!, Penny Ante, and $uper $aver.

** There is also a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank/Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus. For some reason, it was renamed Next Line Please and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases with a common word were used, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for an answer of "triangle")]], Fill In the Number [[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; strangely, this category was used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for a bonus; between the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords and the nebulous judging on the sentences, consensus among fans is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]].

** 25 Wedge and Big Money Wedge, both used only in Season 25. The former offered a prize that was 25 of something (sometimes $2,500; i.e., 25 $100 bills), and the latter alternated among three different cash values (which were treated as prizes, not spendable money) as well as Bankrupt and Lose a Turn.

* The American version of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' axed the "Phone-a-Friend" Lifeline after it basically devolved into "Phone-a-{{Google}}". "Switch the Question", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, was also removed along the way.

** The Free Spin. Originally a wedge that could be landed on to claim a Free Spin token, then replaced in October 1989 for a singular token placed on a wedge. Any time that a contestant hit Lose a Turn or Bankrupt, or mis-solved a puzzle, he or she could use Free Spin to get a second chance or opt to hold it until later. It was replaced by the similar Free Play wedge, where the ExtraTurn must be taken once the wedge is hit.

** There is also a whole line of retired categories that offered a $500 (later $1,000, then $3,000) bonus question after the puzzle was solved. These categories included Clue[[hottip:*:(the puzzle described a person, place or thing that was then identified for the bonus)]], Fill In the Blank and Next Line Please[[hottip:*:(Fill In the Blank was originally an unfinished phrase that had to be completed for the bonus. For some reason, it was renamed Next Line Please and Fill In the Blank was repurposed as a Tribond-style puzzle: three phrases with a common word were used, such as LOVE ? ISOSCELES ? BERMUDA ? for an answer of "triangle")]], Fill In the Number [[hottip:*:(a phrase with a number in it; the number was replaced by number signs and had to be identified for the bonus)]], Slogan [[hottip:*:(the puzzle answer is a slogan and the bonus question is to identify the product; this may have been retired after an incident where EAT FRESH was solved as SUBWAY, EAT FRESH and ruled correct for both the puzzle answer and bonus question)]], Who Said It? [[hottip:*:(identify the source of a famous quote)]], What Are You Making? [[hottip:*:(ingredients to a common food that is then identified; strangely, this category was used only on the Season 26 premiere and [[OneSceneWonder never seen again]])]], and the notorious Megaword[[hottip:*:(a single 10- to 12-letter word which the contestant had to use in a sentence for a bonus; between the lack of commonly-called letters in most Megawords and the nebulous judging on the sentences, consensus is that this was an all-around ill-conceived category)]].

* ''ThePriceIsRight'' began with only a very small amount of pricing games, and has constantly taken games in and out of rotation over time. One of the first to be retired was an untitled game unofficially called "Bullseye '72", which was retired because it was {{Unwinnable}}. Another notable example is Professor Price, which was retired after only two playings because its setup had almost nothing to do with the show's core format of identifying prices. Some fan favorites that were retired include Superball!!, Penny Ante and $uper $aver.

** Perhaps the most famous element that was retired from the show was the shopping rounds. Until the late 1980s, contestants used their cash winnings to buy prizes. On a whim, the producers tried a play-for-cash format for a special nighttime week in 1987, and after it proved successful, the shopping rounds were retired from the nighttime version (although they stayed on daytime for two more years).

** From the show's original pilot in 1973 through some point in 1975, contestants had to land on a red wedge marked Buy A Vowel to buy one, instead of having the ability to buy one anytime during their turn.

** Puzzler, a round which lasted through Seasons 16-17. It was a mini-puzzle after the Round 1 puzzle, with an answer related to that puzzle; the solving contestant had five seconds to solve the Puzzler puzzle for a $3,000 bonus.
** The Preview Puzzle, present only in Season 17, which was a partially filled puzzle intended as a teaser for viewers at the top of the show. This and the Puzzler were removed the following season, evolving into the current Toss-Up rounds.

** ''Feud'' also used a Bullseye (later called Bankroll) round in the early 1990s and from 2009-2010. All five family members played survey questions ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 in value, and whoever gave the top answer had that question's value added to the family's jackpot (determining how much they would play for if they proceeded to [[BonusRound Fast Money]]).[[hottip:*:(The Bankroll round, in play from 1994-95, only used three questions, and one person from each family went up to answer all three.)]]

* ''[[LetsMakeADeal The All-New Let's Make a Deal]]'' featured a "Door #4" element that would pop up at a random time over the course of the episode. A random contestant would be chosen via the "People Picker Computer" and have the opportunity to make deals with Monty which changed over time [[hottip:*:(first it was a choice between a prize and a mystery amount ranging from $1,000-$5,000 behind said door; later a 20-space carnival wheel was brought out that featured different spaces ranging from [[{{Zonk}} Zonks]] to a new car)]].

* Subverted on ''Series/FamilyFeud''. Initially, whoever rang in with the higher answer could choose to have their family play the question or pass it to the other family; at least 99% of the time, "play" was chosen. The play/pass option was retired for the 1988-95 revival, but inexplicably returned when the current version began in 1999.