Vanna White was once forced to host 'Wheel of Fortune' and fans had the same thing to say: "She was..."
Vanna White had been accompanying Pat Sajak as co-host for more than four decades before he was replaced, and she remains in the same role alongside Ryan Seacrest as the new host of “Wheel of Fortune.” Some believe that longtime co-host Vanna White should have been given a chance to be host after Sajak. She had even hosted one episode and did really well, even without much time to prepare for her stint.
It happened in 2019 when Sajak experienced discomfort in his stomach right before the taping was scheduled and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery for a blocked intestine. As a result, White stepped in to do something that she had not done in four decades on the show, and she did her best. A clip on YouTube showed the Bonus Round of the episode that was Disney-themed. Minnie Mouse was the one revealing the letters on the screen since White was the host. The name of the contestant was Raychel and she had chosen the ‘Phrases’ category. White did everything correctly. The contestant had a wild card, and she knew exactly when to remind her of that and ask her to choose an extra consonant. Raychel ended up winning $37,000 in that Bonus Round, but the star of the show was White.
Fans loved her performance and mentioned it in the comments section of the video. “I Love it When Vanna Hosts The Bonus Round,” one user named @NoahRonaldo22 commented. “They shoulda gave Vanna a chance to become the new host of Wheel. This week of guest hosting proved that she can do Pat's job,” added another user.
She might have enjoyed being host for a day, but the build-up to that was stressful, to say the least. White and Sajak had been close friends for decades at that point, and seeing him going into emergency surgery threw her off. Pair that with the massive task of hosting “Wheel of Fortune” and things could have gotten messy.
“It was horrible, just horrible. I mean we’ve been together for 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,” White said in an ABC News interview. “It was terrible. You think the worst because you never know when you’re going in for surgery. You never know what’s going to happen. I was scared to death,” she added.
Considering all that, you can’t help but applaud the composure and professionalism White showed in front of the camera as she stepped in for his friend, who was seriously unwell. Not many people could have done what she did that day. It’s no wonder that fans wanted her to replace Sajak. After all, the 68-year-old has what it takes to be a fantastic host of the show.
