Las Vegas Weekly

July 20, 2009 · 7:30 AM

Photo Gallery: Pat and Vanna spin four weeks of Wheel of Fortune

By Robin Leach

Vanna White and Pat Sajak.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabik.com

Wheel of Fortune stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White are at the halfway mark of their marathon four-day shoot schedule of the new 27th season of game shows. They’ve shot the first two weeks of shows to kick off in September, and today and tomorrow film two more weeks for the February ratings sweeps period with a romantic theme to air around Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday was a little more relaxed and less frenzied as they shot promos and prize package pre-tapes in and around the Palazzo and The Venetian, where they are headquartered in the Sands Convention Center. Contributing photographer Erik Kabik documented the hustle and bustle on the set.

Pat told me he still doesn’t understand the extraordinary success of the show that’s remained No. 1 for most of its long life in first-run syndication. “I don’t have a clue,” he said. “ Television is such a fluky business, and every time I’ve tried to figure it out, it’s really been anecdotal and circumstantial by talking to our viewers. It’s a simple game that’s really gone into their lives and become part of it.

“Some remember they played it with Grandpa, some say it helped teach them the alphabet, but even though we’re playing hangman with a spinning wheel, it’s become part of the fabric of their lives. Immigrants have learned how to spell, but the beautiful thing is Wheel is always the memory of the family all spending 30 minutes together at the dinner hour.

“It’s just like the sunset -- we’re always there, and that’s comforting. Time is a two-sided coin: Sometimes it feels like it was just a week and a half ago that we started out, and sometimes we’re reminded it’s been more than half our lives.

“Nobody could possibly have imagined the longevity and success of this when we started out. I was on local news in Los Angeles when Merv Griffin called. It was on network TV and had its run, and I thought I could give it a second wind. Then it moved into first-run evening syndication in 1983, and here we are still going strong.

“Vanna and I stopped talking about it 10 years ago for fear we’d jinx it. We’ve become a great team, even though there isn’t a lot of interaction between us. People know and appreciate the relationship and the fact we’ve identified with them.

“It’s paid me well over the years, but the most important part of the job is that it’s not the 6,000th show -- it’s always the first show. I pride myself on bringing that to each game because it’s a first time for the players and for new viewers. It comes naturally, but I take it very seriously. Neither the viewer nor I would ever know what number show it is because each one is the first. It’s good to be in this company of people who always want each show to be the best.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabik.com

Wheel of Fortune at The Venetian.

“I am one lucky guy. When I was 12 years of age, I knew I wanted to be on radio or TV. There was no second choice in my life. I’d still be happy if I was hosting a morning show in Cleveland. It was just my dream job. I guess if I hadn’t made it work, I’d still be at the front desk of the Palmer House in Chicago or another Midwest hotel checking in people who gave me the Mr. and Mrs. Smith name!”

Pat told me that when he arrived on Thursday for the five-day visit, his first stop per Billy Joel’s recommendation was for Thai dinner at the off-Strip Lotus of Siam. “I used to come out to Vegas a lot more than I do now. My wife and I live in Annapolis, Md., so I really only fly out west to tape the shows in L.A. But in the late ’70s, I was here all the time and kept on getting stunned into the ’90s that there would always be four or five huge hotels popping up. Vegas to me was always an amazing place, always expanding with new attractions, and I could never get over the fact it was in the middle of the desert!”

Vanna told me: “I’ve got new clothes, a new wardrobe for the new season, and the Wheel is hotter than ever. It’s great, and any time you can say that, it is good. We’re getting close to doing 6,000 shows, but we don’t have to psych ourselves to record each one because we don’t do it every day. I’m getting paid to make people happy and rich, and that gives you a great boost on the set.

“If I wasn’t doing this, I think I would have been in real estate. I find that fascinating, and I would have been buying vacation condos everywhere, fixing them up and selling. Instead, part time I’ve kept three for myself in Aspen, Palm Desert and in Myrtle Beach where I was born and grew up.

“Our contract for the show at present takes us through 2012, but I could keep doing this forever. I sure hope so because I enjoy it that much. Time just flies when you have as much fun as we do. I’ll go home tomorrow night knowing we had a good time in Vegas, produced some great new season shows and made a lot of viewers very happy.”

Fans packed The Venetian to watch the show. Contestants had been selected at the beginning of May for these tapings, which will air in September and February.

Click HERE for our previous interview with Vanna when she visited in late April to shoot all of the upcoming promos and teases that start airing in a week’s time.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

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