# Pat Sajak to retire **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [June 13, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401 "2023-06-13T03:27:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/21 "2023-06-13T15:25:39Z")
Except for clips, I’ve not seen Wheel of Fortune since the 80’s(my friend’s Dad was on and won a car), but it seems to me Sajak is not so hard to replace. Anyone remember his talk show? I do. His personality did not exactly make it pop off the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/22 "2023-06-13T15:45:25Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > captured the essence of peppy blandness quite as well as Pat One thing I find interesting is that Sajak [was one of the jockeys that followed Adrian Cronauer’s stint as a DJ at AFVN radio Saigon](https://www.uso.org/stories/283-wheel-of-fortune-host-pat-sajak-recounts-his-days-as-an-army-dj) and utilized Cronauer’s famous greeting each morning (“GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!”). I have to wonder if he was a bit more zany and unconventional as a radio DJ then he was as a TV host. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/23 "2023-06-13T15:46:12Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He was a perfect fit for the role, it’s hard to imagine who his replacement will be. I wonder if Chuck Woolery is available. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/24 "2023-06-13T16:16:05Z")
Vanna White OTOH has zero plans to retire. I don’t know why should ever would. She makes $4 million a season, and they reportedly shoot a month’s worth of episodes in just 4 days. That’s a job you hold onto 'til the wheels fall off. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/25 "2023-06-13T16:17:08Z")
Sajak strikes a balance between required blandness and witty ripostes that not everyone can do. (Although the Canadian Family Feud host is hilarious and does it better, as does Steve Harvey.) Not only was his spell long, it was a significant sentence. A prolonged period, even. To turn a phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/26 "2023-06-13T17:10:38Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I wonder if Chuck Woolery is available. I thought of that since he hosted it. I just saw he was 82 years old. Yeah, he probably won’t come back out for that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/27 "2023-06-13T17:25:30Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > His daughter will probably replace Vanna when the time comes. She’s filled in for her a few times. She seems to be the online presence. But I doubt she’ll stay long after Pat retires. Vanna’s stint shows how hard Pat’s job is. He does seem to be getting snarkier as the years pass, though. (I like both shows, though I gave up watching Jeopardy after I was on. The fantasy was gone.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/28 "2023-06-13T17:56:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > She makes $4 million a season, and they reportedly shoot a month’s worth of episodes in just 4 days. Do they film in big blocks, then, like 20-24 straight days? I wonder how often they have to come in. This rivals, or beats, the Simpsons voice cast, who earn a fortune for a few weeks work. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/29 "2023-06-13T18:15:14Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I gave up watching Jeopardy after I was on. The fantasy was gone. This deserves a thread of explanation. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/30 "2023-06-13T21:22:21Z")
May I be the first to nominate Mayim Bialik as either Pat’s or Vanna’s replacement? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/31 "2023-06-13T22:13:13Z")
They shoot 6 episodes a day for 4 days is what I read. Then the editors go to work and Pat and Vanna get 3 weeks off. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/32 "2023-06-13T23:18:24Z")
Nice. I think it would be easier to host this show than Jeopardy, which is non-stop reading. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/33 "2023-06-13T23:28:05Z")
Sheldon, the Ceramic Dalmatian will be sad… (Yes, he had a name, and a coworker told me that he still appears in shots of the WOF studio.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/34 "2023-06-14T01:24:45Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Sheldon, the Ceramic Dalmatian will be sad… Sajak’s final paycheck may either be in the form of a gift certificate or kept on account. His choice. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/35 "2023-06-14T03:01:18Z")
Good thing he wasn’t hosting the old version of “The Price is Right”. Then he’d have to purchase his going away portfolio. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/36 "2023-06-14T03:03:59Z")
I seem to remember him disparaging the show a long time ago. He said something about, if you listen closely enough you can hear brain cells hitting the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/37 "2023-06-14T03:15:03Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > May I be the first to nominate Mayim Bialik as either Pat’s or Vanna’s replacement? She should replace Vanna but only if she dresses as Amy Farrah Fowler. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/38 "2023-06-14T11:30:53Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I seem to remember him disparaging the show a long time ago. He said something about, if you listen closely enough you can hear brain cells hitting the floor. Sorry, he disparaged Wheel of Fortune? I kind of suspect he ended up not doing the job he really wanted to do in Hollywood…but getting paid big-time so who really cares? I wouldn’t disparage my only source of massive income. I’m actually kind of surprised Wheel of Fortune has been so popular. I mean, it’s not that original or interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/39 "2023-06-14T12:40:59Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > One thing I find interesting is that Sajak [was one of the jockeys that followed Adrian Cronauer’s stint as a DJ at AFVN radio Saigon](https://www.uso.org/stories/283-wheel-of-fortune-host-pat-sajak-recounts-his-days-as-an-army-dj) and utilized Cronauer’s famous greeting each morning (“GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!”). Trivia: Cronauer started using the greeting as a way to fill airtime while preparing to start his program. My source is a radio interview with Cronauer, in which he performed the greeting as he would have on AFVN; when the greeting was over, he described what he would have been doing in the booth up to the point of starting to play a record. The actual greeting was much longer than what Robin Williams said. [Unfortunately, this particular interview is not among the host’s archives.](https://harrisonline.com/?s=cronauer&x=0&y=0) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401/40 "2023-06-14T16:23:28Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > > [@Lancia](#): > > > > One thing I find interesting is that Sajak [was one of the jockeys that followed Adrian Cronauer’s stint as a DJ at AFVN radio Saigon](https://www.uso.org/stories/283-wheel-of-fortune-host-pat-sajak-recounts-his-days-as-an-army-dj) and utilized Cronauer’s famous greeting each morning (“GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!”). > > Trivia: Cronauer started using the greeting as a way to fill airtime while preparing to start his program. My source is a radio interview with Cronauer, in which he performed the greeting as he would have on AFVN; when the greeting was over, he described what he would have been doing in the booth up to the point of starting to play a record. The actual greeting was much longer than what Robin Williams said. > > [Unfortunately, this particular interview is not among the host’s archives.](https://harrisonline.com/?s=cronauer&x=0&y=0) And he certainly wasn’t the goofy radio guy shown in the movie. What he did do was play the music the troops wanted instead of what was played before. I did love the movie at the time but it was complete fiction. What was on air in the movie was closer to the pirate radio show by Dave Rabbit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-sajak-to-retire/985401.md?page=3)