Vanna White Hosts 'Wheel of Fortune' While Pat Sajak Recuperates

Wheel of Fortune is taped weeks in advance of airing on ABC. Back on November 8, 2019, the game show's producers announced that host Pat Sajak, 73, would not be able to host the show for a while. He had emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine in the middle of taping. Therefore, a temporary replacement was needed for Sajak who has been a host for 35 years.

Producers quickly named Vanna White to replace Sajak for three weeks starting December 9 while Pat is recuperating. Vanna was surprised about the assignment because she is mostly silent during the show. She has a very brief conversation at the end while Pat still controls the show.

Only One Rehearsal

In an interview leading up to Vanna hosting the game show, she admitted that she had only one rehearsal before stepping into Pat's big shoes. Speaking of shoes, the 62-year-old letter toucher says she will not wear shoes while hosting the show because the contestants are of different heights. Even Sajak steps up and down on a platform to be closer to the height of the contestants after they win a round.

Vanna also admits that she will not wear long gowns for safety reasons since she will be walking back and forth between contestants which is not what she usually does. She is less likely to trip if she is wearing short dresses.

Vanna said she was very nervous to host the show even though she knows every detail about it. After all, she has been turning and touching letters for 37 years. That's two years longer than Pat has been hosting the game show.

The host is the one who controls the game and keeps it flowing. Vanna discovered that the wheel is much heavier than it looks. At the end of the contest, it is the host's responsibility to spin the wheel. Vanna discovered the wheel is much heavier than it looks. She landed on $500 that became $1,500 after the usual $1,000 was added.

Vanna White's Replacements for Three Weeks

Minnie Mouse is in charge of the letters for the first week. It is Mickey Mouse's job the second week. Minnie did not walk to the letters and actually touch them on the first night of the assignment. Instead, the fictional character stood to one side and simply pointed to the correct letters. Having Minnie and Mickey host the game show was so appropriate because the episodes were being filmed during the Disney Week.

There will be a mystery replacement for Vanna during her third week of hosting. The surprise will not be revealed until the person appears.

About Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin that debuted in 1975. More than 7,000 episodes have aired over the years.

The show’s basic format has not changed much since it first began. In 1997, the board went digital. White’s easy job got easier when she no longer turns the letters. Instead, she gently touches them. Sometimes slight changes are made for the show, but the main goal is for three contestants to solve puzzles based on a certain themes.

Vanna White's Time on the Game Show

White moved from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Los Angeles when she was 25 with a desire to become a model. She turned out to be a model but not in the way she expected. She had only $1,000 at the time. Thirty-seven years later, her net worth is estimated to be about $50 million.

Since December 13, 1982, Vanna White has walked back and forth from one end of the letter board to the other. It is estimated that she has walked more than 2,000 miles and touched thousands letters of the alphabet, including consonants and vowels. She is always excited when a contestant wins. She holds the record for being the most frequent clapper, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. When she received the honor in May 2013, she had clapped more than 3.4 million times. That number is much higher now than it was six years ago.

Vanna has job security because she and Pat have a contract to continue on Wheel of Fortune through 2022.

Pat Sajak's Time on the Game Show

Sajak has been hosting the show for 35 years. This is the only time he needed a replacement. To prank viewers on April Fools’ Day in 1997, Pat hosted Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune. Back in 1996, Pat and Vanna switched places for only one round because Pat had laryngitis. This is the first time Vanna has been in charge of an entire episode. So far, she is doing a fantastic job.

In real time, Pat is well and back in the studio in his hosting role, and Vanna is back at the letter board. What we see on television are shows that were taped four weeks ago.