'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak announces he will retire next year

[LM117]

I wonder who will take over this one?

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/pat-sajak-wheel-of-fortune-retire-rcna88977

[1995hoo]

Maybe Mayim Bialik could take over that show with Ken Jennings going full-time at Jeopardy.

[SectorZ]

Maybe Mayim Bialik could take over that show with Ken Jennings going full-time at Jeopardy.

She'd be a better fit for that, especially with her ridiculous stunted pauses and awkward out-of-place laughing. Her weaknesses on Jeopardy will be strengths or masked on Wheel of Fortune.

[NWI_Irish96]

Maybe Mayim Bialik could take over that show with Ken Jennings going full-time at Jeopardy.

If Mayim's sitcom is still going she isn't going to have time to be a full-time host.

[akotchi]

^  It was cancelled this spring.

[abefroman329]

^  It was cancelled this spring.

Call Me Kat?  I enjoyed the British show it was based on quite a bit, but I heard the American version was pretty awful.

[jgb191]

I wish for Drew Carey to add to his game show resume by taking over for Patrick Leonard.

I really like Drew Carey as the host of Price Is Right; I enjoyed the game show even more after Drew took over for Bob Barker.

Even though I know it's too late now, I would have loved to see the original Wheel of Fortune host Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery return to the show as the interim host until Drew (or whomever else is selected) takes over full-time.  Woolery was my favorite game show presenter of all-time if I had to pick one.

[Rothman]

I wish for Drew Carey to add to his game show resume by taking over for Patrick Leonard.

I really like Drew Carey as the host of Price Is Right; I enjoyed the game show even more after Drew took over for Bob Barker.

Even though I know it's too late now, I would have loved to see the original Wheel of Fortune host Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery return to the show as the interim host until Drew (or whomever else is selected) takes over full-time.  Woolery was my favorite game show presenter of all-time if I had to pick one.

Drew Carey was painful to watch his first season on TPIR.  He's loosened up a lot now, but Barker's shadow has been quite long.

[Scott5114]

I can barely watch TPIR anymore. Drew is fine; I don't really have a problem with him. I have a problem with the fact that the set and the new pricing game props are so visually busy it kind of hurts my eyes. (And a lot of the new pricing game props are downright ugly compared to the old ones they replaced. The new Card Game and Side by Side are particularly garish compared to their old versions.)

[LilianaUwU]

I'm pleased to announce I will be the host of Wheel going forward. I was told that any NBC game show host needed to have an AARoads forum account and to be knowledgeable about the game, which is why they picked Ken Jennings.

[bulldog1979]

Apparently there's some talk about Ryan Seacrest taking on the hosting duties. Any names at this point would be a bit premature since Pat still has a full season to go.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Kind of glad to see Pat Sajak retire. He's always struck me as being a jerk to the contestants, especially during the last several years.

[wanderer2575]

I wish for Drew Carey to add to his game show resume by taking over for Patrick Leonard.

I really like Drew Carey as the host of Price Is Right; I enjoyed the game show even more after Drew took over for Bob Barker.

Even though I know it's too late now, I would have loved to see the original Wheel of Fortune host Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery return to the show as the interim host until Drew (or whomever else is selected) takes over full-time.  Woolery was my favorite game show presenter of all-time if I had to pick one.

Drew Carey was painful to watch his first season on TPIR.  He's loosened up a lot now, but Barker's shadow has been quite long.

With all the mini-games involved, TPIR has got to be the most difficult game show hosting.  If it took Drew only one season to settle in, I'd say that's a good job.  I'm sure Bob Barker wasn't a whiz when he first started.

[1995hoo]

Two big differences are that there were far fewer pricing games when Barker started and Barker wasn't following someone considered to be a legend in his field. It's got to be a lot harder–and arguably a bit of a thankless job–to follow in the footsteps of a giant. Same thing applies to, for example, taking over for a very successful sports team coach or a longtime mainstay at a particular position (e.g., would you want to be the guy who took over for Derek Jeter when he retired?). Of course that can be overcome, but it's not unusual for it to be a later coach who then becomes popular.

[7/8]

(e.g., would you want to be the guy who took over for Derek Jeter when he retired?).

Or even worse, be the one who shot Derek Jeter.

[roadman65]

I will always remember this show, as my dad, when he was alive, would watch it. He used to always say out loud to the TV set when three consecutive bankrupts were spun " The wheel is rigged."

[Scott5114]

With all the mini-games involved, TPIR has got to be the most difficult game show hosting.  If it took Drew only one season to settle in, I'd say that's a good job.  I'm sure Bob Barker wasn't a whiz when he first started.

Barker was a lot more experienced in Season 1 than Carey was in Season 36, because he had hosted many game shows before. Truth or Consequences, which he had been hosting for 16 years at that point, had a mini-game variety-show structure much like TPIR, which made Barker a good fit for TPIR.

Carey benefited greatly by most of Barker's staff being carried over to Season 36. Of particular help in teaching Carey the games was producer Roger Dobkowitz. Dobkowitz had been the person who had set up the games for a long time, and had invented many of the games himself. Dobkowitz was unceremoniously fired midway through Season 37, supposedly because Carey wanted to go in a different direction with the show and Dobkowitz was seen as an obstacle to this. (With nobody experienced at the helm, this led directly to the terrible mess that Season 37 ended up being. Lowlights of that season were the week the Big Wheel was painted purple for no real reason and the day that Carey mashed every grocery product used in the game flat. That season was more or less when I dropped out of regular watching.)

Two big differences are that there were far fewer pricing games when Barker started and Barker wasn't following someone considered to be a legend in his field.

Well, he was following Bill Cullen. But Bill Cullen's TPIR was basically just an entire show of the "Contestant's Row" One-Bid portion of Barker/Carey TPIR. There were no pricing games. So Barker's TPIR was a different animal from day one. (Cullen was partially disabled and didn't have the physical capability to run the pricing game portion of the new show, which is why they switched to Barker.)

[In_Correct]

I wish for Drew Carey to add to his game show resume by taking over for Patrick Leonard.

I really like Drew Carey as the host of Price Is Right; I enjoyed the game show even more after Drew took over for Bob Barker.

Even though I know it's too late now, I would have loved to see the original Wheel of Fortune host Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery return to the show as the interim host until Drew (or whomever else is selected) takes over full-time.  Woolery was my favorite game show presenter of all-time if I had to pick one.

Chuck Woolery is the longest active Golden Era Game Show Host. However, in the 21st century his game shows were limited to prime time or other wise weekly game shows.

Him and probably John O'Hurley are some of the most down to earth peoples. Neither of them are going to host any other game shows. I would be surprised if they did. As far as I know they are fed up with Hollywood and moved to different states with complete change in careers.

For what it is worth, Chuck Woolery is very active and does not strike me as some body in their 80s. And again with Califon Enterprises, which is what it was back then, and Merv Griffin being him self, I do not blame him and Susan for quitting and I am very happy that Chuck Woolery found plenty of other work with out Merv. ... for a few weeks Chuck worked THREE hosting jobs.

You are not the only person that wondered about Chuck Woolery:

https://www.distractify.com/p/why-did-chuck-woolery-leave-wheel-of-fortune

Chuck Woolery Left 'Wheel of Fortune' Over a Salary Dispute With Merv Griffin
Chuck Woolery was the original host of 'Wheel of Fortune,' but he left the show in 1981 after getting into a salary dispute with the show's creator.

BY JOSEPH ALLEN
JUN. 13 2023, PUBLISHED 11:24 A.M. ET



After more than 40 years in the role of host, Pat Sajak announced on June 12, 2023, that he would be leaving Wheel of Fortune. The news that Pat would be exiting the show led many to realize that, in the show's almost 50-year history, it's only had a total of two hosts.

Following that revelation, many naturally wanted to learn more about Chuck Woolery, the show's first host, including any details about exactly why Chuck left the show after a relatively short hosting stint.

Why did Chuck Woolery leave 'Wheel of Fortune'?
Chuck was the original host of Wheel of Fortune, both when it was first introduced during Shopper's Bazaar and again two years later in 1975 when it debuted as its own series. He was selected by Merv Griffin, the show's creator, as the host, and turned the gig down several times, in part because he believed that his ultimate calling was in country music.



Chuck ultimately signed on, though, and he hosted the show regularly until 1981. It was then that Chuck realized that Wheel of Fortune and other game shows like it were becoming genuinely popular, and asked Merv for a raise to $10,000 a week, up from the $5,000 that he had been making. This raise would have brought Chuck's salary in line with other game show hosts, or at least that's what Chuck argued.

Merv offered Chuck $7,500, and NBC agreed to pay the remaining $2,500 until Merv threatened to move the show over to CBS. NBC removed its offer, and Chuck decided to leave the show on Dec. 25, 1981, rather than work for $7,500 a week. Pat Sajak was brought in to host the show beginning on Dec. 28, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Chuck went on to host other game shows, but none of them were ultimately as popular or enduring as Wheel of Fortune ultimately became.

In June 2023, Pat Sajak announced that he would retire in 2024.
Though Pat didn't go into much detail about his reasons for leaving the show, the longtime host delivered the news to his fans on social media.

"Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last," Pat wrote on Twitter. "It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all."

TWITTER PLUG IN

Fans, of course, expressed their well wishes in a thread under Pat's tweet.

"Always a classic icon in my house of wonderfully dry wit and laughter," one fan wrote. "Shaped TV in a massive way! Thanks for 42 fantastic years. Congrats, hope retirement is everything and then some for you."

"Thanks for the memories!" another viewer wrote.

"Love you, Pat," the Pluto TV account tweeted. "Best wishes."

This fan summed it up nicely with their tweet: "Things aren't gonna be the same without you at the helm, but it's been an amazing run."

...

Kind of glad to see Pat Sajak retire. He's always struck me as being a jerk to the contestants, especially during the last several years.

He is. Pat called the police on a winning contestant be cause he naturally expected the rights to hug the emcee. This is some thing that made me give up on Wheel Of Fortune after seeing that happen. I watched numerous Game Shows and most of the emcees even ones you would not expect to such as Bill Cullen, would not turn away hugs from a winning contestant. They also knew how to handle disgruntled contstants, and technical difficulties, be cause the episodes did not Stop Down as often as you think. After all, many of these game show hosts had in the beginning of their careers hosted live on air.

Even emcees and producers that are visibly uncomfortable around contestants such as Jack Barry were never as mean as Pat.

I wish for Drew Carey to add to his game show resume by taking over for Patrick Leonard.

I really like Drew Carey as the host of Price Is Right; I enjoyed the game show even more after Drew took over for Bob Barker.

Even though I know it's too late now, I would have loved to see the original Wheel of Fortune host Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery return to the show as the interim host until Drew (or whomever else is selected) takes over full-time.  Woolery was my favorite game show presenter of all-time if I had to pick one.

Drew Carey was painful to watch his first season on TPIR.  He's loosened up a lot now, but Barker's shadow has been quite long.

With all the mini-games involved, TPIR has got to be the most difficult game show hosting. If it took Drew only one season to settle in, I'd say that's a good job.  I'm sure Bob Barker wasn't a whiz when he first started.

It is. Bill Cullen quit for two reasons: Curiously, when he was the emcee, all the games were moved towards him. They did not do this any more when they revived it in 1972. Bill Cullen would need to walk to a new stage every round, instead of just The Bonus Round. Bill Cullen's limited mobility prevented him from running marathons. He even commented that it was annoying what lengths they went to change the stage for him. Perhaps they were afraid he would fall.

And the other reason is be cause Bill Cullen preferred small, simple game shows such as the endless games at Basada. ... and QUBE.

Not even four years later they expanded The Price Is Right yet again. By the end of the 1970s, Bob Barker developed a Superiority Complex that banned all the episodes he did not host.

It is the same thing with Wheel Of Fortune. That article is wrong; Chuck and Pat are not the only hosts. However, it is clear that Maggie is going to be the next host. Either Vanna is going to move to the Wheel, with Maggie Standing There Clapping, ... or Maggie is going to move to The Wheel. I did not watch any episodes with Maggie in them. However, when Vanna was Behind The Wheel, I was impressed, and surprised. The Complete Opposite Of Pat.

I will always remember this show, as my dad, when he was alive, would watch it. He used to always say out loud to the TV set when three consecutive bankrupts were spun “ The wheel is rigged.”

Perhaps not. However, I was never impressed with the antiquated ( even by 1973 standards ) game board. There is a very obscure game show named Gambit which I could skip be cause the episodes I watched had the most obnoxious buzzer sound that is second only to The Emergency Alert System. Three years later, they overhauled Gambit, complete with animated titles that puts C.G.I. to shame. It was not until 1997 before Wheel Of Fortune utilized technology that had been around since practically the beginning of time. When they made the pilot of episode of Wheel, it was the same year that Jack Narz version of ConcEnTratiON. By 1975, Wheel switched to a cheap powerless game board while ConcEnTratiON utilized the same Solenoid Technology since 1958.

Also now that you mentioned it, In 1973 The Wheel Was Indeed Remote Controlled.

[Big John]

Ryan Seacrest named Sajak's successor.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-as-host-of-wheel-of-fortune/ar-AA1d7gmI

[SectorZ]

Ryan Seacrest named Sajak's successor.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-as-host-of-wheel-of-fortune/ar-AA1d7gmI

Seacrest is the answer to a question no one asked.

[ET21]

Mehhh pick, will have to see how he does

[Henry]

Snooze...

[NWI_Irish96]

Ryan Seacrest named Sajak's successor.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-as-host-of-wheel-of-fortune/ar-AA1d7gmI

Seacrest is the answer to a question no one asked.

Seacrest has now succeeded Dick Clark, Regis Philbin and Pat Sajack.

[abefroman329]

Ryan Seacrest named Sajak's successor.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-as-host-of-wheel-of-fortune/ar-AA1d7gmI

Seacrest is the answer to a question no one asked.

Seacrest has now succeeded Dick Clark, Regis Philbin and Pat Sajack.

And Casey Kasem, right?  Didn't he also host American Top 40 at some point?

[WillWeaverRVA]

Ryan Seacrest named Sajak's successor.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/ryan-seacrest-will-succeed-pat-sajak-as-host-of-wheel-of-fortune/ar-AA1d7gmI

Seacrest is the answer to a question no one asked.

Seacrest has now succeeded Dick Clark, Regis Philbin and Pat Sajack.

And Casey Kasem, right?  Didn't he also host American Top 40 at some point?

Still does.