Pat Sajak Vanna White Wheel Of Fortune

• Pat Sajak admitted in an interview with ESPN2 today that he was often drunk when he filmed Wheel of Fortune back in the day. Thank you, Pat, for confirming what most of us already knew in our hearts.
• Pat Sajak and Vanna White celebrated that milestone on 'Wheel of Fortune' Friday, a feat they tell USA TODAY they could never have predicted. White, 62, admits she didn't foresee 'doing the show.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White are back with a new 'Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,' featuring stars playing for their favorite charities. White said it's a first for the long-running show.

If you're playing 'Wheel of Fortune,' you have to know which letters you want to choose.

However, for a new celebrity version, three letters — namely, ABC — did the choosing.

The network adds Pat Sajak and Vanna White to its roster of primetime game-show personalities as 'Celebrity Wheel of Fortune' launches a new Thursday slate of contests. (In the others, 'The View's' Sara Haines hosts 'The Chase,' and Craig Ferguson presides over 'The Hustler.') Even with stars taking the spins, 'Wheel of Fortune' remains the familiar game that's long been a syndication powerhouse, with the celebrity players donating their winnings to charities.

The game itself always is the ultimate 'star' of 'Wheel of Fortune,' though, and Sajak said, 'That's been part of my success, recognizing that. It's not ‘The Pat Sajak Show.' I may be the most charming and delightful host in the world — and I probably am! — but if there's no game, there's nothing there. You can't get in the way of it.'

Viewers 'want to see the puzzle and solve it,' said Sajak. 'Unlike most shows like ‘Jeopardy!,' the object is not to try to solve the puzzle first; it's to try to make some money (by picking as many individual letters as possible), so it's leisurely in that sense. The player's not trying to solve it instantly.'

That should remain the case as celebrities vie to win money for the organizations they designate. With the late Alex Trebek having hosted a playoff between 'Jeopardy!' champions in a special ABC series last winter, Sajak believes that 'greased the wheel a little bit' for the 'Celebrity Wheel of Fortune' order.

'It's a tricky business,' Sajak noted. 'The one thing you don't want to start doing is to overexpose the show. In some markets, you'll have a half-hour of (the syndicated) ‘Wheel of Fortune' followed by an hour of (the ABC) ‘Wheel of Fortune,' and I don't think you can do that too often without watering it down. But for a limited run like this, I think it's fine.'

Sajak appreciates the career longevity he's had thanks largely to 'Wheel of Fortune,' which he has hosted since 1981. His popularity was reaffirmed by the fan outpouring during his absence after emergency intestinal surgery in late 2019. (White moved over and filled in as host, and Sajak's country-singer daughter Maggie was a guest letter-turner.)

How Long Has Pat Sajak And Vanna White Been Hosting Wheel Of Fortune

'What I take the greatest pride in personally,' Sajak said, 'is that it's very tough to be welcomed into a house for nearly 40 years. The fact that Vanna and I still are is the best thing I can say about it, from a talent or skill point of view.'

— Zap2It

Pat Sajak is almost an American institution of his own at this point. The Wheel of Fortune host has held his role on the show for an impressive duration — long enough to break a Guinness world record in fact. Given his tenure and the popularity of the show, that leaves some fans wondering — exactly how much do Pat Sajak and his assistant, Vanna White, earn for hosting the show?

How much does Pat Sajak earn?

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Pat Sajak has become an American game show mainstay. The host of Wheel of Fortune has even cemented his role in game show history by breaking a Guinness World Record for having the longest-running career as a game show host.

Sajak reeled in an impressive 38 years and 198 days on May 8, 2019. And the number will only go up, with Sajak slated to continue hosting the show until 2022.

So, given Sajak's lengthy tenure on Wheel of Fortune, one would imagine the host makes a pretty hefty salary — and they wouldn't be mistaken.

New free penny slots vegas world. Pat Sajak's net worth sits at around $70 million currently, according to Celebrity Net Worth. What's more, Sajak earns roughly $15 million annually. In terms of pay per work day, that results in roughly $312,500.

Sajak is known to film several episodes of the show per work day, sometimes up to six shows a day, which means the host is earning about $52,000 per episode of Wheel of Fortune. Certainly farm from anything to scoff at.

What about Vanna White?

Interestingly, Vanna White's first-ever game show appearance wasn't on Wheel of Fortune. Pat Sajak's iconic co-host first appeared on The Price is Right as a contestant.

Susan Stafford left Wheel of Fortune as co-host in 1975, which is when Vanna White had her big break. She was hired as a substitute for a short while, but soon became the regular co-host.

Vanna White has appeared on an impressive 6,000 episodes of the show — not enough to beat Pat Sajak's record, but remarkable nevertheless. For her work on the show, Vanna white earns roughly $10 million annually.

White's net worth is impressive as well, amounting to roughly $70 million. White also earns some cash off of her yarn line. The co-host is an avid knitter and crochet enthusiast, and sells her products under the label Vanna's Choice.

How much do ‘Wheel of Fortune' contestants take home?

Despite the rather impressive salaries Vanna White and Pat Sajak earn, Wheel of Fortune contestants actually take home a somewhat paltry sum. After taxes, the prizes contestants earn lose a rather hefty chunk of their value.

How Much Does Pat Sajak And Vanna White Make On Wheel Of Fortune

For example, Wheel of Fortune winner Matt McMahan earned $31,700 in cash and prizes after his stint on the show. That included $16,400 in cash, and $15,300 in trips. He chose to take two slightly less expensive trips to bolster the cash and reduce taxes, but will still only be taking home about $6,000 in actual cash.