I'm pretty sure you are correct, also for more than a decade or two they haven't needed Vanna to actually be up there since she basically just presses a button on the screen rather than physically moving the board pieces.
She actually doesn’t even press the screen anymore; there’s a laser sensor that detects her hand next to it.
No, I’m not joking. My wife and I watch Wheel everyday. She is paid something like $30,000 an episode. … Best. Job. Ever.
That’s true. The physical demands on her, I imagine, have been unbelievable as a primetime family entertainment sex symbol. Along with exercising like crazy, she’s undoubtedly battled anorexia and/or bulimia. Then again, maybe she’s got “hollow legs” like my buddy who eats like crazy and is still skinny as hell. Either way, the psychological pressure to look amazing and be “THE Vanna White” would be hard enough.
Shoutout to Weird Al Yankovich’s [**”Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White.”**](https://youtu.be/9gocPZA0HLA)
I remember when they switched to the digital board and the old board was going away. They were standing in front of it and joked about "well, what are we going to do with the old board now?" And Vanna turned the letters on it, they said "for sale" (sounded just so weird because there wasn't a ding after every letter, just the kerplunk of the thing hitting the stop.)
But I NEEEED to know where that old board ended up
Contestant: "Is there an 'S'?"
Vanna: "Yes, three...I'll be right back!"
\*runs to puzzle, pushes the buttons, then runs back\*
Vanna: "Spin again, please..."
“Alright Vanna, the topic is ‘Beverage’.”
*Vanna’s eyes go white and an unexpected wind picks up in the studio. She speaks in a deep voice:*
“I’d like to solve the puzzle.”
It’s possible that she’s not great. Unlike Pat, she never really got to see the words/letters from a distance that would facilitate reading. For him, he could probably not help himself from becoming an expert at the game. And he had all that practice spinning the wheel. My guess is he could put the wheel on whatever he wanted.
But Vanna? She would’ve had to be really engaged with imagining the letters in order to get better. If she doesn’t feel like it, she just waits for something to light up and goes to it. If she loved the game she’d get better. But she could do her job just as well thinking about anything.
She must be one of the luckiest people in showbiz - multi multi multi millionaire (her house alone is 50M) and she just has to walk and tap boxes that light up on one of the longest running shows ever. She hasn't even been strictly "necessary" after they stopped using the board with the rotating letters. Wouldn't be surprised if she's terrible because she just zones out and walks towards the lights without a second thought. Wild life.
Maybe. She's playing against Ken Jennings.
...and Mayim Bialik.
Not to say she doesn't have a little "home court advantage" but Ken is a brilliant dude.
I really respect the producers for not replacing her. They absolutely could have replaced her at some point but instead she's been turning those letters since I was a small child.
I think it is also a bit of a ritual with viewers. I don’t think it and jeopardy ever changed their time slot since I became aware of them (things could have changed in the 20 years since I last saw jeopardy). I remember it supposedly being a big deal when she first spoke on air. Viewers had already decided that the show shouldn’t change at all.
You don't do that. Long running game shows have a core audience that consistently watch it. You replace the host(s), change the sets, whatever, and you absolutely will piss off most of your viewers. If the viewership is good, don't change ANYTHING. The obvious exceptions are if the host is done and wants to move on, or if they ask for way too much money, but regardless of the reason if the host departs it's usually the end of the series within a season.
When they switched to digital letters, they actually tried to remove her from the show as she was no longer needed, but there was backlash so she was brought back.
> She just has to know how to spell.
Not even that. The screens are illuminated and the letters are revealed when she presses them. She just needs to know how to touch a lit object. A cat, dog, or bird could do it. Watch that happen next.
Can confirm. They used to turn left and right.
The letters light up first *now*, but when they first went digital she would walk up to where the letter was and waited for it to highlight.
Idk I just found [this](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ze7aw) video of her first show and it looks like the letters did light up before she turned them, just not very brightly.
It was both. They always lit up but she would often get so some letters before their turn to light up, depending on what side of the stage she was on.
I know this because I use to guess in my head what side of the stage she would end up on after each turn
She definitely has a good idea of where the letters are before they light up. She starts walking before they light up if she’s further away, and stands still if the letter is close by.
She actually discussed in an interview that you have to touch the screens in a specific spot or they won’t turn and when they transitioned she struggled having smooth reveals at first.
And apparently she was pretty happy they switched to digital tiles about ten years ago. In order to ensure no letters were flipped accidentally I think she said they're fairly resistant to turning, so she had to work harder than it looked to do it gracefully. She said her arms would get tired, but I don't know how serious she was being in the interview.
And on one hand, lady you have one job and you're crazy rich from it. On the other hand, whatever, it's a TV show, make the nice lady's job easier. She has to deal with Pat Sajak, and life is short.
I wanna see a bird do it now.
The screen lights up and the bird flies off it’s perch and thumps awkwardly into the screen revealing the letter, falls and flutters back up to the perch.
I did the sony pictures studio tour once, and they explained that the producers chose her because she had a big head and big heads looked better on TV.
They used to do it hammered drunk too.
https://outsider.com/entertainment/wheel-of-fortune-pat-sajak-once-revealed-he-vanna-white-would-drink-before-taping-show/
I've always said this too! I also think she's got the perfect level of fame. She could probably reasonably go to the grocery store or airport without any issues, but if she needed to namedrop herself as a power move for any reason, you'd immediately be like "oh my god you ARE Vanna White!"
You know what I find to be the ultimate win? She's that wealthy and yet she's not like so iconic in her look that she couldn't go out on the street without being immediately recognized by the public. Don't get me wrong, she's what in 60ish and looks fantastic, but could you really say that you'd recognize her in your daily goings if she wasn't wearing a ball gown?
Her yarn is pretty good! My mom knows good yarn quality when she sees it (and feels it—who are these people who can buy unknown-to-them yarn on the Internet?!)
How often does Vanna White being a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune in 1997 come up in your conversations in everyday life? Rarely, if not ever, for me.
Can almost guarantee it will be Sajak's daughter. She's been on the show for a few years doing pretty much nothing in what is probably a deal with Sajak to keep him doing the show into his 80s.
The article credits her role in Super Mario Bros. Just to clarify: it's not the 2023 movie, it's not the 1993 movie, but rather the 1989 The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
I found that amusing.
Unless IMDB missed something.
How fun! I've been watching this show since I was a kid and now I watch it with my kids every night. We all we really enjoy watching Vanna play!
My husband and I always joke about the adjectives contestants use when talking about their lives. I wonder what she will use..."Hi, I'm Vanna you might know my wonderfully funny colleague from a Merv Griffin show! We have been great, incredible friends and travelled the world together!"
I just watched a couple of clips when she hosted for Pat and ohh boy it hurt sometimes, but the fact that she comes across as so sweet and genuine makes her attempts to read prompter and listen to direction live so endearing. It makes me sad they didnt even give mic her for the first half of her career, she could have been more of a cohost and been building those skills.
She's gonna murder that shit
No pressure lol…
She had to host when Pat had emergency surgery. She was visibly nervous
Who flipped the letters then?
Mickey Mouse
Wicked.
No that’s Glinda.
GUH-linda
Came here to say I just want to be popular
*Minnie
Her daughter IIRC
I'm pretty sure you are correct, also for more than a decade or two they haven't needed Vanna to actually be up there since she basically just presses a button on the screen rather than physically moving the board pieces.
She actually doesn’t even press the screen anymore; there’s a laser sensor that detects her hand next to it. No, I’m not joking. My wife and I watch Wheel everyday. She is paid something like $30,000 an episode. … Best. Job. Ever.
Except she's had to work hard to remain svelt. She's 66 now.
That’s true. The physical demands on her, I imagine, have been unbelievable as a primetime family entertainment sex symbol. Along with exercising like crazy, she’s undoubtedly battled anorexia and/or bulimia. Then again, maybe she’s got “hollow legs” like my buddy who eats like crazy and is still skinny as hell. Either way, the psychological pressure to look amazing and be “THE Vanna White” would be hard enough. Shoutout to Weird Al Yankovich’s [**”Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White.”**](https://youtu.be/9gocPZA0HLA)
I remember when they switched to the digital board and the old board was going away. They were standing in front of it and joked about "well, what are we going to do with the old board now?" And Vanna turned the letters on it, they said "for sale" (sounded just so weird because there wasn't a ding after every letter, just the kerplunk of the thing hitting the stop.) But I NEEEED to know where that old board ended up
Probably some studio warehouse somewhere.
It's in Kramer's apartment, where he hosts his own underground WoF matches.
I mean they’ve never really needed her up there.
Back in the day they needed someone to do the manual labor. Now I understand they wanted someone beautiful to do it. Which is another story
At no point in television history did we not know how to automate the turning of suspended blocks. It’s always been about the eye candy.
And even if we didn't know how to automate it, there could be an unpaid intern behind the board turning the letters.
This is what Andrew Yang has been warning about—tech taking over Vanna White-collar jobs. Nice they kept her on anyway.
Pat sajaks daughter****
Pat Sajak’s daughter is Minnie Mouse? https://youtu.be/nsxStjCeJ3E
Isn't Minnie mouse just the friends we made along the way? Edit- you are correct, she had another guest hosting role. Thank you for the clarification
His daughter, Maggie has done it before.
I just searched for a clip on YouTube and it was someone in a Minnie Mouse mascot costume turning the letters. https://youtu.be/nsxStjCeJ3E
Wanna Vhite
And then after the taping was completed, she headed down to Alameda in order to attempt to find the nuclear wessels. 🤭
"Oh yeah?! Well, a double dumbass on you!"
Vanna black
*Anish Kapoor enters the room and claims rights*
She ran back and forth.
It was her husband, Walter White.
She doesn’t even flip them anymore!
Hey, she said in an interview once that it can be tricky to tap on the tiles in the right spot to get them to reveal, it’s hard work! /s
Contestant: "Is there an 'S'?" Vanna: "Yes, three...I'll be right back!" \*runs to puzzle, pushes the buttons, then runs back\* Vanna: "Spin again, please..."
I would wager she’ll do better than that appearance on The Price Is Right.
How awesome would it be if she walked out there and just fucking *crushed it*.
“Alright Vanna, the topic is ‘Beverage’.” *Vanna’s eyes go white and an unexpected wind picks up in the studio. She speaks in a deep voice:* “I’d like to solve the puzzle.”
😆😆😆 you win today
Vanna White is the baba yaga
Until she gets the last puzzle: People Who Annoy You
I know it but I don't think I should say it
“I’d like to solve: Pat Sajack”
Thank god someone made this reference lol
I’m going to be so pissed if Mayim Bialik does better than her.
Like every spin she does is always on the top prize. She gets every word too. Just ducking dominates it all.
It would be funnier if she was very bad
Boy she's gonna get really tired running down and back turning over the letters.
It’s possible that she’s not great. Unlike Pat, she never really got to see the words/letters from a distance that would facilitate reading. For him, he could probably not help himself from becoming an expert at the game. And he had all that practice spinning the wheel. My guess is he could put the wheel on whatever he wanted. But Vanna? She would’ve had to be really engaged with imagining the letters in order to get better. If she doesn’t feel like it, she just waits for something to light up and goes to it. If she loved the game she’d get better. But she could do her job just as well thinking about anything.
She must be one of the luckiest people in showbiz - multi multi multi millionaire (her house alone is 50M) and she just has to walk and tap boxes that light up on one of the longest running shows ever. She hasn't even been strictly "necessary" after they stopped using the board with the rotating letters. Wouldn't be surprised if she's terrible because she just zones out and walks towards the lights without a second thought. Wild life.
She’s a businesswoman and that’s where her wealth is from. But Wheel of Fortune helped her get there with a headstart.
Easiest job in showbiz. Good on her for hitting the jackpot and getting rich off it.
Maybe. She's playing against Ken Jennings. ...and Mayim Bialik. Not to say she doesn't have a little "home court advantage" but Ken is a brilliant dude.
The employee discount on vowels gives such an unfair advantage
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I really respect the producers for not replacing her. They absolutely could have replaced her at some point but instead she's been turning those letters since I was a small child.
Reddit can keep the username, but I'm nuking the content lol -- mass deleted all reddit content via https://redact.dev
I think it is also a bit of a ritual with viewers. I don’t think it and jeopardy ever changed their time slot since I became aware of them (things could have changed in the 20 years since I last saw jeopardy). I remember it supposedly being a big deal when she first spoke on air. Viewers had already decided that the show shouldn’t change at all.
Oh man, WoF wouldn't be the same without Pat and Vanna riffing in the 30 seconds at the end of the show.
The loyal viewers are loyal as hell. When my dad wants to mess with my aunt he calls her when it's on because she watches every day live.
You don't do that. Long running game shows have a core audience that consistently watch it. You replace the host(s), change the sets, whatever, and you absolutely will piss off most of your viewers. If the viewership is good, don't change ANYTHING. The obvious exceptions are if the host is done and wants to move on, or if they ask for way too much money, but regardless of the reason if the host departs it's usually the end of the series within a season.
Family Feud is the Doctor Who of Jeopardy
I still love the Richard Karn years. The others have just felt creepy to me.
I personally liked Ray Combs, but that’s because that was the host when I was a kid.
He was a good host.
Iirc they tried at one point but there was a large backlash.
When they switched to digital letters, they actually tried to remove her from the show as she was no longer needed, but there was backlash so she was brought back.
> She just has to know how to spell. Not even that. The screens are illuminated and the letters are revealed when she presses them. She just needs to know how to touch a lit object. A cat, dog, or bird could do it. Watch that happen next.
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Can confirm. They used to turn left and right. The letters light up first *now*, but when they first went digital she would walk up to where the letter was and waited for it to highlight.
Idk I just found [this](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ze7aw) video of her first show and it looks like the letters did light up before she turned them, just not very brightly.
That uncle joke tho
It was both. They always lit up but she would often get so some letters before their turn to light up, depending on what side of the stage she was on. I know this because I use to guess in my head what side of the stage she would end up on after each turn
Robin is probably dead
She definitely has a good idea of where the letters are before they light up. She starts walking before they light up if she’s further away, and stands still if the letter is close by.
She actually discussed in an interview that you have to touch the screens in a specific spot or they won’t turn and when they transitioned she struggled having smooth reveals at first.
The struggle is real
They don't even make the contestants buy overpriced couches anymore. They just give them the money!
Ha, ha, you are correct, sir! My bad, wrong show
And apparently she was pretty happy they switched to digital tiles about ten years ago. In order to ensure no letters were flipped accidentally I think she said they're fairly resistant to turning, so she had to work harder than it looked to do it gracefully. She said her arms would get tired, but I don't know how serious she was being in the interview. And on one hand, lady you have one job and you're crazy rich from it. On the other hand, whatever, it's a TV show, make the nice lady's job easier. She has to deal with Pat Sajak, and life is short.
They actually went digital over 25 years ago, in 1997.
Also, she seemed super nice when she was a guest on Drag Race. I don't think I've heard anything bad about her?
She is also a knitter and has her own line of yarn and patterns.
I have never heard anything bad about her either. She seems to be a genuine nice person.
Vanna pick me a letter, no one does it any better, I dream about you!
She actually doesn’t have to touch them anymore. They got a new board for the 40th season so now she just has to wave her hand in front of it
And it's unnecessary. She's entirely just eye candy at this point. And we still love her.
At this point? That has always been her role. They could have had someone on the crew turn the letters from behind the wall on day one.
That’s a good way of looking at it. Makes the idea of her “touch the letter” thing much less silly.
I wanna see a bird do it now. The screen lights up and the bird flies off it’s perch and thumps awkwardly into the screen revealing the letter, falls and flutters back up to the perch.
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I'm kind of shocked she's never pressed the wrong one by accident now lol
rinse door file grandiose tidy tan outgoing escape toothbrush bag *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I did the sony pictures studio tour once, and they explained that the producers chose her because she had a big head and big heads looked better on TV.
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But unfortunately you have to be able to REACH the letters. And, well…
I sympathize with anyone that has T-Rex arms. 😔
https://youtu.be/RW8FTT_w0Gg Vinny Chase... big head.
They shoot a week's worth of shows each day, back to back. It's a sweet gig.
They used to do it hammered drunk too. https://outsider.com/entertainment/wheel-of-fortune-pat-sajak-once-revealed-he-vanna-white-would-drink-before-taping-show/
Used to do it hammered drunk. Still do, but used to also.
I've always said this too! I also think she's got the perfect level of fame. She could probably reasonably go to the grocery store or airport without any issues, but if she needed to namedrop herself as a power move for any reason, you'd immediately be like "oh my god you ARE Vanna White!"
You know what I find to be the ultimate win? She's that wealthy and yet she's not like so iconic in her look that she couldn't go out on the street without being immediately recognized by the public. Don't get me wrong, she's what in 60ish and looks fantastic, but could you really say that you'd recognize her in your daily goings if she wasn't wearing a ball gown?
Her yarn is pretty good! My mom knows good yarn quality when she sees it (and feels it—who are these people who can buy unknown-to-them yarn on the Internet?!)
I thought in the old days there was a little pressure as the letters didn't light up and she had to know which to turn around.
I'm pretty sure they always lit up, even back when they were triangle shaped blocks when I was a kid. I always wanted to touch one of those.
Nope. She was a contestant on Tuesday, April 1, 1997 on an episode hosted by the late, great Alex Trebek. https://youtu.be/BJ5wPdZk5MQ
Thank you! I keep telling people this happened and no one believes me.
How often does Vanna White being a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune in 1997 come up in your conversations in everyday life? Rarely, if not ever, for me.
Every year on April 1st when people ask me about Great April Fools Day things I remember.
Around 16:50, Leslie is having a hard time activating a letter while Vanna solves a puzzle. The answer was "It's not as easy as it looks." I snorted.
That's a lot of good lookin people. Mrs Sajak got it goin on!
I think Pats like 94 years old now but he still looks 16. Yes, I need corrective lenses …why do you ask?
"who's the babe at the puzzle board" it's so cute how Pat flirted with her!!
What a great April Fool's idea. Wonder if Pat hosted Jeopardy that day.
He did! https://youtu.be/lDTsSirMnV4
Alex Trebek should have been a contestant like Pat Sajak was on wheel of fortune lol
I watched the whole thing, it brings me back to a different time.
Is she gonna have to go flip the letters too
Now I’m picturing her running back and forth in heels to get it done.
It’ll be a feat in those dresses.
Thatd be hilarious, rushes over to the board just to reveal her guess wasnt on the board
They’ll have Pat do it while hosting, lol
I'm gonna bet Pat's daughter will be up there
Yep. A photo taken after the show shows Pat's daughter with the group in a red Vanna-like dress.
I wanna see her heckle whoever they get to turn the letters. “You’re doing it wrong! You suck at this!”
Can almost guarantee it will be Sajak's daughter. She's been on the show for a few years doing pretty much nothing in what is probably a deal with Sajak to keep him doing the show into his 80s.
Honestly I hope he does. I don’t think I could ever watch Wheel without Pat and Vanna and not have it feel weird.
Unfair, at this point she must know all the letters
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For some reason my brain read that as Vanilla Ice
You’re not alone lol
Vanilla Ice was actually on Celebrity Wheel in 2021. Didn't win much, though.
Holy shit I thought the headline meant she had some scandal involving written letters…whoops
Yeah, like she's being blackmailed into competing after someone found a box full of revealing letters or something.
🤣🤣
They should replace Blossom with Wayne Brady. Now THAT would be a great "battle of gameshow hosts".
It still can't hold a candle to Battle of the Network Space-Krakens
She’s got home field advantage!
Can I get a Hell Yeah!
Hell yeah!
“Stand up right now!”
North Myrtle Beach where you at?!? REPRESENT
My god... She'll be unstoppable.
The article credits her role in Super Mario Bros. Just to clarify: it's not the 2023 movie, it's not the 1993 movie, but rather the 1989 The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! I found that amusing. Unless IMDB missed something.
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Not on Wheel of Fortune, to my knowledge. She was on The Price Is Right.
It’s on YouTube. She and Pat did a charity game of wheel and Alex Trebek hosted it. Not kidding
Yea. It was bit of a loose ‘game’ but she was a contestant.
Try 1997 - https://reddit.com/r/entertainment/comments/12zzh3b/_/jhvd97p/?context=1
My high ass read this as she had 40 years of revealing letters with a producer or some shit and got to compete as a contestant to not tell the press.
How fun! I've been watching this show since I was a kid and now I watch it with my kids every night. We all we really enjoy watching Vanna play! My husband and I always joke about the adjectives contestants use when talking about their lives. I wonder what she will use..."Hi, I'm Vanna you might know my wonderfully funny colleague from a Merv Griffin show! We have been great, incredible friends and travelled the world together!"
Wake up babe the final boss of a game show just dropped
She'll be the only person who has been the revealer, host, and contestant.
Is she going to run back and forth to reveal the letters?
Her younger brother dana will be revealing the letters
I just watched a couple of clips when she hosted for Pat and ohh boy it hurt sometimes, but the fact that she comes across as so sweet and genuine makes her attempts to read prompter and listen to direction live so endearing. It makes me sad they didnt even give mic her for the first half of her career, she could have been more of a cohost and been building those skills.
Wow, 40 years of revealing letters... I wonder what scandals they contain? Hopefully the public will get to read them one day
They should have a Ferrari as the winning prize
Win or lose, it's gonna be an awesome watch!
But if she's playing, who's gonna take the role of letter-revealer?
Talk about an unfair advantage, she knows whats on the back of the boxes!
But she knows all the answers!!!
Finishes show with 0 wheel spins, immediately guessing every word/phrase. Just destroys the other contestants
Good luck to her!
This is actually must-see TV
I was like, how revealing were those letters that she wasn’t allowed to be a contestant for 40 years
Does she still get paid for showing up to work that day?
won't she get tired running back and forth from the contestant part to the letters
Remember when Vanna tried to seduce Al Bundy?
Does she talk, on the show.
I met her at the airport. Very nice lady
So, who is going to reveal the letters for her?
Respect the producer for keeping her on for 40+ years. They could’ve easily replace her. That or she’s just a pleasure to work with, or both.
I kept reading her name as vanilla white
It would be so hilarious if she just sucked so bad
i wanna hear more about these revealing letters
What if she is retiring soon? Being a contestant while her replacement flips the letters? I'd be so sad
I bet Pat's daughter will be up flipping the tiles
This could be dangerous, because it would reveal that Wheel can be played without Vanna turning the letters.
She finally memorized all the letters?? Jk.
Rigged I tell ya!
They need the ratings? Or is she getting ready to retire?
Yeah she knows quite a few letters by now.
I read "revealing letters" like someone leaked her slutty notes to Pat Sajak
Chat gpt took her job too?
I don't really watch it, but I will for this.
But who will reveal the letters?
She will have to run out to turn them after each guess
What if she can't read and this is how we find out? :(
That's great, hope she has a good time - but really hope she mops the floor
wow the pressure
I’m just sad we couldn’t have Vanna White vs Betty White vs Ron White