Celebrity couples are fascinating. They're often either full of drama or madly in love — there's no in-between. From Cardi B and Offset to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, they frequently turn their love into trending topics. Then there are celebrity pairings who you might think are romantically involved, but aren't actually. Among them are Wheel of Fortune hosts, Pat Sajak and Vanna White.
The duo has hosted the game show since 1981 (via History) and been through ups and downs on the show. White had to fill in for Sajak for the first time ever when he had to have emergency surgery for a blocked intestine in December 2019. At the time, White said she was 'excited' and 'nervous' about the experience, per CNN.
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has had a wild ride to the top of the game show world, but the Chicago native wasn’t always gunning for a role as the Lord of the Wheel. The TV host mostly keeps to himself, but he’s lived a really interesting life that’s taken him from Vietnam to the TV stages of Hollywood. On Pat's final daytime appearance on Wheel of Fortune, he goes out in style. Vanna and Pat both have very simple taste in food: Guys, Vanna White just told me her favorite food: vine.co/v/bpwrQlnv0ej — Jessica Hullinger (@JessHullinger) March 19, 2013. Pat Sajak's daughter turns letters on 'Wheel of Fortune' as Vanna White takes over hosting duties. By Caitlin O'Kane January 7, 2020 / 12:31 PM / CBS News. Vanna and her co-host Pat Sajak have the same blood group i.e. In 1982, Vanna’s prospective modeling career and talent earned her the spot as the hostess on the show, Wheel of Fortune, against 200 applicants who were there for the auditions. In 1978, she competed at the Miss Georgia pageant.
Sajak and White's 40-year partnership has lasted longer than many celebrity marriages, and with them having spent so much time together throughout the years, many have wondered why they've never dated.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White are more like family
With Pat Sajak and Vanna White possessing undeniable chemistry on screen, it would be easy for viewers to mistake them for a couple. The truth is, both have been married twice, but never to each other. The reason? They see each other as friends and family, not lovers.
'People see the chemistry between Pat and me,' White told Closer Weekly in 2019. 'We are like brother and sister, and I think that is what makes it work.' Sajak added that their friendship is like 'lightning in a bottle,' and they're so friendly that White said they've 'never had one argument.'
Their unwavering commitment to each other is what has made Wheel of Fortune so popular — so much so that Sajak said that he will only work with White until the show ends. 'My goal is to leave before people turn on the TV and go, 'What the hell happened to him?' Sajak joked on stage at Paley Center for Media in 2017 via Entertainment Weekly. 'I can't imagine being there with someone else.'
Pat Sajak and Vanna White have families and different partners
Besides treating each other like family, Pat Sajak and Vanna White are also in relationships with other people.
According to People, Sajak was first married to Sherill Sajak in 1979, but they divorced after seven years. While 'fresh [off that] divorce,' he met aspiring actress Lesly Brown at a sports bar in 1998, according to Closer Weekly. The two got married in 1989 and went on to have two children together — son Patrick Leonard Michael James Sajdak Jr. in 1990 and daughter Maggie Marie Sajak in 1995, via Oprah Magazine.
White, on the other hand, was first engaged to Young and the Restless actor John Gibson, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1986, per People. White has said his death was 'devastating,' but she was grateful for Wheel of Fortune fans for helping her overcome her grief. 'I heard from so many people who had shared the same experience of losing someone instantly in an accident, and that really helped me,' she said.
In 1990, White married restaurateur George Santo Pietro, but they filed for divorce in 2002. Since then, White has been in a few relationships and has been dating contractor John Donaldson since 2012.
When I was in elementary school, my uncle told me he'd met Vanna White on a plane once. I was amazed — and jealous! I had endless questions: What was she like? Was she tall? Was she wearing one of her signature gowns? Did she have an entourage?
Like so many Americans, I grew up adoringly watching Wheel of Fortune. And so, when the show ditched its normal Los Angeles studio to tape several episodes at Madison Square Garden in honor of Wheel's 30th anniversary, I was immediately and completely in.
I had the distinct honor of meeting one-on-one with both Pat and Vanna, along with members of their production team. I got to sit in the front row of the audience, and I was over the moon when they let me on stage between takes. But perhaps the best part was being privy to some of the weird behind-the-scenes things that go into making a successful TV game show. Here's what I learned:
1. The set weighs close to a million pounds
And it requires 14 giant trucks to move it. There are 12 high definition cameras, 140 color monitors, and more than 30 miles of cables. 'We try as best we can make the viewer feel like we are plunked down in the middle of wherever it is we're going,' says Harry Friedman, the show's executive producer. The wheel and puzzleboard are one of a kind, so they are dismantled and reassembled whenever the show travels. Here's the New York City set:
(Photo by: Jessica Hullinger)
2. Contestants have to be 'severely' coached
More than 10,000 people try out for the show each year, and fewer than 600 are selected. Those chosen to be contestants spend the entire day of the taping being prepped by a team of intense contestant coordinators who teach you how and when to buy a vowel, how to properly spin the wheel, and where to focus your attention. 'We get them out on stage right away,' says Gary O'Brien, contestant producer. 'We want them to be aware of logical, common letter patterns. We tell them not to reuse letters. Very few people have what it takes to be a contestant.'
3. Contestants have their own cheerleaders
Between takes, the contestant coordinators act as a sort of moral support team. They shout encouraging words while contestants play a mock round. Players are made to shout out letters, and if they aren't loud enough, they're told to do it again. The whole point is to get them hyped. 'A really important point of being a successful contestant is having a good strong presence at the wheel. It starts with your voice,' O'Brien says. Here you can see him pumping up some players:
Voice coaching contestants. vine.co/v/bpdQBe0KBZj
— Jessica Hullinger (@JessHullinger) March 19, 2013
4. Vanna has worn 6,000 different outfits on the show
And no, she doesn't keep any of them. 'The designers send their clothes to the studio, I try them on, and I wear them. Normally I'll get a hundred gowns at a time, and we pick a dozen of them.' When she's done, they go back to the designers.
5. She's still anxious about tripping on camera
'That's the only thing I feel nervous about,' she says. Pat, for his part, says he never gets nervous.
6. Vanna reads self-help books
She goes on 'spurts,' she says. 'Sometimes I'll read novels. Sometimes I'll read those trashy books. I love autobiographies, too.'
7. She's in the Guinness Book of World Records
As 'Television's Most Frequent Clapper.' She claps more than 28,000 times per season. 'And no calluses to prove it,' she adds.
8. Vanna and Pat both have very simple taste in food:
Guys, Vanna White just told me her favorite food: vine.co/v/bpwrQlnv0ej
— Jessica Hullinger (@JessHullinger) March 19, 2013
Pat's Sajak's favorite food is... A bit too long for Vine. vine.co/v/bpwxVeVY9nn
— Jessica Hullinger (@JessHullinger) March 19, 2013
9. They don't plan their 'post-show banter'
They improvise, and people love it. 'Its funny how that's taken on a life,' Pat says. 'People have come to know us through that little segment we do. It's become strangely popular.' So, things like this are completely unplanned:
Pat Sajak Vanna White Date
10. Pat and Alex Trebek aren't friends
But they're not enemies either. They get along, but they don't hang out. 'We get along fine but we're not in the same bowling league,' he says.
Pat And Vanna Affair
11. Pat hates reality shows
'The idea is to make people look stupid, which is the opposite of what we do,' he says.
12. Very little has changed about the show since it started
Even the price of a vowel is still a bargain at $250. Perhaps the biggest change came in 1997, when the letterboard went all digital. It now contains 52 touch screen monitors.
Age Of Pat Sajak And Vanna White
13. Neither Vanna nor Pat expected the show to run for 30 years
'You start a job and you hope that it'll go for a few years, but 30 years?' says Vanna. Pat says he never saw himself as a gameshow host. 'A door opens up and you either walk in or you don't and it seems to have worked out,' Pat says. 'Would I rather be doing Shakespeare in the park? Probably not. It doesn't pay as well.'
Vanna And Pat Hot
And the Wheel of Fortune crowd goes wild. vine.co/v/bpdA2xhHZl0
Vanna And Pat Circa 1984
— The Week (@TheWeek) March 19, 2013