bbc travel show wheel of fortune

'Wheel of Fortune Live' Brings America's Game Across the Country — Everything You Need to Know

What is 'Wheel of Fortune Live'? The new traveling game show experience allows fans to play the popular wheel-spinning, puzzle-solving game live.

Feb. 6 2023, Published 7:23 p.m. ET

Have you ever dreamed about being on Wheel of Fortune ? Ever have fantasies of spinning that giant wheel, guessing letters, solving word puzzles, and winning big in front of a cheering crowd? It might be easy enough for most folks to apply for an audition to be on the show itself, but a live experience aims to bring "America's game" right to your hometown. Enter Wheel of Fortune Live , a brand new traveling experience that brings the long-running game show closer to you!

It may not be quite the same as appearing on national TV, but Wheel of Fortune Live has previously toured the country to give fans the opportunity to be closer to the experience than ever in this unique game show experience. As opposed to an applicant flying out to be on the show, Wheel of Fortune Live brings the game to a local town near you. Interested in being a part of the event? Here's everything you need to know about Wheel of Fortune Live!

What is 'Wheel of Fortune Live'? Here's what you should know about how it works.

Wheel of Fortune Live first began in mid 2022. While you might mistake this for a live broadcast of the usual show, Wheel of Fortune Live is touted as a theatrical experience that travels across North America. This live spectacle goes on tour throughout various local towns where folks can have the chance to participate in America's Game. By entering the registration process, you'll be admitted into the audience and be eligible to potentially play in the game.

Of course, it wouldn't be a true Wheel of Fortune experience without some prizes up for grabs. Contestants have the chance to win up to $10,000, a trip to locations like Hawaii and Paris, and other prizes as well.

How is it different than regular 'Wheel of Fortune'?

As its own entity, the Live experience for Wheel of Fortune is noticeably different from the regular version. For instance, these games will not be broadcast for ABC or any other channel or streaming service. Famous Wheel of Fortune personalities Pat Sajak and Vanna White also don't host these shows.

However, American Idol winner Clay Aiken and Antiques Roadshow host Mark L. Walberg have previously hosted several events, with new hosts to come for 2023.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wheel of Fortune LIVE! (@wheeloffortunelive)

The official website also states that the hosts will be "familiar television and media personalities" and to check your local theater for host information.

How do you get selected for 'Wheel of Fortune Live'?

If you're interested in being a part of the action, then you can register for a chance to be selected as a contestant. According to the official FAQ, contestant registration for Live takes place three hours before the show itself starts. Registration closes at showtime, and you may be required to provide a valid ID and your birthday, depending on the venue. From there, however, your selection will be based entirely on chance, so keep your fingers crossed to see if you make the cut.

The official site doesn't have any tour dates as of this writing, but here are some scheduled events for the next few weeks:

• Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:00 p.m. at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races – Charles Town, WV.
• Wednesday, Mar. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at EF Thomas Hall in Akron, OH.
• Saturday, Nov. 4 at 8:00 p.m. at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races – Charles Town, WV.
• Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:00 p.m. at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, TX.
• Mon, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at HEB Performance Hall at Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX.

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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Hits the Road with First-Ever Live Tour (EXCLUSIVE)

By Carson Burton

Carson Burton

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“ Wheel of Fortune ” is going on its first-ever live tour. “Wheel of Fortune Live!” is set to travel across North America for a tour of over 60 dates starting on September 8, offering fans a unique experience of the massively popular game show.

The tour is produced by Right Angle Entertainment in partnership with Sony Pictures Television and UTA. Attendees will have the chance to spin a replica of the iconic “Wheel of Fortune” wheel and solve the puzzles on the tour’s puzzle-board to win prizes including $10,000, or trips to Paris and Hawaii, among others. Additionally, other audience members will be randomly selected to win cash and prizes.

“This partnership with Right Angle presents an opportunity to expand our reach to give more people a live experience as close to being on the televised show as you can get without actually being in the studio,” said Suzanne Prete, Executive Vice President, Game Shows for Sony Pictures Television. “We look forward to providing this incredible local immersive experience to people who might not otherwise make it out to Los Angeles to be on the set with Pat and Vanna.”

“Wheel of Fortune,” one of the the longest-running syndicated game shows in American television, began in 1975. The show is currently in its 39th season and is hosted by Pat Sajak , with Vanna White. The show has also spawned the primetime edition “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” on ABC.

Popular on Variety

“Partnering with Sony to take America’s Game on the road for the first time is an honor for Right Angle,” Justin Sudds, Right Angle Entertainment co-Founder, said. “This game has a fan base that spans generations and we can’t wait to bring it to theaters across North America giving fans the chance to live the dream of spinning the Wheel and winning big live on stage!”

Tickets for the live show start at $29.50. Pre-sale begins May 17 at 12 p.m. PT, and general sale opens on May 20 at 10 a.m. local time. VIP Packages will offer fans early access, premiere seats, pre-show lounge access and photo opportunities to spin the wheel. For tickets and more information, including a full list of locations, visit  www.WheelofFortuneLive.com .

The show will begin in Owensboro, Ky. on Thursday, September 8. Hosts for the tour will be announced in the coming weeks, as will 2023 tour dates.

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Irish star Graham Norton relishing hosting 'iconic' game show Wheel of Fortune as it returns to British screens

BY: Gerard Donaghy January 03, 2024

IRISH presenter Graham Norton has spoken of his excitement at hosting 'iconic' game show Wheel of Fortune, with the series set to return to British television this weekend.

The show has aired continuously in the US since 1975 and is one of two American game shows created by Merv Griffin being revived on ITV, with Stephen Fry fronting a new series of Jeopardy!

While some US game shows have failed to find an audience across the Atlantic, Wheel of Fortune previously enjoyed a 746-episode run on ITV before finishing in December 2001 after 13 years.

Norton believes the new series can replicate the success of the original run, given the show's 'iconic' status.

"I think even people who haven't even seen The Wheel of Fortune, think they have," said the Cork native.

"The wheel is so iconic. It's weird, it's like it's in our DNA, people are born knowing about The Wheel of Fortune."

Half skill, half luck

The new series is more akin to its American counterpart than the previous British incarnation, with the wedges on the wheel now representing cash instead of points.

Contestants will also have the opportunity to play for a cash prize of up to £50,000 on top of what they have won during the episode.

While Norton says part of the attraction is the 'serious money' on offer, he believes the show's appeal lies in its combination of skill and luck.

"That's what I like about the game play, it's half luck," he said.

"If it's all luck what's the point and if it's all skill the best person wins.

"What's good about this is the person who is best at solving the puzzle can still lose if the wheel doesn't like them, so it's a nice combination of those two things."

He added: "Over the years I have done game show pilots and they've always been new formats, there is always a moment when you are doing a new game show when you realise, 'oh, that's why this won't work'.

"With the Wheel of Fortune, it's a tried and tested formula.

"It's been running for 51 years in America so that is what gave me the confidence to say yes, the game is really strong."

Game show experience

The fortunes of five-time BAFTA TV award winner Norton have also come a long way since his first foray into game shows.

Before appearing as Father Noel Furlong in hit sitcom Father Ted on Channel 4, Norton co-hosted a risqué late-night game show on the channel, produced by the company behind Eurotrash.

"My very first job was a middle of the night, filthy version of Mr & Mrs and it was called Carnal Knowledge made by Rapido," said Norton.

"We made 27 episodes in a few days. So, I think this was the last game show I hosted.

"I've done some reality since then and I've done pilot game shows but this is the first big game show since then."

After Carnal Knowledge, Norton went on to host two chat shows on Channel 4 and one on Comedy Central before moving to the BBC, where The Graham Norton Show has aired since 2007.

He is also the commentator for Britain's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest, replacing fellow Irishman Terry Wogan in 2009.

Wheel of Fortune returns to ITV1 and ITVX this Saturday at 6pm for an eight-episode run and will include two celebrity specials.

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What’s the Best ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Strategy? Play and Find Out.

By Ben Blatt Produced by Ben Blatt, Aatish Bhatia , Francesca Paris and Rumsey Taylor Dec. 8, 2023

Ben Blatt analyzed over 6,000 bonus-round puzzles from “Wheel of Fortune.” He has also written about strategy on “The Price Is Right” and “Jeopardy!”

For 40 years, contestants on “Wheel of Fortune,” the TV game show staple, have hoped to reach the final puzzle, called the bonus round. A correct guess can mean a new car, $40,000 or even $1 million.

Pat Sajak, who will retire as host after this season, has also remained a constant for four decades, as has Vanna White, the show’s co-host.

But the strategy of the bonus round is still evolving. To understand how, we’d like your help.

Will you play a few bonus rounds?

Great first, we’ll reveal the category of a bonus-round puzzle., then we’ll reveal r, s, t, l, n and e …, … and a few bonus letters, just like in the show. (to keep it simple, we’ll pick them for you.), then you’ll have 10 seconds to indicate if you know it — no typing required., you can begin in 3 …, you can begin in 2 …, you can begin in 1 ….

That’s it! Now we’ll give you five more (you can quit anytime). Tap “Next” to continue.

I don’t want to play

Round 1 of 6

We’d like you to play a simpler version of the game.

Now that you’ve seen the bonus round, it’s time for your prize: data-driven strategic insights.

Based on the results from our little experiment and thousands of real bonus-round puzzles, we’ve found some trends that we hope will give you a leg up if you ever find yourself on the soundstage — or just a sense of superiority when you’re watching at home.

‘Wheel’ Tip No. 1

Every extra letter makes a difference. yes, it’s obvious, but it’s also the biggest factor in winning..

If you watch the show today, you know the bonus round’s basic rules. A contestant faces a blank set of tiles and has to guess a hidden word or phrase. The player is given the letters R, S, T, L, N and E and is invited to guess three additional consonants and a vowel before the attempt to solve.

You can have a good guess, or a bad one, as we’ll see. But luck plays a role, too, in determining whether it will be a cinch, as with FROZEN W_FFLES, or something more head-scratching, like _L__N_ __ (You can press here to reveal that one.)

Lucky or unlucky, the best predictor of contestants’ success is simply how many letters their guesses reveal.

This chart shows just how strong that relationship is:

Bonus-round success rate, by how many letters are revealed

Naturally, this means that contestants hoping to win it all should aim to reveal as many letters as possible. And the biggest advantage available — more valuable than any particular combination of letters that a contestant might select — is the “Wild Card.”

This mini prize, which contestants can win during the normal course of the show, is worth one additional consonant in the bonus round, if they eventually make it there. This extra chance to reveal more letters increases a contestant’s chance of winning by about six percentage points, to 43 percent from 37 percent.

If you played our mini game, you also participated in a version of this. Everyone solved a similar set of puzzles, but some of you had more letters revealed than others, including some who received the equivalent of a bonus letter.

Playing our game is obviously not the same as being on the show, and in our simulation we assumed you were correct when you told us you knew the answer. But the relationship held here, too.

Unfortunately, contestants have little control over whether they win a Wild Card (it requires a lucky spin of the wheel). So what can they do with the control they do have?

Know that the best letters to pick can change over time. The producers, like contestants, are part of the show.

The bonus round of “Wheel” is not a single-player game but a multi-player one: Your opponent is not the other contestants, but the producers behind the puzzle. And they are reacting to trends in the game, just as you might be.

Over 40 seasons of the show, the most popular four-letter combination chosen by contestants in the bonus round has been C, D, M and A. That is a perfectly good guess — the letters are relatively common in English, and in bonus-round puzzles.

But in 2015, Christopher Ingraham of The Washington Post dug through the data and found that a different combination of letters — GHPO — would have yielded a higher success rate than CDMA.

Contestants quickly took note. Before Mr. Ingraham’s article was published, almost no one used GHPO. In the season after his article, more than 10 percent of contestants did, suddenly making it the most popular letter combination.

Percent of contestants who guess GHPO

Our data suggests Mr. Ingraham’s recommendation has held up: GHPO remains an excellent guess, slightly outperforming CDMA and other combinations of letters in recent years.

But what was once a more clear advantage has declined. Before Mr. Ingraham’s article was published, picking GHPO gave contestants significantly better odds of revealing more letters than picking CDMA. Last season, picking GHPO would have given contestants no edge over CDMA, on average.

Percent of bonus-round letters revealed by …

The erosion of this advantage could just be random. But it’s quite possible that “Wheel” producers read Mr. Ingraham’s article and changed their solutions accordingly.

In fact, the contestants and the producers have been circling one another from the beginning. In early seasons, contestants were not given any free letters and were instead allowed to select five consonants and a vowel. Most picked R, S, T, L, N and E, which are some of the most common letters in English, revealing about half of the letters on average.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White in the 1980s. They’re still there.

ABC, via Everett Collection

When the show switched its rules — giving everyone RSTLNE and inviting contestants to pick additional letters — it also changed the puzzles it gave contestants. “Wheel” watchers know that bonus-round puzzles now de-emphasize those common letters, forcing contestants to try to make up the difference with their additional selections.

Percent of letters revealed in the bonus round, by season

The net effect of all this basically left the success rate … unchanged. On average, about half of the letters are revealed before the timer starts.

Even if there’s no one best choice, some letters are safer bets than others. Pick from among established letter combinations, even if they aren’t GHPO.

There have been well over 600 different letter combinations picked in the show’s history. It’s certainly possible to solve with a unique choice — only one person has ever guessed VFZO, for example, and it led to a successful solve of VALIANT EFFORT. But there are safer options available, and we recommend sticking to them.

While GHPO would have hypothetically revealed more letters on average than any other combination of letters, the difference between the best and next best is almost negligible. Other combinations, particularly those that include at least G and H, would have been within a single percentage point:

Average percent of puzzle revealed by the best letter selections (and CDMA)

That said, if we study only the letter combinations that contestants actually picked on the show, it can be hard to compare how well different letter strategies translate to winning. Even 6,000 bonus rounds is not quite enough puzzles to say with certainty which letter combination is best, because most puzzles appeared on TV only once, with one letter combination selected by one contestant.

In our simplified bonus round, we had you and other readers test letter strength a bit more systematically. For some of the puzzles, readers were randomly given CDMA, GHPO or JXZI as bonus letters. The results of that experiment are below.

Reader solve rate with different letter combinations

The results so far give us even more confidence to recommend GHPO as the optimal choice for bonus-round contestants.

Choose your category wisely. It’s probably the most important pick you can make.

OK, so you can’t guarantee a Wild Card, and there’s no particular letter combination that stands leagues above the rest. But there is one clear difference-maker.

Starting in Season 35, the show began to offer contestants a choice of the category the bonus puzzle would be drawn from. It’s now one of the best opportunities to give yourself a boost.

Our recommendation: If you have the option, always choose “Phrase” over “Thing” (or its plural counterpart, “Things”). These are the two most common bonus-round categories, and while each has come up close to 1,000 times in the last 20 years, players have won “Phrase” 40 percent of the time but “Thing” only 33 percent of the time.

Percent of bonus rounds won by category

This strategy is far from a guarantee. Consider a challenging “Phrase” puzzle from last year, THAT WAS A PIVOTAL FACTOR, which tripped up the contestant, Cesar Redaja, and denied him a $100,000 prize. But on the whole, “Phrase” is the category that will give you a fighting chance. (Other categories, like “Food & Drink,” have slightly higher win rates, but they are uncommon.)

Don’t expect the puzzles to make sense. Forty seasons have pushed producers toward stranger and stranger constructions.

Even without reading through all the archival recaps on “Wheel of Fortune” forums (as we have!), you may have noticed that the bonus-round puzzles have changed in other ways.

Back in Season 15, for example, more than half of all bonus puzzles were one word, with solutions like PIANO, WHALE and BRAIN. Last season, only 2 percent of answers were, including SOCIALIZING, IMPROVISING, AUDITIONS and YOUTUBER.

Today, bonus-round puzzles are about as long as they’ve ever been; typical ones are about 15 letters, almost twice as long as those 20 years ago.

And the answers themselves are getting, well, weirder. While THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX (Season 22) is a common saying, puzzles in recent years have been much more distinct, with constructions like A BOX OF GOODIES (Season 36) or WOODEN FLOWER BOXES (Season 37).

One puzzle from Season 36, YUMMY FIGS AND OLIVES, is so obscure that, before publication of this article, a Google search for the exact phrase turned up only results referring to the “Wheel” episode it appeared on.

Google search results aren’t a perfect reflection of how common a phrase is, but they can give a rough estimate for how often something has been written or said. HUNGRY JACKAL from Season 39 has less than 10,000 results, while BODY LANGUAGE from Season 23 has tens of millions .

Using this measure, it’s clear how obscure the show’s puzzle constructions have become.

Median number of Google search results for bonus-round solutions

Includes two-word solutions only

On the show, unusual phrases were harder for contestants to solve than more common ones, but the other factors — the puzzles’ specific length, the letters revealed — made it hard to make more definitive conclusions.

Our experiment adds some additional clarity to this relationship. Everyone who played got one very obscure puzzle and one very common-sounding one. On average, more common-sounding puzzles were more likely to be solved by Times readers, too.

If there are a few words to memorize, these are the ones. The show’s producers love them.

There may be little you can do as a contestant to combat the show’s increasingly uncommon word combinations. The best general advice we can offer is not to be afraid to blurt out a solution even if it seems like an unfamiliar string of words.

A passing familiarity with previous answers might also help. Last season eight of the 200 puzzles had been used before. And certain words are also used more than you’d expect. Between Seasons 35 and 40, KOALA appeared in the bonus round five times (FLUFFY KOALA, WOMBATS AND KOALAS, BABY KOALAS, YOUNG KOALA, CUDDLY KOALA).

Other patterns are also curious. Double letters (other than the letters in RSTLNE) appear in bonus-round puzzles about 2.5 times as often as they do in standard English . Words like FLUFFY, PUFFY, BUFFALO and BLUFF all contribute to the appearance of “FF” three times as often as usual. Contestants are slightly less likely to solve puzzles with double letters, so it’s a good idea to keep them in mind.

Below is an assortment of words that not only have been used as part of bonus-round clues multiple times, but also at a rate at least 100 times as often as they appear in standard English.

Words used 100 times as often in ‘Wheel’ bonus rounds as in standard English

The table above uses data from the show’s first 40 seasons. Already in Season 41 — since just September — several of the words above have appeared in the bonus round again , including APPETIZER, BLAZER, BLUFFING, BOUTIQUE, JUICY, HANGOUT and YAMS. So have other double-F words like DIFFICULT, FLUFFY, OFF, OFFICE, OFFBEAT and SPIFFY.

Don’t forget to win the game first. Only one player reaches the bonus round!

For possible future contestants reading this, remember that all these trends and tips have a chance of helping you only if you manage to make it out of the first 20 minutes of the game and into the bonus round.

For the rest of us, we can play the bonus round from home five nights a week. And millions still do: “Wheel of Fortune” remains one of the most-watched nonsports programs in television, which will probably continue after Ryan Seacrest takes over for Mr. Sajak next season.

The show also posts its daily bonus-round puzzles on YouTube . So you can watch a few more puzzles (don’t blame the contestants for being nervous), and let us know in the comments if our tips helped.

_EST _F L_C_!

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All About America’s Game®

Learn more about the folks who keep the Wheel spinning .

Vanna White

Jim Thornton

Pat Sajak has been the host of Wheel of Fortune since 1981, when the show aired on network daytime television. The top-ranked syndicated version made its debut in 1983, and in 2021, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premiered in primetime on ABC.

In a career spanning five decades, Pat has earned three Emmy ® Awards, a People’s Choice Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2011, he was presented with a Daytime Emmy ® Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I was very lucky in that I always knew that I wanted to be in broadcasting,” says Sajak.  “My early heroes were people like Arthur Godfrey, Dave Garroway, Steve Allen and, especially, Jack Paar. They helped shape what a television personality was, paving the way for so many others.”

Sajak was born and raised in Chicago, where he broke into broadcasting as a newscaster and announcer at a small radio station.  He joined the Army in 1968 and was sent to Vietnam where he joined Armed Forces Radio in Saigon where he began his daily show shouting, “Good morning, Vietnam!”

Following his discharge, Sajak spent a year at another small radio station in Murray, Kentucky, and then moved to Nashville, where he spent five years at WSM-TV as a staff announcer, talk show host and weatherman. It was in that latter role where he was spotted by a talent scout for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles and, in 1977, he joined that station as its primary weatherman.

Four years later, he was chosen by Wheel of Fortune ’s creator, Merv Griffin, to assume hosting duties on the NBC daytime edition of the show. “The nice thing about working in local TV in LA,” said Sajak, “is that decision makers are watching you every night.” Merv Griffin’s decision has paid off for more than 40 years.

Vanna White is the co-host of Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune .

Since her debut on the daytime version of Wheel of Fortune in 1982, Vanna has appeared in varieties of the show that have aired in every daypart. She has starred in more than 7,500 episodes of America’s Game ® , revealing letters on the iconic puzzleboard, cheering on contestants, and dazzling in a new outfit every night. In 2019, Vanna stepped into the host position for three weeks of shows while Pat Sajak was recovering from emergency surgery.

For her work at the iconic puzzleboard, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Vanna with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2006. In April 2018, Vanna was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, along with H ost Pat Sajak, former Executive Producer Harry Friedman and Wheel of Fortune itself. She is also the godmother of Carnival’s newest ship, The Panorama, and christened the ship in December of 2019.

In 2021, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune debuted in primetime on ABC and will kick off its third season in September.

With her success, Vanna has given back to those in need. Combining her passions for crocheting and helping children, she launched her own line of yarn called “Vanna’s Choice,” from which a portion of the proceeds are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. To date, Vanna has donated over $2 million through “Vanna’s Choice” sales. She also lends her support to other causes wherever she can. She has worked on projects for American Cancer Society, Rebuilding Together, Feeding America, Los Angeles Food Bank, American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen Foundation and Verizon Wireless’s literacy campaign, among others.

White grew up in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. After attending the Atlanta School of Fashion Design and becoming one of the area’s top models, she moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to pursue an acting career when she caught the eye of Merv Griffin and was selected to succeed Susan Stafford as the Co-Host of Wheel of Fortune .

When she isn’t on television, Vanna enjoys spending time with her family which include her longtime boyfriend, John, and her two children, Nicholas and Giovanna.

Jim Thornton is the announcer for Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune . Since his start with the show in 2011, Thornton has become a popular figure among fans, especially on the game show’s social media platforms.

One of the most popular and distinctive voices in Southern California, Thornton has been a part of KNX 1070 Newsradio since 1985. He began by providing traffic reports through the syndicated service, “Metro Traffic.” He later became a full-time morning traffic anchor for both KNX and CBS2 News, and in 2005, was promoted to afternoon drive news co-anchor on KNX. Thornton can still be heard there weekdays when he’s not taping at Wheel of Fortune .  He can also be seen hosting pledge drives for Southern California’s venerable public television station KCET and as a NODcaster ™ for Now On Deck ™ , a site that connects fans with their favorite personalities to provide personalized messages.

In his hometown of Huntington, W. Va., Thornton began his broadcast career in 1983 at WOWK-TV while attending Marshall University. A year later, he moved to California and by 1989, he had his own morning show on Magic 94.3 FM in the San Fernando Valley. In 1992, Thornton became a “Hot Country” disc jockey for Westwood One Radio Networks, hosting a live music broadcast from coast to coast. From 1995 to 1999, he was the voice of Channel 13, KCOP-TV, in Los Angeles.

Over the course of his career, Thornton has received numerous broadcasting awards including the Edward R. Murrow award, Golden Mike awards and an Emmy.  He also lent his voice to the 2011 Oscar-Nominated Short Animated Film, “Let’s Pollute.”

Viewers may also recognize Thornton’s voice from his diverse body of voiceover work including: Disney’s “Monsters, Inc.” movie, theme park ride and Disney on Ice show; television shows: “Celebrity Deathmatch,” “The Soup,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Rugrats” and “The Drew Carey Show;” national TV and radio campaigns for: Cricket Wireless, Sonic Drive-in, Domino’s Pizza, Bacardi, Budweiser, Kellogg’s Cereal, Intel and Kraft Lunchables; and video games: “Boom Blox 2,” “Wall-E,” “Finding Nemo,” “Cars” and “Mafia II.”

Thornton lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Sue, and their son, Sam. He and Sam are both Advanced Open Water SCUBA divers, and the entire family supports JDRF ever since Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Bellamie Blackstone

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Steve Schwartz

Genna Gintzig

SUPERVISING PRODUCER

Amanda Stern

CONSULTING PRODUCER

Directed by.

Alex Van Wagner

COORDINATING PRODUCER

Line producer.

Randy Berke

SEGMENT DIRECTOR

L. David Irete

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Patrick O'Brien

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Renee Hoss-Johnson

Brooke Eaton

SENIOR CONTESTANT PRODUCERS

Shannon Bobillo Aaron Simnowitz

CONTESTANT PRODUCER

Alexandra Reeves

SENIOR SEGMENT PRODUCER

Stacy Thapthimthong

SEGMENT PRODUCER

Games producer.

Holly Carter

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS PRODUCER

Executive director, marketing & digital media.

Annette Dimatos Schwartz

DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA

Mike Dennis

HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCT & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Eesha Dhanraj

CONTESTANT MANAGER

Lauren Harchut

CONTESTANT ASSOCIATES

Felicia Tassone Richard Via Ashlee Bennet

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Sarah Senensieb

SENIOR PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Jason Seals

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Adam McKinney

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Alexander Angeles

DIRECTOR, MARKETING

Darcy Altwarg Hornbeek

SET DESIGNER

Jody Vaclav

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CLEARANCE & LICENSING

Shelley Ballance Ellis

CLEARANCE SUPERVISOR

Jennifer Haugland

MUSIC SUPERVISOR

Sean Sasahara

CLEARANCE MANAGER

Joseph Somerville

SENIOR CLEARANCE & LICENSING MANAGER

Shannon White Lee

SENIOR CLEARANCE & LICENSING COORDINATOR

Monique Diaz

CLEARANCE & LICENSING COORDINATOR

Julie Knapp

ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Nayeli Pineda

ASSISTANT TO THE CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/OFFICE MANAGER

Candace Kravitz

ASSISTANT TO THE SUPERVISING PRODUCER

Jennifer Berke

STAGE OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR

Debbie Williams

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS

Krista Ostensen Osche

Manager, Communications

Christopher Orenic

ASSISTANT, COMMUNICATIONS

Cassandra Flores

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS MANAGER

Abigail LaPine

PRODUCTION STAFF

Rita Armenta Bob Guzzi Christy Myers Spencer Rose Lisa Dobson

SENIOR PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT

Steve Simpson

ACCOUNTING ASSISTANTS

Maria Angeles Michelle E. Buckhoff Kayla Gibbon

SET DECORATORS

Heather DeCristo Shaun Page

Tad Nelson Doug Dubois

Brittany Spaulding Regina Rodriguez Nicolette Michailov Renée Ferruggia

Barbi Fonte Miguel Andrisani Sandy Reimer-Goodman Farah Bunch Zina Green

Kathi Nishimoto Artemis Jafari Jacqueline Wlodarcyk

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Brian McElroy Greg Padilla

BEST BOY ELECTRIC

Vincent Kelly Sylvester Stewart

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William McLachlan

LIGHTING TECHNICIAN

Fingers Hourihan

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Lucinda Owens Margolis

PRODUCTION ENGINEER

Charlie Gertner Birkir Brimdal Travis Johnson

AUDIO MIXER

Cole Coonce

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John Powell

Barbara Hagan Mitch Trueg Sharron Sanchez J.P. Elmore

Gary Taillon

Jeff Wilkins Ray Reynolds Ray Gonzales Michael Corwin Steve Simmons Sketch Pasinski

VIDEO UTILITY

Tino Marquez Jeff Klimuck Taylor Fickle

VIDEOTAPE OPERATORS

Dean Reber Stan Thomas

VIDEO WALL TECHNICIANS

Dan Ellis Keith McPeters

POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Kelli Cardona

POST PRODUCTION

Pete Parise Keith Fernandes Tracey Glynn Ramin Taheri Jason Cardona Keith LaMasney David Sowell Michael Vondras Jared Rushanan Lexie Newell

ELECTRONIC GRAPHICS

Michele Lee Hampton

HEAD ELECTRONICS

Electronics.

Charlie Monk

Jeremy Gomez Timothy Wolf

PROPERTY MASTER

Jeff Schwartz

Ricky Martinez Brian Van Zandt Dino Portolli

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Kelli Michna-Hyatt

CRAFT SERVICE

Carmen Zuniga Kristen Hopkins

Merv Griffin and John Hoke

ORIGINAL MUSIC PRODUCTION

Bleeding Fingers Music

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Carol Kaelson

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Jimmy McGuire

Wheel in Pictures

In the studio, backstage and on location, see it here!

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Here's What The Very First Episode Of Wheel Of Fortune Was Like

In 2019, the game show Wheel of Fortune celebrated its 7,000 episodes on the air (via USA Today ) and its host Pat Sajak earned a Guinness World Record for the longest career of a game-show host for the same show. First airing in January 1975,  Wheel of Fortune  has become a staple of television, with the opening audience cheer of "WHEEL ... OF ... FORTUNE!" and phrases like "I'd like to buy a vowel" becoming instantly recognizable parts of the American lexicon. 

Wheel of Fortune is the brainchild of media mogul Merv Griffin. In Griffin's 2003 autobiography  Merv: Making the Good Life Last,  via  Ultimate Classic Rock , Griffin wrote he wanted to create a gameshow based on the word-guessing game Hangman, but needed some kind of hook to sell it. It was Griffin's time at the Las Vegas casino Caesars Palace that gave him the idea of using a wheel. Griffin wrote that "it was always the big spinning wheel" of the roulette table that he was drawn to, even though he never did very well with the game. He pitched the idea to NBC and soon, network history was made.

But you might be surprised at how differently this iconic game show   first   looked and played compared to what we see today. There were prizes to be won, there was a wheel, there were contestants, and there were hosts. Beyond that, the very first episode of the show was very  different. So different, in fact, it didn't even have the same name.

The very first episode of Wheel of Fortune wasn't Wheel of Fortune

The most obvious difference you'll notice upon watching any clips you can find of the original  Wheel of Fortune   pilot is that, well — you might actually find yourself thinking you made a mistake, because it's not even called Wheel of Fortune . In his autobiography, Merv Griffin said when NBC greenlit his pitch, they suggested he add a shopping element to the game. So, rather than Wheel of Fortune , the 1975 pilot was called Shopper's Bazaar .

Rather than contestants winning money and then choosing prizes to purchase, all the players chose in the beginning which items they would be playing for. Also, unlike the roulette wheels that inspired Griffin's hook, the wheel was mounted vertically. Players didn't spin the wheel themselves — instead, it would spin on its own. Since the contestants couldn't stand in front of the wheel like they do now, they simply stood near one of the valuable prizes they've claimed as their goal, whether that meant hanging out with the model wearing the expensive necklace they hoped to take home or chilling out near what they hoped to be their future Pontiac Firebird. The display featuring the mystery words was much smaller and a lot less flashier, and the words were uncovered by someone off-camera, rather than by a letter-turning host.  

Furthermore, while it may seem impossible to separate  Wheel of Fortune  from Pat Sajak and Vanna White, the pair were nowhere to be found in that pilot episode. Instead, Shopper's Bazaar  was hosted by Chuck Woolery. 

It's worth noting that there was also a game show called Wheel of Fortune  which first aired in 1952, named after Kay Starr's pop hit. But while the 1952 program's title would eventually be lifted to replace Shopper's Bazaar , the concept for the earlier game show was not at all similar to the one we know today — aside from the fact that it also involved a wheel, of course.

The Truth About Winning A Trip On Wheel Of Fortune

A lot of us would love the chance to compete on the legendary game show Wheel of Fortune , and winning lots of cash or an awesome trip would really be the icing on the cake. After all, walking away from the experience with winnings is the object of the game, but what if winning Wheel of Fortune wasn't everything it seemed.

For starters, just doing well on the show is a bit of a challenge. It's one thing to be able to shout out all the answers from the comfort of your favorite chair at home, but actually doing so on live TV is a whole other beast. Former executive producer Harry Friedman told San Francisco's  ABC7  that half the battle includes being the type of person who already likes to solve problems and puzzles.

Host Pat Sajak added that success on the show really rests with a contestant's approach. "The trick is just treat it as a fun experience ... it doesn't hurt to watch a show occasionally because there are strategies involved." And so if one can do all that, and actually win cash, a car, or a trip, what of the victor's spoils. How much do winning contestants get to actually keep?

Wheel of Fortune winnings are taxed

Many of the prizes on Wheel of Fortune seem almost too good to be true. Contestants regularly win enormous sums of money, expensive cars, and trips around the world. It turns out that there is a reason the prizes might feel unrealistic: winners end up paying taxes on everything they take home from their TV experience.

When you win big on the show, the IRS treats the price tag of your winnings just like income: You're taxed in a big way. CinemaBlend explored the case of Wheel of Fortune winner Matt McMahan, who walked away with over $16,000 in cash and two trips worth more than $15,000. The show does allow winners to find less expensive versions of their trips to avoid a higher tax hit. McMahan took this option, ending up with trips for $10,000.

Once the taxes were paid out, McMahan estimates he walked away from Wheel of Fortune with about $6,000 out of over $30,000 in prizes. It really makes you think. When speaking to MarketWatch , he did say that the trips were worth it, saying that even with all the strings attached, "experiences are worth more than money right now."

Wheel of Fortune UK: release date, what happens, interview, trailer and all about the classic gameshow reboot hosted by Graham Norton

Wheel of Fortune gets an ITV1 reboot in the UK, with Graham Norton as host.

Wheel of Fortune has been revived in the UK! More than two decades since it was last on our screens, Wheel of Fortune will now have new host Graham Norton when it hits ITV1 in 2024. 

Fans of the format, which is still going strong in the US , will remember that Wheel Of Fortune is known for its giant carnival wheel, which the contestants spin to win cash as well as trying to solve word puzzles. And the winner will walk away with a life-changing sum of money of up to £50,000. The reboot will also include two celebrity specials, where famous faces compete to win money for their chosen charity. 

"My first ever TV job was a game show on ITV, so this feels like coming full circle,’ says Graham Norton of hosting Wheel Of Fortune . "You might even call it a wheel!" 

Here’s everything you need about the new ITV1 series Wheel Of Fortune …

Wheel of Fortune release date

Wheel Of Fortune will start on ITV1, ITVX and STV on Saturday January 6 2024 at 6pm.  It's an eight-part series, which includes two celebrity specials.

Is there a Wheel of Fortune UK trailer?

Yes you can get a taste of what Graham Norton's W heel of Fortune is like in the trailer below...

What happens in Wheel of Fortune?

In Wheel of Fortun e contestants spin the huge ‘wheel of fortune’ to win a cash prize. The wheel secures a cash prize and then they pick a letter to help them solve a word puzzle. Every time they reveal a letter in the puzzle they win multiples of the cash sum locked in by the wheel. However, they could also spin a ‘lose a turn’ or a ‘bankrupt’ which could see them lose everything. Along the way, the contestants also win prizes, including a holiday, which are added to their cash pot to help them reach the bonus round. 

INTERVIEW: Graham Norton on hosting Wheel Of Fortune

Why did you decide to host Wheel of Fortune?  Graham Norton says: "It was lovely to be asked to do this. Over the years I have done gameshow pilots and they’ve always been new formats, there is always a moment when you are doing a new game show when you realise ‘oh that’s why this won’t work’. With the Wheel of Fortune it’s a tried and tested formula. It's been running for fifty-one years in America so that is what gave me the confidence to say yes, the game is really strong."

When was the last time you hosted a gameshow?  Graham says: "It must have been about thirty years ago. My very first job was a middle of the night, filthy version of Mr & Mrs and it was called Carnal Knowledge made by Rapido. We made twenty- seven episodes in a few days. So, I think this was the last gameshow I hosted. I’ve done some reality since then and I’ve done pilot game shows but this is the first big game show since then." 

Do you think people will be pleased Wheel of Fortune back in the UK?   Graham says: "I think even people who haven’t even seen The Wheel of Fortune, think they have. The wheel is so iconic. It’s weird it’s like it’s in our DNA, people are born knowing about The Wheel of Fortune."

Can you explain how it works?  Graham says: "The game is a combination of skill and luck. So, the luck is all about the wheel and what it lands on, so there is nothing you can do as a player to get better at that. There are three contestants and they spin the wheel. They each get a turn and whatever it lands on is the monetary value of the letters. Then they’ve got to solve the puzzles and the puzzles are where the skill comes in. It’s interesting the players who are good and the players who are not so good, if you keep your nerve you can kind of think ‘oh that must be i,o,n at the end of that word’. The people who don’t do well are the ones who just see blanks as they just can’t calm down to guess what it is. That’s what I like about the game play, it’s half luck. If it’s all luck what’s the point and if it’s all skill the best person wins. What’s good about this is the person who is best at solving the puzzle can still lose if the wheel doesn’t like them, so it’s a nice combination of those two things. There are two end games. One person gets the opportunity to play these games and in the game you get to choose a category out of three. One of the end games you play for a holiday and the other one you play for a really big cash prize, up to £50,000." 

How does the puzzle work?  Graham says: "It’s like hangman as you pick the letters, but it’s not as simple as that. As you play the game you discover some of the puzzles are slightly different. Some of the grids are crosswords or sometimes they are linked phrases, but the basic puzzle is like hangman. You get a clue so the clue could be ‘it’s a weekend activity’ so there will be some sort of phrase to give you a ballpark." 

How do the prizes work?  Graham says: "There are spot prizes as well. Sometimes there will be a spot prize on the wedge where the wheel lands. If the letter you choose is up there, you also get the spot prize as well as the money. It’s quite hard to leave with nothing. People will leave with nothing but it’s hard to leave with nothing. The £50,000 gets added to what they’ve already won so they can win more than £50,000. So, if you’ve got to the position where you are playing for £50,000 you’ve probably got quite a lot in the bank already. Also, on the wheel you have bankrupt wedges and lose a turn wedges. If the wheel lands on a bankruptcy wedge you only lose the money from that round. As the game goes on, the top amount on the wedges on the wheel increases but so does the number of bankrupt wedges, so it’s kind of yin and yang. It is fascinating how the wheel will have a run of ‘no I’m not playing’ and people will just keep landing on the bankrupt wedge. In the final puzzle the player doesn’t know how much money they are playing for. They can be playing for anything between £15,000 and £50,000 so it’s only after they’ve won or lost that they find out. So, it’s not too cruel, you don’t watch somebody accumulate thousands and thousands and then it all goes. Hopefully everybody has banked a bit as they go. That’s why I say it’s quite hard to leave with nothing, it’s doable but it’s hard to do that." 

Do you think you’d do well at the game?  Graham says: "It’s weird as I feel with word puzzles you either get them quite quickly or you really are just bamboozled. When you are looking at the three players you kind of know when one of them has got it (the puzzle) and they really want the wheel back as they know the answer. You feel like it’s obvious and they still get it wrong because there is kind of a snow blindness that takes over. It’s a bit like trying to parallel park when people are watching you. You are trying to do a word puzzle and people are not just looking over your shoulder there are two banks of people and cameras all watching you. I like to do a cross word but if my husband is doing it at the same time on his phone, I don’t like it."

What have the contestants been like?  Graham says: "What struck me about the contestants is they are up for a good time and they are here to have fun, but it was only when I got onto the studio floor that I realised ‘hang on this is serious money, this is big’. For the people who win they are walking away with a lot of money, that is really going to affect their lives. It’s going to be a good year for them. That was the element that I stupidly hadn’t taken into consideration before I actually met the contestants. So, we do have fun but at the end the stakes are high."

Tell us about the celebrity episodes...  Graham says: "I’m looking forward to the celebrity specials and it will be interesting to see how they play. They are playing for charities so in a way the stakes are higher because it’s a charity they support. It’s also quite exposing, you could end up looking a bit of an idiot. Also, a lot of celebrities are quite competitive so I think it will be quite cut-throat." 

What have the audiences been like when filming Wheel Of Fortune ?  Graham says: "What’s been lovely is the audience gets so into it. It’s weird as it hasn’t been on UK Television for over twenty years but it’s like the audience just knows the game. They are really into the wheel and you can tell when the audience knows the puzzle. The audiences have been great!"

A brief history of Wheel of Fortune in the UK

Based on the American format, Wheel of Fortune started in the UK in 1988, with Long Lost Families’ Nicky Campbell at the helm. He filmed eight series before he was succeeded by John Leslie. Bradley Walsh took a turn in 1997 and Paul Hendy hosted the last series in 2001. Carol Smillie, Terri Seymour and Jenny Powell were all former ‘hostesses’ who span the wheel. 

All about Wheel Of Fortune host Graham Norton 

Graham Norton hosts the award-winning chat show T he Graham Norton Show and commentates on the Eurovision Song Contest . He’s a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and had acting roles in the sitcom Father Ted, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and Absolutely Fabulous . He’s also hosted So Graham Norton and appeared on Loose Ends, Bring Me The Head of Light Entertainment and the musical competitions Over The Rainbow and I’d Do Anything . Graham is also a successful novelist. In 2024 Graham will be hosting LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland .

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I'm a huge fan of television so I really have found the perfect job, as I've been writing about TV shows, films and interviewing major television, film and sports stars for over 25 years. I'm currently TV Content Director on What's On TV, TV Times, TV and Satellite Week magazines plus Whattowatch.com. I previously worked on Woman and Woman's Own in the 1990s. Outside of work I swim every morning, support Charlton Athletic football club and get nostalgic about TV shows Cagney & Lacey, I Claudius, Dallas and Tenko. I'm totally on top of everything good coming up too.

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Wheel of Fortune lands on a cash prize for Graham Norton

Graham Norton is already thought to earn more than €2.3million for his Friday night BBC chat show and he's now found a lucrative second job with a reported ‘high-six figure’ salary over at ITV.

ITV has announced that the Corkman, 60, will be fronting a remake of the game show Wheel of Fortune. He is following in the footsteps of his BBC co-stars Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball, who have also taken jobs at ITV recently.

The comedian will host eight episodes of the game show as well as two celebrity specials and we can't wait to watch them!

ITV attempted to bring back the show last year with Alison Hammond hosting but it's understood that the pilots were not deemed strong enough to be commissioned.

Speaking of his new role, Graham said: ‘I’m beyond excited to be bringing such an iconic American show to a new British audience.

'My first ever TV job was a game show on ITV so this feels like coming full circle. You might even call it a wheel!’

Graham's BBC salary is no longer published on the list of salaries it pays its staff because The Graham Norton show is made by his own company, So Television. The BBC refuses to reveal what it pays to independent companies, saying the information ‘commercially sensitive’.

However, in May 2021 it was revealed Graham received £3.23million (€3.75million) from his business though not all of it is thought to have been profits from his work at the BBC.

While Graham is delighted with his new role, bosses at the BBC are understood to be less than impressed and frustrated that ITV keep poaching their biggest stars.

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Graham Norton returns to BBC First with a brand-new series of Wheel of Fortune, where three players must spin the wheel and correctly solve puzzles to win a possible £50,000!

Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak will retire from US show next year

• Published 13 June 2023

Long-time Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has confirmed the 41st season of the US game show will be his last.

Sajak, 76, who began hosting the show in 1981, will remain as a consultant for the programme, producers said.

In 2018, he became the longest-running host of a game show, surpassing The Price Is Right's Bob Barker.

Sajak replaced the original host, Chuck Woolery, and remained the host for more than 40 years.

In 1983, co-host Vanna White joined him for the version of the show familiar to viewers today.

"Well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last," Sajak wrote on Twitter. "It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months."

He only took a brief hiatus in 2019 after undergoing surgery for a blocked intestine.

Suzanne Prete, executive vice-president of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, said: "Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we're thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family."

Sajak won three Emmys for his role and a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The primetime staple still attracts 26 million viewers weekly, according to Sony, and over 10,000 people audition to be on the show each year.

Originally devised as a TV version of popular game "Hangman", it revolves around a spinning wheel which determines the prizes to be won by solving word puzzles.

The show has awarded over $250m (£199m) in prizes since its launch, Sony said.

Last year, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sajak hinted at an imminent change.

"Years go by fast. We're getting near the end...We're not going to do this for another 40 years," he said. "But this show will not die. It appears I may go before the show."

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Wheel of Fortune

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Series overview

The iconic game show returns as contestants once again spin to win - based on the successful global brand, the show will be hosted by BAFTA Award-winner Graham Norton and produced by Whisper North, part of the Sony Pictures Television-backed Whisper Group.

Returning for a run which includes two celebrity specials, the epic game show will once again be centred around a giant carnival wheel as the contestants spin to win for a life-changing cash prize.

In this thrilling game of skill and luck, the turn of the wheel secures a cash value before they pick a letter to help them solve the puzzle - for every correct letter they reveal in the puzzle, they win multiples of that amount.

The pressure is on as they could lose everything at a spin of a wheel which contains ‘bankrupts’ and ‘lose a turn’, and the contestants’ entire winnings could be wiped out.

In addition to cash, they can also win some impressive prizes which are added to their cash pot to help them reach the bonus round - everything is up for grabs, but only one lucky contestant will get the chance to add big money to their cash pot and see if they can take it home.

Graham Norton welcomes three new players, cleaner Fillie, business manager Craig and university graduate Becky as they spin the wheel while solving puzzles to win cash prizes.

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Ryan Seacrest is the king of juggling projects, and one of his biggest is his upcoming turn as the co-host on the next season of Wheel of Fortune , replacing Pat Sajak . 

Seacrest has already been spending some quality time with his co-host, Vanna White , getting to know some important details about the Wheel of Fortune veteran. 

"She's incredible. It's been so much fun," Seacrest tells ET's Denny Directo of White at Monday night's live American Idol taping . "I was with her a few days ago, so I know how she likes her coffee. I know she uses a Mr. Coffee machine. I know some of her favorite music." 

And while Seacrest is familiarizing himself with White's off-camera routine, he expects to get to know the TV legend even more once the cameras are rolling. 

"We're gonna get a chance to know each other on camera," he shares. "But we met over 10 years ago, so it's gonna be fun."

Now that Sajak, who announced his retirement in June 2023, has filmed his last episode, Seacrest is gearing up to make his Wheel debut. 

"As soon as I finish this season [of American Idol ], we're gonna start taping for next fall," he reveals. 

Seacrest, who has served as a host on Idol since it began in 2002, thinks that he has particularly strong bond with the current judges. 

"We have this amazing relationship, all of us," he says of himself and judges Katy Perry , Lionel Richie  and Luke Bryan . "It's a pretty special thing on a big show with everybody running in big different directions to get together and have that family vibe." 

Seacrest adds of Perry's impending exit from the music competition at the end of this season, "We're gonna miss her. It's not gonna be the same without her, but she's asked to keep the seat warm."

Sajak announced his retirement last summer calling the experience a "wild ride." Seacrest was named as his replacement shortly after. 

"I'm truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in part at the time. "I can say, along with the rest of America, that it's been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them."

White confirmed  she'd be staying on in her role shortly thereafter, much to Seacrest's delight.

"I'm so excited! She's beloved, by this nation, she is just such an important part of the show. She has been for so many years," the media personality  told ET  in September. "I'm honored to be on stage with her soon."

White also made a cameo on Idol last week, helping Seacrest announce some of the finalists. 

New episodes of American Idol air Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu. 

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‘Wheel of Fortune’: Ryan Seacrest Is Awestruck on Set With Vanna White in New Promo (VIDEO)

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As legendary host Pat Sajak prepares to retire in two months, Ryan Seacrest has stepped onto the Wheel of Fortune stage for the first time in a brand-new promo spot.

The 10-second ad aired on ABC on Monday night (April 8) during an episode of American Idol , which featured a cameo appearance from long-time Wheel letter-turner Vanna White .

White is also featured in the new promo alongside a suited Seacrest, who looks in awe as he takes in the game show set for the first time.

“Wow!” the Idol host says as he walks alongside the iconic wheel.

White then flips over a puzzle that spells out Seacrest’s name. “Looks like you’re ready Ryan,” she says.

“Ryan Seacrest joins Vanna White this fall on Wheel of Fortune, ” the voiceover adds. “New host, same place.”

Sajak, who has been lead host since 1981 when he took over from former host Chuck Woolery , announced his retirement last year. His final episode, which was recorded on April 5, will air on Friday, June 7.

“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak tweeted at the time . “It’s been a wonderful ride.”

Did 'Wheel of Fortune' Just Serve Up Its Worst Episode Ever?

Seacrest will officially take over for Season 42, which is scheduled to premiere in September 2024. White is set to remain on as his co-host.

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in a statement last June when he was announced as the new Wheel host.

“I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them,” he added.

“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition,” Seacrest concluded.

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Iconic ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host tapes last episode: When to tune in for the final goodbye

• Published: Apr. 09, 2024, 12:43 p.m.

Vanna White and Pat Sajak. Sajak tapes last episode of "Wheel of Fortune" AP

• EmilyAnn Jackman | [email protected]

After more than four decades, Pat Sajak recently spun the wheel for his final time.

The “Wheel of Fortune” host officially taped his last episode on Friday, April 5.

Now, longtime fans will get to bid the iconic TV host farewell when the Season 41 finale airs on June 7, TVLine reported.

As previously reported , the 77-year-old announced his retirement and his exit from the show on social media back in June of last year.

“Well, the time has come,” Sajak wrote in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!).”

In response to Sajak’s exit news, the show’s beloved letter-turner Vanna White posted, “When we started @WheelofFortune who could have imagined we’d still be at it 41 seasons later? I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come. Cheers to you, @patsajak!”

Coming in as Sajak’s successor is “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest , who shared his gratitude on taking over such a huge role.

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in a statement posted to Instagram several months ago. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”

“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition,” he added.

“Wheel of Fortune” premiered in 1975 with Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford as the show’s hosts. It wasn’t until 1982 that Sajak and White came in and took over as co-hosts. Seacrest and White will make their on-air debut together when Season 42 premieres in the fall.

Stories by EmilyAnn Jackman

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‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Can’t Believe How the Show Chose to Prank Viewers on TV

WoF pulled an epic April Fools' Day joke, briefly replacing Pat Sajak as host live on-air!

Wheel of Fortune always has something up its sleeve, but even the biggest fans were caught off guard when one well-known Hollywood star showed up in the most unexpected manner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show — Jared Leto and Vanna White!" the announcer declared at the top of the episode.

It seems the stunt was pulled in honor of April Fools' Day, with the hit game show deciding to celebrate by pranking the audience and viewers at home. Pat soon came back and the episode resumed its regularly scheduled programming. But as People reported, there was no further mention of or explanation for the unexpected swap. Understandably, folks took to social media to share their reactions to the surprising move.

"This is the best April Fool's prank I've seen this year! 😂😍🔥," one person wrote on Instagram . "It took a minute to realize it was an April Fool’s prank. Wasn’t thinking April 1," another said. "They got me good! I thought Pat was out sick. Then remembered it's April Fools 😂," a different viewer added.

While the thrill of seeing Jared replace Pat for a few minutes had Wheel of Fortune fans excited in the moment, it also reminded folks how Pat's time as host is ending very soon.

Back in June 2023, the longtime TV personality announced he would be retiring as host after more than four decades on the job. What's more, the show revealed Ryan Seacrest will take over Pat's role starting in September 2024, with Pat becoming a consultant for Wheel of Fortune for three years.

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‘Wheel of Fortune’ viewers slam misleading ‘place’ bonus puzzle that cost contestant $100K

Another evening, another “Wheel of Fortune” snafu.

Fans have slammed the long-running game show once again as a contestant failed to guess what some viewed as a mischaracterized final puzzle on the episode that aired Wednesday night.

After Laura Young, Spencer Morris and Briantae Maddox competed for the cash prize, however, some claimed that the bonus question was not categorized properly.

Young, who was positioned to win a grand prize of $100,000 , could not come up with the right answer after all four of her letter guesses failed to appear on the board.

The final category was titled “Place,” with Young opting for the letters C, D, P and O with the show’s picks of R, S, T, L, N and E.

Host Pat Sajak — who is leaving his post as the show’s long-time emcee later this year — didn’t look too happy with her choices, appearing to roll his eyes at her answers.

With the puzzle reading “_R _ _EL ” “_ _ L _ _ _ _,” Young was unable to come up with the correct phrase before time was up.

The answer? “Gravel walkway.”

@WheelofFortune You don't know the difference between a place and a Thing!! Gravel Walkway is NOT a place. Wrong!! https://t.co/osk8CfsL14

“No way you were gonna solve that puzzle with the letters you had,” Sajak, 77, said, adding that he felt “terrible” that she missed out on the full money amount.

Young, however, walked away with $19,250 in winnings.

Some took to social media to vent about the final puzzle, saying that a “gravel walkway” was a “thing” and not a “place.”

Someone shook their head on X : “@WheelofFortune You don’t know the difference between a place and a Thing!! Gravel Walkway is NOT a place. Wrong!!”

“Just a friendly reminder that #WheelOfFortune likes to add adjectives to trick their contestants in the bonus round for added difficulty. For example, GRAVEL WALKWAY on last night’s show. ‘WALKWAY’ is the place, but Gravel is the adjective that describes the place, the walkway,” another chimed in.

One screamed : “I’ve got beef with whoever makes the final puzzles on #WheelofFortune . I’d consider gravel walkway to be a ‘thing’ and not a place. The answers have been whack this week.”

Earlier on the game show, Young and fellow contestants Morris and Maddox had issues solving a different puzzle in the “Occupation” category.

The phrase was: “Hollywood tour guide.” X users believed the puzzle was too easy to get wrong, but none of the trio got it right.

“This was a painful episode,” a viewer penned on the platform. Another interjected : “This is possibly the single worst round of #WheelOfFortune I’ve ever seen. Mind numbingly dumb.”

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Wheel of Fortune fans blast show for three hard puzzles in one episode: ‘What the hell?'

Wheel of fortune fans were livid after three confusing puzzles in one episode that left contestants and viewers stumped., wof: andre missing out on winning a mazda.

Wheel of Fortune fans are growing more and more fed up with the show’s baffling puzzles, and they’re truly angry over three confusing and difficult ones showing up in just one recent episode.

The most recent season, which is longtime host Pat Sajak ’s last, has seen fans reacting to a number of odd puzzles and b affling guesses at answers by contestants.

From puzzles which have had fans wondering about the show’s rules regarding pronunciation , to ones where fans feel phrases are made up , there has been no shortage of discussion about the show’s decisions when it comes to puzzles.

However, anger went to a fever pitch after the Monday, April 8 episode of the show, after fans took issue with not one or two, but three different puzzles during the episode.

They quickly blasted the show for the seemingly impossible scenarios.

Read more: Ryan Seacrest on the pressure to continue Pat Sajak's legacy on Wheel of Fortune

The first incident came during regular game play, with a Before and After round, with the puzzle combining two different phrases to create one full answer.

In this case, the puzzle at the end was revealed to be “Fashion Plate of Spaghetti,” and fans quickly expressed ire over the use of “Fashion Plate,” as they were unaware of what it was.

“What the h**l is a fashion plate?” one fan asked non X (formerly Twitter ).

The confusion continued during the Express Round, with an Around the House category–and the puzzle stumped the players until they finally had a correct guess–of “Whipped Body Cream.”

Thing also didn’t improve after Andre Hernandez went on to the bonus round.

During that part of the game, Andre, who had already won $15,000 during regular gameplay, guessed the letters B, W, C and O, along with the given R, S, T, L, N, and E for his “Place” puzzle.

After all the letters were on the board, it read B _ _ _ _ _ _ T _.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t have a clue, and after the 10-second time limit was up, the answer was revealed to be BUMPY PATH.

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This led to even more fury from fans, who felt that a “Bumpy Path” didn’t qualify as a place.

“A place. BUMPY PATH? That’s not a place it’s a thing. This show drieves me nuts. I guess they’re running out of real puzzles. Ugh!” one person wrote on Reddit.  

“First thing I said out loud is that’s not a place, it’s a thing! Omg! That guy should get a do over or extra prize money!” another agreed.

“They do s**t like this when they don’t want a winner that night,” another added.

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Pat Sajak replaced as 'Wheel of Fortune' host? Jared Leto steps in for April Fools' Day prank

Relax "Wheel of Fortune" fans — Jared Leto has not replaced Pat Sajak as host.

Leto gave fans an April Fools' Day start stepping out arm-in-arm with regular co-host Vanna White at the beginning of Monday's "Wheel of Fortune." It was like Leto belonged on the famed set over which Sajak has ruled for more than four decades.

The "Joker" actor even got the big-time, deep-voiced announcer introduction: "Here are the stars of our show, Jared Leto and Vanna White."

Wait, what?

Leto told White, "Have a great show and see you soon," before taking his place at host Sajak's regular game spot and just got into the "Wheel of Fortune" business.

"All right everybody, grab those devices, it's time to give away some money," Leto told the three gamely smiling contestants. "It's $1,000 in our first toss-up, the category is 'On the Map.'"

That's where the April Fools' Day joke stopped. Sajak took his rightful spot and continued the show without comments on Leto's appearance.

Sajak, 77, announced last year that he will step down after this 41st season as host of "Wheel of Fortune." Ryan Seacrest has been tapped to step in for Sajak next fall.

"Well, the time has come," he said at the time. "It's been a wonderful ride." But that SAD departure is not until June. This was pure April Fools' Day fun.

After his Monday stint, Leto featured a clip of the show on his Instagram Stories, asking "How'd I do?"

Leto already had his dream come true appearing as "the worst contestant ever" (his words) last November with his brother Shannon Leto. In the clip Leto tweeted, the actor/musician told Sajak that he used to watch "Wheel of Fortune" with his grandmother Ruby.

"How's Grandma Ruby doing?" Sajak asked.

"She's gone, Pat," Leto replied. Later in the clip promoting their band's tour, both Shannon and Jared guessed the letter "Z" for the puzzle. The answer was "30 Seconds to Mars World Tour."