8 Surprising Facts About ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ To Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary
Wheel of Fortune premiered 50 years ago today, on Jan. 6, 1975, and viewers have been obsessed with that giant spinning wheel ever since. Originally hosted by the late Chuck Woolery with cohost Susan Stafford, the show really found its footing when Pat Sajak replaced Woolery in 1981, with Vanna White stepping in for Stafford in 1982. In their hands, the show became a phenomenon.
Some things have changed over Wheel‘s long run. The network launched a nighttime version in 1983; daytime and nighttime syndicated versions aired each day until 1991, when the daytime version was mothballed (Sajek had already left the daytime version in 1989). Sajak hosted the nighttime version until his retirement in 2024; today, Ryan Seacrest hosts beside White, who will remain on the show at least through its 2025-26 season.
But the show’s heart has never changed. Wheel of Fortune is the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States, and in some ways, the show represents the entire idea of America: Anyone can win, as long as they show up. Here are some fun facts you may not know about “America’s Game.”
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1 What was the largest prize ever won?
The largest ever prize a winner took home was $1,030,340, awarded to Autumn Erhard, an animal pharmaceuticals sales representative from California, in 2013. A close second was Michelle Loewenstein in 2008, who was the first person to ever win $1 million.
2 The wheel is heavy!
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The famous wheel on Wheel of Fortune is heavy. It weighs 2,400 pounds.
3 Pat Sajak was a prankster before Wheel
In 1981, Merv Griffin was watching the local news in Los Angeles when he noticed a Band-Aid over the weatherman’s right eye. The next time the camera cut back to the forecaster, the Band-Aid was over his left eye, which greatly amused the Wheel of Fortune creator. That weatherman was a young Pat Sajak, and his prank led to a phone call that changed his life.
> Do You Remember Pat Sajak’s Short-Lived Late-Night Show?
4 Vanna White’s neverending wardrobe
Longtime letter spinner and cohost Vanna White has almost never worn the same outfit twice (it happened once, in 2020, a regrettable mistake by her stylist). How does one choose? “I’ve worn practically everything,” says White. “I’m not picky.” Typically, a stylist brings 40 options to the studio and narrows them down to a dozen after White samples each. The fashionable former model prefers cocktail-length dresses the most. One thing that puts a dress out of the running: “If I can’t raise my arms to the top level of the letters, I can’t wear it.” While she doesn’t get to keep the clothes, she does have many rows of shoes in her dressing room. “I can’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I have — all colors and heel heights, sandals, pumps, slingbacks, rhinestones, plain, strappy,” she admits. “I do repeat the shoes.”
5 Pat and Vanna: Friends for life
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Vanna and Pat only live 5 miles apart from one another. On Sajak’s final show he said: “While I’ll very much miss working with her, I take solace in the fact that we live about 5 miles apart, so we’ll see plenty of each other.”
6 Viewers are picky about the winners
Viewers have the least tolerance for contestants who they view as “dumb,” followed by contestants who are already wealthy or too blasé over winning. Complaints flood in “whenever someone’s winnings go over $15,000,” said former show producer Nancy Jones. Audiences are happiest when the winner is “a good-looking, young, enthusiastic, smart male, married, using his winnings to buy things for his wife,” she added. But when there is a good-looking young female? “Our audience can’t stand that. We’ll get letters accusing us of giving favored contestants the answers.” Viewed even worse are middle-aged women who are accused of being “finicky” or “bossy.”
7 When Jeopardy host Alex Trebek took over
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Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek once took over hosting for a full week in the 1980s and for an April Fools’ Day prank in 1997, when he and Sajak traded gigs for a day.
8 It holds a Guinness World Record
Not only has White rocked more than 8,000 different outfits as cohost, but she also holds the Guinness World Record for the most frequent clapper on television. Record keepers estimated that she applauded more than 3.4 million times during her years on the show — and that was in 2013!
Bonus Round!
Remember when contestants had to pick their prizes in a showcase? We’ll take the Dalmatian and the rest on a gift certificate, please.
Check your local listing for when you can watch the Wheel of Fortune now with new host Ryan Seacrest.
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September 2024
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