History Series / Scrabble

* DoubleEntendre: A common source of the shows humor. As mentioned by Chuck:

'''Audience:''' ''[[TitleScream SCRABBLE]]''!

** While the odds of drawing valid tiles is the Crossword portion generally favored the contestant, they diminished as valid letters get played.
** Sometimes, pivotal letters never shown up in a nearly completed word. While this often occurs during the Scrabble Sprint (see the Terry Ray example below under "Take That!"), one such example from 1993 shows a glaring example: "It means a lot to me", in which the board reads □ILLION. One contestant guesses "MILLION", whereas the other guesses "BILLION". [[spoiler:The missing letter: J, which is never drawn.]]

** Sometimes, pivotal letters never shown up in a nearly completed word. While this often occurs during the Scrabble Sprint (see the Terry Ray example below under "Take That!"), one such example from 1993 shows a glaring example: "It means a lot to me", in which the board reads _ILLION. One contestant guesses "MILLION", whereas the other guesses "BILLION". [[spoiler:The missing letter: J, which is never drawn.]]
* MoonLogicPuzzle: The show's writers occasionally implemented some bizarre logic in how clues related to their corresponding words, which usually flummoxed Chuck and the contestants. One glaring case from 1993: A puzzle with the clue "It means a lot to me". The board reads _ILLION

* MoonLogicPuzzle: The show's writers occasionally implemented some bizarre logic in how clues related to their corresponding words, which usually flummoxed Chuck and the contestants. Cases in point:

--->'''Chuck:''' We were looking for ''[[spoiler:W]]IMPS''.\\

** Jan Rabson was also a frequent target.

** One of the changes for the '93 version was that it didn't revolve, though this was because at some point between the 1990 pilot and taping for the '93 series, the Cube's motor got damaged and simply couldn't turn anymore. The Crossword screen was programmed to re-create the row of blanks for the Sprint during that round.
* ADayInTheLimelight: During a special 1987 week where various game show hosts (including Jamie Farr, who never actually hosted a full-time game show and was plugged as being host of ''Double Up'', which ended up not selling) played for home viewers, Chuck played several games with [[Series/DoubleDare1986 Marc Summers]] as host; in one episode, Chuck won $12,000.
* DoubleEntendre: A common sources of the shows humor. As mentioned by Chuck:
--> '''Chuck:''' [''Scrabble''[='=]s writers] always do that. They give you very suggestive clues, and then it's some kind of inane answer—or mundane, anyway.

* StageMoney: For most of the original series, Chuck would walk to the contestants and hand out bonus money if they answered correctly after hitting a pink or blue square. The bills, referred to as "Chuck Bucks," were printed with his picture and colored to match the squares. (For a while when the bonus rules were first instituted, Chuck paid all the bonuses off with actual $100 bills.). As Chuck explains:
-->'''Chuck:''' ...I'm using what they're calling Chuck Bucks here. These are regular dollars, but they're pink for the 1,000, blue for the 500--a little sickening, I know. We don't like to use regular money because it goes through three or four different people's hands, and [...] you come up missing 100, you don't know who to point to, and it's not fair to them. And, it's kind of funny, these are redeemable at any Chuck Store nation to nation.

* WhoWritesThisCrap: Whenever he read a really silly or suggestive clue, Chuck had no reservations in chastising the writing staff. Writer Jan Heininger and producer Gary Johnson are the most frequent target of Chuck's derision.

->'''[[TheAnnouncer Charlie Tuna]]:''' A nine-letter word, the clue is, they hang them on TV Tropes.\\

...and would go on to the ''Sprint'' round, where they tried to solve four words quicker than their opponent (the returning champion in later years) by picking one of two letters in the word at a time (no Stoppers in this half of the game). Beginning in 1986, whoever won the Scrabble Sprint would attempt then a ''Bonus Sprint'', where they had to guess two words in 10 seconds to win $5,000, increasing by $1,000 each time it wasn't won.

* ADayInTheLimelight: During a special 1987 week where various game show hosts (including Jamie Farr, who never actually hosted a full-time game show and was plugged as being host of ''Double Up'', which ended up not selling) played for home viewers, Chuck played several games with [[Series/DoubleDare1986 Marc Summers]] as host; in one game, Chuck won $12,000.

* FunWithHomophones: Clues frequently involved homophonic words. One example is demonstrated under "Take That!"

** "This is [Contestant's name here, drumroll plays]! In just a few moments he/she could win $20,000[[note]](or "$40,000", or "over $55,000" early on)[[/note]] today on ''Scrabble''!" (Used during the "straddling" format if he/she was going for a fifth or 10th win.)

* ScrabbleBabble: Sorry, averted. However, the show sometimes used proper names, which are forbidden in the traditional game.

** On the 1990 finale, after the second word, Chuck wondered whether ''he'' had been cancelled and the show was all right.

--->'''Chuck:''' You ever do exercises and stuff like that? What's that guy's name? Richard Simmons, yeah.\\

* WhoWritesThisCrap: Whenever he read a really silly or suggestive clue, Chuck had no reservations in chastising the writing staff.

** A player hit a bonus square and immediately provides an incorrect solution, and the opponent, upon taking control, immediately solves the word before making any further play.

** A letter fell into a bonus square during Speedword, and one player immediately buzzed in and solved it.

* StageMoney: For most of the original series, Chuck would walk to the contestants and hand out bonus money if they answered correctly after hitting a pink or blue square. The bills, referred to as "Chuck Bucks," were printed with his picture and colored to match the squares. (For a while when the bonus rules were first instituted, Chuck paid all the bonuses off with actual $100 bills.) In 1993, the money just went into a pot for the Sprint.

Based on the [[TabletopGame/{{Scrabble}} board game of the same name]], this Creator/{{NBC}} GameShow hosted by Chuck Woolery, famous for ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' and ''Series/LoveConnection'', featured contestants trying to navigate a crossword puzzle-like board, forming words and winning cash.

-->'''[[TheAnnouncer Charlie Tuna]]:''' A nine-letter word, the clue is, they hang them on TV Tropes.\\

* BonusRound: The ''Scrabble Sprint'' (and later, the ''Bonus Sprint''). In both rounds, buzzing in with a wrong or late answer applies a 10-second penalty to the player (which, in Bonus Sprint, ends the round right away).

* BonusRound: The ''Scrabble Sprint'' (and later, the ''Bonus Sprint''). In both rounds, buzzing in with a wrong or late answer means a 10-second penalty for the player (which, in Bonus Sprint, ends the round right away).

* BonusRound: The ''Scrabble Sprint'' (and later, the ''Bonus Sprint''). In both rounds, buzzing in with a wrong or late answer means a 10-second penalty for the player (which, in Bonus Sprint, ends the game right away).

* BonusRound: The ''Scrabble Sprint'' (and later, the ''Bonus Sprint'').

--> '''Chuck:''' That's something you don't see too often. Just start asking for contestants, because, ah...I mean, get on the phone, because that'll load up real quick...and that probably won't be up much longer...

* CelebrityEdition: ''Scrabble'' would occasionally feature stars from Creator/{{NBC}} television series, and even featured two GameShowHost editions--the first of which saw ''Series/DoubleDare'' [[GuestHost host Marc Summers]] filling in as host during rounds in which Chuck became a contestant.[[note]]Only [[Series/{{Blockbusters}} Bill]] [[Series/CardSharks Rafferty]] and [[Series/{{MASH}} Jamie Farr]] participated in both years' events.[[/note]] During these episodes, each celebrity played on behalf of a different, randomly selected home viewer.

* CompanionCube: Literally, the game board was a giant revolving cube, with two sides for Crossword/Sprint rounds, and two sides that were basic Scrabble boards with neon. On one 1989 episode, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eQfL0WPNCs the game board started sliding back during a round.]] Once the technicians fixed it, Chuck started talking to the board as if he were giving commands to a dog: "Stay! Stay right there! Stay! Sit!"

Another difference from the board game was that letters had no value in themselves. The pink and blue {{Bonus Space}}s on the board could be worth bonus cash to a player who correctly solved the word immediately after placing a letter on a colored square. The first player to solve three words...all together now...won the game...

** "This is [Contestant's name here, drumroll plays]! In just a few moments he/she could win $20,000 [[note]](or "$40,000", or "over $55,000" early on)[[/note]] today on ''Scrabble''!" (Used during the "straddling" format if he/she was going for a fifth or 10th win.)

* TakeThat: On the 1990 finale, after the second word, Chuck wondered whether ''he'' had been cancelled and the show was all right.

* MoonLogicPuzzle: The show's writers occasionally implemented some bizarre logic in how clues would to their corresponding words, which usually flummoxed Chuck and the contestants. Cases in point:

* MoonLogicPuzzle: The show's writers occasionally implemented some bizarre logic behind clues and their corresponding words. Occasionally, Chuck gets flummoxed as to how a word relates to its clue. Cases in point:

* {{Corpsing}}: It was not uncommon to see Chuck lose his composure after reading something really silly.

* FunWithHomophones: Clues frequently used homophonic words. One example is demonstrated under "Take That!"

*** After being stumped on his first word ("They do things weakly") without offering a guess, Terry takes in some SelfDeprecation:

* WhoWritesThisCrap: Whenever he read a really silly or suggestive clue, Chuck had no reservations in addressing the writing staff.