2 l January
3 - 9, 2021
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
BY JAY BOBBIN
Pat Sajak and
Vanna White
Pat Sajak and Vanna White
spin ABC’s ‘Celebrity Wheel
of Fortune’
OVERWHELMED or
UNDER INSPIRED?
C
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OLLEEN
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
starting Jan. 7. (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 says,
“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,” reasons 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 notes. “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.)
“What I take the greatest pride in
personally,” Sajak reflects, “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.”
C NTOSH
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