A few differences were seen from these shows and the eventual premiere, including the host generally giving a clue rather than a category (e.g., 'the name of something good to eat' for the puzzle SPAGHETTI, rather than the more generic categories that would be used by mid-July 1975), a consistent set of prizes to choose from throughout the episode (as opposed to going to a different platform of prizes in a subsequent round).

A better-received (although not by much) pair of pilots were taped in 1974, with Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes as the host.

Once thought to be a Missing Episode (only about four publicity shots ever turned up in specials and retrospectives, only one of which was in color), the pilot finally surfaced in 2012 on YouTube and quickly began circulating among collectors. Merv himself would later state that 'everything about it was WRONG'.

Among other things, there was a motorized carnival-style Wheel (with a mind of its own at times, as well as Free Vowel and $0 spaces), a rotary telephone to dispense clues (if a contestant landed on the 'Your Own Clue' wedge, and only basic things like Person, Place, or Thing), an ugly pull-card puzzle board, a way-too-easy first attempt at a Bonus Round, a way-too-hard to understand scoring system, a rule where the contestant that won a round started the next one, a set that Bolen called 'old-fashioned', and instrumental versions of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and 'Spinning Wheel' as the show's main theme and commercial outro cue respectively. The set was made to look like a department store, and the intro featured the three contestants being introduced by browsing through the 'store' while the announcer described their prizes, whilst simultaneously playing their first turns each. The 1973 pilot, Shopper's Bazaar Lin Bolen thought a shopping element could make the show stand out, but this pilot took the idea a bit too far.

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