Wheel of Fortune is the longest-running game show in the U.S., having debuted in 1975 originally hosted by Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, until Pat Sajak took over in 1981 and has been host since, minus a two-year hiatus when he tried his hand at his own late-night talk show. He has been joined by Vanna White since 1982, who has been with the show since as well.
In the show, three contestants compete to spin a wheel, select letters, and try to solve a Hangman-like puzzle. They can go bankrupt and lose their money with a spin, try to solve the puzzle if they think they know what it is, and go on to win more cash, trips, and other prizes. The show has been immensely popular since it launched and remains as such. But there is a lot that goes on behind-the-scenes, or that has gone on, that you don’t know. Here are 10 interesting facts.
Vanna White Always Wears A New Dress
Vanna White has been beside Pat Sajak’s side for more than 30 years on the show, turning the letters as they light up (now simply touching the new digital board) and clapping along as players spin the wheel and solve the puzzles. She always looks flawless and stunning, including her beautiful dresses.
But did you know that she, and the show, take so much pride in her fashion sense that she has never worn the same dress twice? Another fun fact: Sajak tries to match his ties to her dresses, showing how much of a cohesive team they are.
There’s a Platform Under The Stage
No, every contestant isn’t exactly the same height. There’s a platform under the stage that each person stands on so it makes them appear as though they’re all the same height even though some are taller and others shorter than they appear.
That means a 6’ player and a 5’1’’ person would be on equal footing (both in the game and literally) as they compete to win. This likely also helps tremendously to ensure that everyone has a fair shot at the wheel since they’re all spinning from the same vantage point (unless someone has super short or extra-long arms!)
Vanna White Has Clapped Millions Of Times
White’s main on-screen gig on the show includes dutifully turning the letters (now touching the screens) as contestants guess the correct ones and they light up on the board. Then, she continues to clap away as they spin and try to win, successfully solve a puzzle, or land on a big prize.
She has clapped so much, in fact, that she has carved a spot in The Guinness Book of World Records as “television’s most frequent clapper.” Yes, that’s a thing. Her average is about 600 claps per show or 28,000 claps a season which equates to millions over more than 30 seasons. Imagine being the person who has to count those for verification?
The Cost Of a Vowel Has Never Changed
“I’d like to buy a vowel.” It’s one of the most common statements uttered on the game show as contestants decide to use some of their earned cash to buy important vowels that will hopefully provide more clarity as to the hidden phrase or word.
Since the series’ inception, the cost of a vowel has been a steep $250. This has never been adjusted for inflation or to take into account the higher cost of living in today’s world. It’s nice to know that as costs for everything else rises, a vowel remains the same.
Vanna and Pat Used to Drink Before Filming
OK, so this isn’t to say that they filmed the game show plastered all the time. But Sajak did admit to Dan Le Batard on an episode of his ESPN2 show Highly Questionable back in 2012 that, in the early days, the pair would sometimes indulge in a drink or two (or six) then film the last shows.
“…[We’d] have trouble recognizing the alphabet,” he joked, adding that it was a great time. “I have no idea if the shows were any good,” he continued, “but no one said anything, so I guess we did okay.”
The Wheel Isn’t That Big, But It Is Heavy
There is only one wheel that is taken for filming on the road. And while the wheel actually isn’t as big as you might think it is, thanks to some clever camera work and angles, too, it is still pretty heavy.
For transport, it is broken down and put back together in the new location. It weighs about 2,400 lbs., so it’s no small feat to move it and bring it somewhere else, taking a reported about 14 trucks to move the entire set to a new locale. No wonder they don’t film in different locations that often!
Players Are Coached, Pumped Up
It isn’t easy to get on the show. Only about 600 people are selected from 10,000 applicants and if you are selected, you are then taught how to properly spin the wheel, the right time to buy a vowel and common letter patterns.
Additionally, during commercial breaks, contestants are encouraged to shout out letters repeatedly. This is done in part to ensure that they can be heard loud and clear, but also to keep them pumped up for the next round once the commercials are over.
The Wheel Isn’t Rigged…Really
It has probably crossed viewers’ minds that surely with a game like Wheel of Fortune, the wheel must be rigged to land on certain items at certain times, right? It would be pretty simple, after all, to do in this day and age.
But the wheel really isn’t rigged at all, despite outlandish rumors that Sajak controls it with his foot or it’s set to prevent contestants from winning too much. This isn’t a local carnival game, folks, where the basket is designed to be smaller than the ball making it impossible to win. This is the real deal.
Several Shows Are Filmed In A Row
Just like with many other game shows, like Jeopardy!, several episodes of Wheel of Fortune are filmed in a row, on the same day. Each taping will reportedly include about 5 or 6 episodes.
This means that the cast and crew work a few days per month to film a month’s worth of episodes, which air daily. This also means that White changes her dress and gets her make-up redone to match several times per day, and Sajak swaps his tie and possibly even suits multiple times per taping, too. Whew!
There’s a Dummy Screen
Ever wonder why a contestant never asks for the same letter they, or someone else, has already asked for? You’d think with all of the pressure they are under it’s bound to happen. There’s a reason it doesn’t. Each contestant has a dummy screen at their post.
The screen shows the category and blanks out all of the letters that have been guessed already, including both consonants and vowels. To help Sajak announce things properly, he also has his own dummy screen that tells him how many of each letter is on the board so he can instantly say this when the person guesses a letter that will appear without having to count the lit up squares.