Best game shows of all time, ranked: 'Jeopardy!,' 'Wheel of Fortune,' 'Family Feud,' more. As the weather heats up, the broadcast networks are inviting viewers to play along with a string of cool game shows, including the return of ABC's 'Celebrity Family Feud' and 'Pyramid' on June 11 at 8 and 10 p.m., respectively. Dec 10, 2019 He has been hosting Wheel of Fortune, which is the longest-running syndicated game show in the U.S., since 1982. The show taped its 7,000th episode in May of last year. Welcome to Wheel of Fortune's official YouTube page. Wheel of Fortune has been the #1 syndicated series since its inception and has earned 7 Daytime Emmy Awa.
If you tune in to Wheel of Fortune and see Vanna White chatting with the contestants and hosting the show — don't be alarmed.
The 62-year-old has been turning letters on the popular game show for more than 30 years, but in the upcoming episodes of the show, she will be filling in for host Pat Sajak.
“We’ve been together 37 years, and it’s not the same — we are a team. We’re together. It just felt weird with him not being here on the set,' she recently told ABC News. “Those three weeks without him were very hard. I really missed him. I just can’t imagine doing this show without him, you know? And I hope he feels the same with me.”
What happened to Pat Sajak?
This leaves many fans wondering what exactly happened to Pat that made him absent from the show for three full weeks.
6 Things You May Not Know About 'Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White (PHOTOS)
She has a sweet tooth and a love for animals.
On November 8, it was revealed that the gameshow host underwent emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. At the time, the upcoming Wheel of Fortune episode had to be abruptly canceled as the news was too sudden and no alternative plans had been made.
'He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work,' the official WOF Instagram page shared.
A post shared by Wheel of Fortune (@wheeloffortune) on
By November 15, Pat was released from the hospital and he's now on the road to recovery. “Getting back home has given me the time to reflect on — and appreciate — the love and support of my family, friends, co-workers, casual acquaintances, and countless Wheel Watchers. Recovery will be complete and relatively fast,' he said in a statement via the WOF page. 'And, for better or worse, doctors tell me they did not remove my sense of humor. See you all soon.”
'Wheel of Fortune': 5 Epic Fails Including That 'Flamenco' Mispronunciation
Some contestants just can't catch a break.
Why is Vanna White hosting Wheel of Fortune?
After Pat's health scare, producers came to Vanna and asked if she'd feel comfortable taking over temporarily as the host — something that she wasn't exactly thrilled to do.
'My first thought was, ‘There’s no way.’ I don’t pay attention to Pat. I’m busy with my letters and my puzzle board. [You] have to be aware of everything that’s going on, where before all I had to worry about was letters. Now I have to carry the whole show, I have to talk to all three players and make sure I get their scores right,' she explained to ABC News.
But ultimately, despite being 'petrified,' she stepped up to the plate, and addressed the news on her Twitter account. 'Wheel of Fortune without [Pat] is like a word without vowels. I’ll fill in the blanks until you return. Rest up and we’ll be solving puzzles in no time,' she wrote, before joking that his job was 'pretty safe.'
Wheel of Fortune without @patsajak is like a word without vowels. I’ll fill in the blanks until you return. Rest up and we’ll be solving puzzles in no time. (Don’t worry, your job is safe! Well, pretty safe.) pic.twitter.com/pqUG3J3peH
— Vanna White (@TheVannaWhite) November 12, 2019
When does Pat Sajak return to Wheel of Fortune?
On December 5, it was announced that Pat had officially returned to work. He appeared to be all smiles and in good spirits. 'Pat is back! We are so happy to have him return to his spot at the Wheel today! (Vanna may be happiest of all 😁)' the page shared.
But that doesn't mean fans will be seeing him on TV anytime soon.
A post shared by Wheel of Fortune (@wheeloffortune) on
Though he's officially back to work now, the episodes he missed back in November still have to air. So, those episodes — with Vanna taking over as host — will start airing this week.
Pat took to his Twitter to explain just how everything will unfold. 'Here’s the deal: Vanna will be hosting this coming week and the next. Then two weeks of shows I taped before my surgery. Then Vanna again the week of January 6 with a special guest at the puzzle board. Then the planets will realign, and it’s back to normal.'
10 Biggest American Game Show Winners (VIDEO)
While we count down the days until the 'Greatest of All Time' tournament on 'Jeopardy,' see the 10 biggest game show winners in American TV history.
Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, 7:30pm EST, ABC
| Wheel of Fortune | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Peter Arnell |
| Presented by | Todd Russell |
| Narrated by | Hal Simms |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | |
| Production company(s) | Peter Arnell Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | Daytime: October 3, 1952 – December 25, 1953 Primetime: July 7, 1953 – September 15, 1953 |
Wheel of Fortune was an American game show which ran from 1952 to 1953 on CBS in both daytime (October 3, 1952 – December 25, 1953) and nighttime (July 7 – September 15, 1953). It was presented by Todd Russell and narrated by Hal Sims.
Another American game show also titled Wheel of Fortune, that was produced by Merv Griffin and which debuted in 1975, had no connection to the original 1952 game show, although both followed a similar type of format, featuring cash and prizes that could be won by contestants, and both had the same respective logo visible in the center of the wheel.
Gameplay[edit]
The series involved rewarding everyday people who had done good deeds in their life by having their stories told on national TV, then allowing them to spin a carnival-style prize wheel onstage and being awarded that prize. Occasionally, the lucky spin gave the good Samaritan a chance to win up to $1,000 by answering trivia questions.
Theme[edit]
The show's theme was Kay Starr's version of the song 'Wheel of Fortune', which was released in the first two months of 1952 and beginning on February 8 ran 22 weeks on Billboard's best-seller chart, with a nine-week stretch (March 14 to May 9) at #1.
Her version shared the charts with two other renditions during the same period (Bobby Wayne with Joe Reisman's orchestra; the second Eddie Wilcox & Sunny Gale), however the latter two were not as popular. The Wayne/Reisman version appeared from February 15 to April 18 (peaking at #13), while the Wilcox/Gale rendition appeared from February 1 to March 7 (peaking at #14).
Broadcast history[edit]
Wheel debuted on October 3, 1952 at 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central), facing Breakfast Party on NBC and local programming on ABC. In an odd move, the show debuted on a Friday, where the series aired for a full hour until 11:00 AM (10:00 Central) each week; the second half-hour competed against local shows.
On November 24, Breakfast was replaced by the children's program Ding Dong School. On July 6, the Peacock debuted the Henry Babbitt-hosted game Glamour Girl at 10:30, which only competed with the hour-long game on Fridays.
The show's popularity spawned a nighttime version on July 7, 1953 at 8:30 PM, but quickly folded on September 15 against Break the Bank on NBC and local programs elsewhere.
The daytime version fared little better, having been worn down by Glamour and Ding Dong despite the former changing hosts on October 8 from Babbitt to Jack McCoy. Wheel bowed on November 6, 1953, with Glamour following suit on January 8, 1954; Ding Dong remained until the end of 1956.
Australian version[edit]
Despite its short run in America, the show found success in Australia on radio and television from 1959–62.[1] Originally hosted by series producer Reg Grundy, he was replaced by Walter Elliott in 1962.
A similar carnival-style wheel was used in the original 1973 Wheel pilot (Shopper's Bazaar), although that wheel was operated by a motor. A further (and far more explicit) connection arrived in 1981, when Grundy debuted his adaptation of Griffin's Wheel which (like its American counterpart) also had a very long and successful run on the Seven Network until 2006.
A short-lived remake and revival called Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune hosted by Tim Campbell and Kelly Landry ran on the Nine Network for a brief period in 2008. The Million Dollar Wedge concept has been carried over to the original American version since its 26th season debut in the same year.
Episode status[edit]
Wheel Of Fortune Game Show Tickets
Wheel Of Fortune Game Show Newsnet
The American series is believed to be destroyed as per network practices of the era. A photo of Russell and the wheel was used in the A&E Biography TV Game Shows.
The Australian version likely suffered the same fate, although clips of an episode were used in the 2006 special 50 Years: 50 Stars.[2] An episode (missing the opening and closing titles) is held by National Film and Sound Archive as a kinescope recording.[3] The survival rate of Australian game shows of the 1950s and 1960s is highly erratic: although around 13 episodes exist of the short-lived 1957 series Give it a Go, no recordings exist of the popular Melbourne version of Tell the Truth.[3]
References[edit]
Wheel Of Fortune Game Show Template
- ^'Wheel Of Fortune (AUS) - Australian Game Show Home Page'. iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^Clip of Grundy's Wheel of FortuneArchived 2016-07-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ab'NFSA - Title Details'. colsearch.nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 10 February 2018.