We here at Collider value our readers, and as such we aim to be the definitive place to find answers to the important questions. When is Happy Gilmore 2 being released? What is the most difficult final clue in Jeopardy! history? Will Kraven the Hunter suck? Today, though, may be the biggest day in Collider history, disclosing an answer to a question that has long plagued mankind (or at least since 1975): Which wheel is heavier, The Price is Right‘s “Big Wheel,” or the titular wheel of Wheel of Fortune? Because we care.

The wheels in The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune, for all intents and purposes, are somewhat similar: a contestant spins the wheel, and fate decides where it lands: riches, or heartbreak. That’s where the similarities end, other than the circularity of each device (is circularity a word?). “The Big Wheel” is the penultimate round before the Showcase Showdown on the former, while the Fortune Wheel is used throughout the game on the latter. One, “The Big Wheel,” stands vertically, while the Fortune Wheel lies flat. The Fortune Wheel is much more colorful, The Big Wheel has two green spots and one red, otherwise they’re all black.

‘The Price is Right’ vs. ‘Wheel of Fortune’: The Battle of the Wheels

These things you know already, so let’s move on. The Big Wheel has been spun more than 63,000 times, while the Fortune Wheel has been spun significantly more, in theory (no exact numbers here, but on a somewhat related note, Vanna White holds the Guinness World Record for most frequent clapper, 3,480,864 times as of January 2013). But which wheel is heavier? The Price is Right‘s Big Wheel weighs 2,000 pounds (907kg) while the Fortune Wheel on Wheel of Fortune bests that by 400, coming in at 2,400 pounds (1088 kg).

One Reddit user (per The U.S. Sun), after having an opportunity to spin the Big Wheel, said that while the Fortune Wheel is heavier, the Big Wheel feels heavier, chalking it up to the fact it’s upright and you have to pull it down – and it’s a beast to spin. It’s hard to say, but even though it’s the lighter of the two, The Price is Right‘s Big Wheel is far more dangerous. “Far more” is a stretch, granted, but not if you ask Judy, a contestant on a 2014 game, fell when spinning the wheel, twisting her ankle and forcing her to use crutches to play the Showcase Showdown. To add insult to injury, she didn’t even win.

The Wheel Danger Behind ‘The Price is Right’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’

         The Price is Right itself is more dangerous than Wheel of Fortune. Many people have tumbled spinning the wheel, one contestant fell over during a dice game (per USA Today), and host Drew Carey was injured on-set while showing a contestant how to play the “Grocery Game.” To add insult to his injury, this happened prior to taping his first gig as host of the show. Another contestant by the name of Henry dislocated his shoulder. No, not because of the Big Wheel, but rather because of his enthusiastic response to winning a game called “Bonkers.” His wife came in to spin the wheel in his place, landing on 95 cents. Unlike poor Judy, he walked – sorry, limped away with nothing but a twisted ankle, he won a trip to Hawaii. And to the ER.

​​​​​​Even though Wheel of Fortune hasn’t had much in the way of injuries, it doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any. On an April 2021 episode of the show, Vanna White suffered an injury while running across the stage, celebrating Laura Trammell‘s historic win of a house during the bonus round. A blast of confetti was released to mark the event, a clump of which hit White in the head. She took it in stride, laughing it off and saying, “Thank goodness it wasn’t my eye.” This leads me to wonder: Who has the more dangerous job on their respective shows? White, touching the board to reveal letters (and the clapping. Never forget the clapping), or the models on The Price is Right that have to do that “take a look at this awesomeness” hand gesture for each prize? Stay tuned, dear readers.

The Price is Right is available to stream in the U.S. on Paramount+, while Wheel of Fortune airs on ABC every weekday, and is available to stream on YouTube TV