On November 5, 1979, in an attempt to increase the show's ratings, Whew! changed its format to accommodate the addition of celebrities to the game. Originally conceived as a three-week special series of episodes, the change instead became permanent on December 5 and the show adopted the title Celebrity Whew! to reflect it. Each contestant was paired with one of the two celebrities and they both took turns charging. They shared blocking duties, with each of them placing three blocks when it was their turn. The rules were otherwise unchanged except, toward the end of the series, if one of the teams was able to win by sweeping the first two boards, they got to play the third board unopposed for bonus money with a randomly generated set of blocks. In the Gauntlet of Villains, one member of the team took the first half and the other took the second half. As before, each $100 earned in the front game was worth one additional second on top of the base 60-second time, and completing the Gauntlet won $25,000 which retired the player immediately upon winning it. Episode status All episodes exist in the possession of Burt Sugarman, the current copyright holder of the Whew! program and format. On August 10, 2021, it was announced that Whew! would air on Buzzr beginning September 5, 2021, with previously unaired episodes set to air weekdays beginning the following day. The show's return to TV marks the end of a 41-year absence after CBS canceled the series in 1980. Wink Martindale and game show producer John Ricci, Jr. both played a role in bringing the show to Buzzr. Theme The theme song was composed by Alan Thicke. Original recordings of the theme were presumed to have been lost until 2012, when they were discovered by the Museum of Television Production Music. References External links 1979 American television series debuts 1980 American television series endings 1970s American game shows 1980s American game shows CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series by Jay Wolpert Enterprises