TV icon Pat Sajak gave his final ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestants a huge reward: "It’s not my money"
It was a bittersweet moment for fans of "Wheel Of Fortune" when one of America's most iconic hosts, Pat Sajak bid farewell to the show after more than 40 years as its face. Sajak expressed his gratitude with an emotional speech during the show, which cut the episode's runtime short and cost contestants some opportunities to win cash. But, since it was his last day, Sajak decided to be extra generous and left each of them with a $5000 parting gift.
Pat Sajak's Memorable Farewell
Before the first round of the episode, Sajak told everyone that it was his final appearance on the show and added that he wanted to say a few words before he left. This meant that the game would be cut short by one round of play to ensure there was enough time. Sajak admitted that it “kind of robs" the three contestants Tammy, Nino, and Adrienne, who could have potentially won more money in the round. Thus, to make up for their loss, Sajak decided to spin the wheel himself and promised to add an extra $1,000 to whatever he landed on for each contestant.
After Sajak's spin, the wheel landed on the $1,000 tile, meaning all three would get $2,000. However, the host wasn't done yet and said, “You know what? It’s not my money, let’s give ’em all $5,000 right now," Sajak exclaimed. The contestants were thrilled to get the extra money and the game continued as usual after Sajak's generous giveaway.
On his final episode, he gave away several more prizes including trips and money, and one contestant even landed on the $1 million tile, but fumbled while solving the puzzle. Sajak's final episode as host featured an emotional farewell segment and footage from his 1981 debut and his first puzzle on the show was also played.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” Sajak said at the beginning of his farewell speech. “It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade," he added during the episode that was released for free on YouTube.
Sajak thanked the fans for loving the show for decades and keeping it clean, by avoiding controversies and politics. He described every contestant as “the real stars of the show,” who “took great pride in talking about their family, their hometown, their friends, their schools, their jobs, even their pets.”
He further thanked the crew and the staff of the show for making his “job so much easier," and also thanked his wife Lesly Brown, and their children, Maggie and Patrick for supporting him through his career. Finally, he thanked his long-time co-host, Vanna White. “We’ve seen a lot of changes in our lives over the years but we’ve always been there for each other,” he said.
The 77-year-old won several accolades in his long career as a host including Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Game Show Host, an award that he won thrice. He was presented with the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and became the longest-serving game show host in 2019.
