40 Little-Known Facts About The Gorgeous Wheel Of Fortune Hostess Vanna White

Wheel of Fortune isn’t the only iconic game show that White has graced with her presence. Yes, you may not know it, but the star actually made her TV debut on a 1980 episode of The Price is Right. After being picked from the audience to “come on down,” White sadly went home empty-handed. Don’t worry, though, she’s done pretty well for herself since then!

White undoubtedly believes in paying it forward. You need only look at the way she’s used her celebrity status to raise a significant amount of money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. And that’s not all. The game show queen has handed over nearly $2 million of her own hard-earned cash, and she also pays regular visits to the Memphis facility.

In 1993 Samsung Electronics learned that you mess with White at your peril. The star filed a lawsuit against the corporation after it released an advert containing a letter-spinning robot that looked eerily similar to the real-life hostess. In fact, White ended up taking Samsung all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for violating her personal rights. And she was awarded just over $400,000 when it ruled in her favor.

Don’t ever expect White to appear in one of those “stars who re-wore the same outfit” lists. The game show icon has sported a different dress for each of the nearly-7,000 Wheel of Fortune episodes she’s taped since 1982. Yep, you read that correctly! And no, White sadly doesn’t get to take any of them home. But then again: does anyone really have enough room for that many dresses?

Long before crocheting became in vogue, White liked nothing more than picking up a needle in her downtime. The star learned the craft as a youngster from her grandma and has passed on what she knows to her daughter, too. Plus, the hostess is so passionate about the hobby that she’s even created her own yarn line, Vanna’s Choice.

In 1987 White found herself in the pages of Playboy magazine – even though she’d never actually modeled for the publication, that is. The scantily-clad photos that appeared had been taken by an independent photographer some years previously. Hugh Hefner later decided to capitalize on White’s Wheel of Fortune success by buying and publishing the “before they were famous” pics.

Several years before White landed the Wheel of Fortune gig that would launch her to national fame, she ventured into the crazy world of beauty pageanting. Yes, the gorgeous 20-something young woman competed in 1978’s annual Miss Georgia contest. But she unfortunately wasn’t crowned the winner.

In December 2019 White briefly took over as Wheel of Fortune host while Pat Sajak got over his surgery. But this wasn’t the first time that the star had moved to a different part of the studio. You may well remember that she took on the same role for a bonus round back in 1996. Sajak was again out of action at the time, as a throat infection had left him voiceless.

Although Wheel of Fortune appears on our screens every weekday, its filming is condensed into a very short timeframe. A month’s-worth of episodes are taped in just four days, in fact, leaving White and host Pat Sajak with plenty of downtime. It’s alright for some, eh?

In a 2021 interview with website Page Six, White explained why it’s so important for her to stay in shape. She said, “I do wardrobe fittings once a month, and for 38 years I’ve had to fit into those dresses because they’re sample sizes. So I’m afraid of getting to the studio one day and not being able to fit in those dresses.”

In 2013 White entered Guinness World Records for a rather extraordinary feat. According to the reference book, the Wheel of Fortune host has officially clapped her hands more than any other person in history. White was estimated to have racked up more than 3.4 million claps at the time thanks to her long-running game show stint, averaging just over 600 in each episode.

White left her Wheel of Fortune audition in 1982 believing that she’d messed up her chances of fame. In 2007 she told the newspaper Grand Forks Herald, “My knees were shaking; my mouth was quivering; I could hardly talk.” Luckily, the show’s creator, Merv Griffin, could see through all of the nerves and offered her the gig, rather aptly on the day before Thanksgiving.

Here’s a novel way of telling the world that you’re expecting. In 1992 a Wheel of Fortune contestant gave the right answer of “Vanna’s Pregnant” for one of the hit show’s puzzles. This was the first time that the public had heard the news.

White was actually christened Vanna Marie Rosich back in 1957. Her more familiar surname comes from her stepdad, Herbert Stackley White Jr., who adopted her as a two-year-old. The star’s biological father, Miguel Rosich, had left her mother, Joan, just a few months after she’d given birth.

As you would expect, White gets to see the correct phrase for each Wheel of Fortune question before an episode starts taping. She needs to know which big block to turn around, after all. But there was one particular time when a forgetful White ended up spinning around the wrong one. And the puzzle had to be binned as a result. Whoops!

Throughout her career, White has had the honor of being referenced in several songs. D.J. David Kolin was the first notable name to mention her on record with 1987’s “Vanna, Pick Me A Letter.” “Weird Al” Yankovic then followed suit a year later with “Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White.” And in 2000 Nelly mentioned the hostess in his party anthem “Ride wit Me.”

White was so popular back in the mid-1980s that she even had a phenomenon named after her: “Vannamania.” It was basically how people put their obsession with her into words. We’re talking about a time when you couldn’t pass a newsstand without seeing her face, after all. But it wasn’t just the Wheel of Fortune that made White this popular. The star had a shopping channel range and perfume, too.

White has two children from her 13-year marriage to George Santo Pietro, the restaurateur she split from in 2002. And the star often took son Nikko and daughter Gigi to her workplace to show them what mommy does. In fact, White has regularly uploaded throwback photos on social media of the siblings looking excited to be on Wheel of Fortune’s iconic set. And it looks like she’s found true happiness — and that’s not to mention her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, John Donaldson.

White may have spent her entire life in the good ol’ United States of America. But her heritage has a slightly more international flavor. Thanks to her biological father, Miguel Rosich, she has Puerto Rican ancestry. Plus, the Wheel of Fortune star has roots in both Germany and Italy as well.

There was a time when the Wheel of Fortune hostess called Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner a friend. That all changed, of course, when he purchased and published photos of a semi-naked White without her consent. Unsurprisingly, the game show icon ended up filing a lawsuit against both Hefner and his publication for tainting her public profile, although she eventually decided to drop both cases.

Back in the 1980s, Troma was the go-to studio if you were after some unashamedly trashy B-movie horror. And one of its most successful releases of the decade just happened to star the future quiz show icon. Yep, White played Doris in Graduation Day – the 1981 slasher about a serial killer targeting a school’s athletics team.

White was left grief-stricken in 1986 when her boyfriend lost his life in a plane crash. John Gibson died when the rental aircraft he was piloting burst into flames close to Van Nuys Airport. Earlier in the decade, Gibson had enjoyed a year-long stint in The Young and the Restless playing a stripper – a job he had also done in real life.

Back in 1996 Wheel of Fortune was chosen as one of the sponsors for the Olympic Games in Atlanta. And as a result, White and host Pat Sajak were given one of the ultimate honors: they were both asked to hold the famous Olympic torch during its relay trip across America.

White has always been one of the most stylish stars of daytime television. And that’s hardly surprising when you consider her background. Before leaving home for the bright lights of Los Angeles, the Wheel of Fortune hostess first took on a career in modeling. She also honed her sense of style at the Atlanta School of Fashion.

In 1993 White guested on an episode of Married… with Children, which gender-reversed the storyline of box-office hit movie Indecent Proposal. She played Coco, who is one of Al Bundy’s considerably rich exes in the hit sitcom. And aping Robert Redford’s lothario, her character offered an obscene amount of money for the opportunity to get into bed with the notorious grouch.

White relocated to Los Angeles at the tail end of the 1970s to chase her acting dreams. But within the year, tragic circumstances forced her back to her South Carolina hometown. The star’s mother, Joan, had heartbreakingly been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, and White helped to nurse her until she passed away.

Chances are that White would still be completely unknown if she hadn’t attended a taping of the TV variety series Dance Fever back in 1982. Why? Well, it was here that Janet Jones, the future wife of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, introduced White to a colleague of Wheel of Fortune creator, Merv Griffin. And the new contact encouraged the young star-in-the-making to audition for the quiz show. The rest is history!

White had little more than $1,000 in her pocket when she moved from her South Carolina hometown to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. So, like every other unknown with Hollywood dreams, she had to take on a regular job to make ends meet. Yep, once upon a time, the quiz show hostess earned her cash not by spinning letters but by waiting tables.

Turns out that White is something of a triple threat. As well as acting and spinning letters, the star also has an impressive set of pipes. White first displayed her singing talents when she lent her voice to Santa’s Last Ride in 1996. The festive storybook also featured Happy Days star Tom Bosley and music from Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse and John Williams.

White had only been famous for five years when she decided to publish her memoir, Vanna Speaks. In a 1987 promotional interview with the Chicago Tribune newspaper, the hostess dismissed the argument that it was too early to be writing a life story. She said, “The book has given people an opportunity to get to know me. It shows that I’ve experienced the same things in life that you’ve experienced.”

You know you’ve made it when you have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. White was given the honor in 2006 in front of some of the quiz show world’s biggest names, too – from Wheel of Fortune creator, Merv Griffin, to the legendary Jeopardy! presenter Alex Trebek.

White has had plenty of chances to display her funny bones on TV over the years. In 1982 she guested on the short-lived Star of the Family and has since appeared in the likes of Gimme a Break!, 227, Just Shoot Me! and The King of Queens. Her last sitcom credit came in 2017 with Fresh off the Boat.

The letters on Wheel of Fortune aren’t the only things that White enjoys turning over. Yes, when she’s not busy crocheting, the star likes to spend her spare time buying into the property market. In 2018 the quiz show hostess told the website MarketWatch, “I’ve used my income to invest in some apartment buildings, and I like flipping houses.”

Renowned for his performances in TV drama series The Rat Patrol, Christopher George proved to be a valuable career advisor for White back when she was starting out. The actor had been a close friend of White’s mother, and so he looked out for the aspiring star when she moved to Los Angeles. As White recalls in her memoir, Vanna Speaks, George once warned, “You can’t get a job in this town lying on your back.”

In a slightly awkward turn of events, White’s friend Vicki Iovine also went for the Wheel of Fortune gig. But the show’s creator, Merv Griffin, apparently believed White had more of a natural bond with Pat Sajak. Everything worked out in the end, though, as Iovine went on to write and produce the hit TV series Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce.

You’d expect two people who’ve worked together for nearly 40 years to have had the odd squabble. But White insists she’s never had an argument with Wheel of Fortune colleague Pat Sajak. In 2021 she told Page Six, “Maybe because we don’t see each other for two weeks at a time, and then we see each other for a couple of days, and then we don’t see each other.” We know what you’re thinking: perhaps that’s the secret to a happy marriage, too!

White had probably forgotten all about her first film by the time it finally hit the screen. Gypsy Angels went direct to VHS in 1989 after having been shot nine years earlier. The decision was no doubt brought on by White’s game show fame. And people crushing on the star would have got to see a lot more of her in this movie, that’s for sure!

In 1994 White added the final part of Leslie Nielsen’s spoof trilogy, The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, to her list of acting credits. The star can be seen alongside “Weird Al” Yankovic – the man who once wrote a song about her – in the award ceremony scene. Her other film credits include Looker, Goddess of Love and Double Dragon.

With Vannamania at its peak in 1988, White also aligned herself with a very different type of mania. That’s right: the quiz show hostess became an unlikely scene-stealer at WrestleMania IV after accepting an invitation to show up at the annual brawl. As well as offering her thoughts backstage, she also joined Bob Uecker in the ring while dressed in a sparkly leopard-print get-up.

It will be a sad day for everyone when White eventually leaves Wheel of Fortune but especially for the hostess herself. In a 2018 chat with MarketWatch, the star revealed she’d be happy to keep spinning letters for the rest of her life. White said, “After I retire, I will probably do something philanthropic. If I could do it [work] forever, I would, because I do love my job.”

And what’s not to love? In fact, of all the programs on TV, game shows such as Wheel of Fortune hold a special place in our hearts. But just like with their hosts and hostesses, there’s much more to these beloved shows than meets the eye. So from drunk hosts to participants Googling their answers, here are 40 secrets that producers would rather keep quiet.

You don’t always get the prizes you win – as one Price is Right contestant discovered. A Reddit user claimed that though they won a haul including movie tickets and an iPad, the show’s staff handed them the cash equivalent instead. But that’s allegedly at the discretion of the show’s producers. Apparently, you can’t just ask for cash.

If you’re lucky enough to win a CBS game show – including The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune – it’ll be your last for a while. According to Ranker, there’s a whopping decade-long ban on winners appearing on any other program on the network. You can go to a taping, but don’t expect to be winning prizes any time soon.

Winning a lifetime’s supply of anything sounds like a great deal, right? Well, that all depends on how you measure a life. One Reddit user who said they’d been a contestant on the Australian Wheel of Fortune show received a lifetime supply of WD40 oil. And it amounted to four whole cans. Apparently, each one lasts 20 years…

In some cases, a lifetime supply can mean exactly that. One Redditor claimed that their partner won a lifetime supply of Butterfinger bars as a kid. Hundreds of them subsequently landed on her doorstep. And while many were eaten, most were given away or thrown in the trash. She reportedly never ate the candy again. So, technically, it did last a lifetime.

Ever wondered why the audience so often gives the wrong answer on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Well, apparently it’s deliberate, according to one Reddit user who said that they’d been a contestant. They claimed that the crowd is made up of the family and friends of the potential players. So, the quicker the person in the hot-seat leaves, the more likely their loved one will get a shot at a million dollars.

You know that famous traveling quiz show with an instant prize called Cash Cab? Well, while the winners might look like they get to walk away with a wad of green, it’s actually fake money, according to a Redditor. Instead, the winners get a check in the mail after their episode has aired.

Auditions for The X-Factor are notoriously awkward and hilarious – often featuring the deluded and disillusioned alongside the more talented potentials. This is how open auditions work, right? Wrong: a Redditor claims that all auditionees actually see a set of pre-show judges before making it onto the celeb judges part. Only the most TV-worthy get to see how short Simon Cowell really is.

We all know that canned laughter is sometimes used on sitcoms to beef up the reactions. But did you know that competitions including The X-Factor do something very similar? One Reddit user claimed that the Aussie version of the show pre-tapes the audience reactions before any act reaches the stage, and they then use them in the broadcast.

While late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was supremely chatty during the episodes, contestants found that he was entirely silent between takes. But that’s not because he was unfriendly, you understand. Trebek was actually banned from talking to contestants when the cameras were off, to avoid even the smallest whiff of collusion. Why? Well, back in the 1950s quiz shows were mired in scandals, and Congress subsequently amended the Communications Act to make cheating an offense.

Shows such as Jeopardy! air on a daily basis, though they aren’t necessarily filmed that way. According to one Reddit user, the program’s producers film multiple episodes at a time, and they are broadcast at a rate of one per day. This means that returning contestants must bring different outfits to wear so that it looks as if they came back a few days in a row.

Something rather unique apparently occurs during the taping of Wheel of Fortune. It’s filmed live, as you would expect, but that also includes the ads which appear during the commercial breaks. But we didn’t get to the odd part yet. While the commercials are playing, one Redditor claimed that contestants have to turn their backs so that they don’t spend extra time looking at the board. Weird, right?

Being able to drive away in a shiny new car is one of The Price is Right’s most appealing draws. But, as it turns out, you might not get the gleaming vehicle that was sat in front of you during your time on the show. One Reddit user who claimed they’d been a contestant reported receiving a call from a local dealership after their episode aired. Apparently, the person instead received a gift card which amounted to the car’s value.

The MasterChef franchise makes its contestants look as though they’re all excellent cooks who can complete intricate challenges in ridiculously small amounts of time. But one audience member watching the Aussie version told Yahoo Lifestyle that this might not be the case. According to Melbourne mom Donna De La Rue, contestants all have assistants who taste the food and clean up after the messy cooks are done.

Producers for MasterChef Australia apparently have some interesting tricks up their sleeves. During the episodes, the contestants frantically attempt to make delicious dishes before time runs out. But, it seems, not all cooks work at the same speed. Melbourne mother Donna De La Rue told Yahoo Lifestyle that some finish in lightning-quick time. Though she claimed that the episodes are edited to make it look as if they all finish together.

There is one huge catch to winning anything on a TV quiz show. And that’s tax. Yup, any prizes won are considered earned income in the U.S., which means you have to pay upfront before receiving any of your haul. As per E! Online, one victorious quizzer turned down a $10,000 prize because he didn’t want to split it with his ex-wife. You have been warned.

Producers on The Price is Right wanted comedian Drey Carey to be popular with the audience when he took over hosting duties in 2007. So they came up with a novel way of doing just that. To smooth the transition, easier games were introduced – leading to more winners. In turn, showrunners hoped that goodwill would rub off on the new presenter. There was one problem with that strategy, though. While viewers loved Carey, the show was $700,000 over budget by January the following year, according to E! Online. Popularity, it seems, is very expensive.

Over the years, we’ve seen countless kids get covered in slime on Nickelodeon’s game shows. But it’s not just youngsters who’ve had the pleasure of getting covered in neon-colored goo. Thanks to the network’s Kids’ Choice Awards, plenty of adult celebrities have been gunked – including Will Smith, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato. Though it could be worse. According to one Reddit user, the green stuff actually tastes like pineapple.

Back in the 1980s it seems that game show producers were a little more flexible about which prize you actually took home. One Redditor revealed that their mom negotiated a great deal after winning on The Price is Right. She swapped a two-door Pontiac Sunbird for a four-door Sunfire car, a trailer for cash and a grand piano for a much smaller electronic keyboard. Her sons are apparently both musicians now, and they credit the show with their careers.

Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak once revealed that there was often something of a party atmosphere in the studio during the show’s early seasons. And that was mostly due to Sajak and co-host Vanna White being a bit tipsy on-set. The former once told ESPN2, “[White] and I would... have two, three or six [drinks] and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet.”

Shows like The Bachelor franchise are often accused of being scripted and not real in any fashion. Though that isn’t strictly true. According to Cosmopolitan, while there’s no real pre-written dialogue to speak of, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a specific story that producers want to tell. And they apparently achieve this with clever editing.

Contestants on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? are given the option of calling a friend when they get stuck. That pal is then given 30 seconds to come up with an answer. But did you know that they are not prohibited from using Google to help nail down the right option? That’s according to one Reddit user, who claimed that the producers made no mention of banning search engines when he appeared as a lifeline on the show.

Believe it or not, contestants usually receive their prizes only after a game show episode has aired. These programs need advertising revenue, after all. One Reddit user claimed that they were a contestant on a show called Sale of the Century, and it was due to be broadcast on September 12, 2001. They apparently nearly lost out on their winnings after regular programming was suspended following the 9/11 attacks the previous day. Though in their case, the prizes were saved as the program was eventually aired due to a carry-over champion also appearing on that particular episode.

Hit Netflix game show The Floor is Lava – an adults-only remake of a kids’ program – uses a very special goo to represent said liquid magma. Producers have claimed that while the actual recipe is a secret, there is a commercially available product that comes really close to it. And it’s Panda Express Orange Sauce. Turns out you can try this at home!

The judges on MasterChef Australia make it look as though the food they’re eating is straight out of the kitchen. Though it turns out that they are just really good actors. Host Ted Allen explained to Yahoo! TV that the meals in front of them are actually cold – having sat in storage for up to an hour. As a result, judges often try the dishes while they’re being cooked to get an idea of what they really taste like.

This might surprise you, but it turns out that the producers on Survivor have some quite peculiar concerns when it comes to their contestants. According to website The Things, participants are offered birth control during filming to prevent any island-related mishaps. But they only offer it to the female participants. Perhaps they can’t trust the men not to make balloons out of condoms?

Lots of shows make it look as though the judges have the final say during the episodes. Though it turns out that this isn’t always the case. Business Insider claims that it is written into the contracts of lots of shows that the producers can sometimes decide who stays and goes. And it’s pursuant to the most TV-friendly result.

The contestants on Survivor are forced to live on very little food as part and parcel of appearing on the show. Most participants, naturally, accept this situation without question. Others, though, take a slightly different view. According to The Things, contestants broke into the production camp in season 16 and stole some Gatorade and peanut butter from the crew. And you can rest assured that security has been beefed up since that unfortunate incident.

While shows like The Bachelor don’t use scripts, they do sometimes film scenes months after the series is essentially over. Former contestant Sean Lowe revealed in his memoir that he filmed his confessional scenes weeks after the dates had taken place. The participant wrote, “I’d say things like, ‘I’m having a blast with Des tonight, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.’ It wasn’t disingenuous, because I expressed what my true feelings were at the time. Mainly, it was boring.”

The physical challenges on Survivor can be pretty extreme. And yet, they’re always safe for the contestants to use. Though how do we know that? Website The Things notes that producers try every single one of them out on the show’s interns. Talk about learning on the job.

Lots of shows – including Survivor and The Bachelor – use a bunch of TV trickery to make situations appear more dramatic. Case in point: Luke Stone and Chris Harrison’s flower incident. In order to make it appear as though the latter offered a rose to the room, producers recorded the plea and edited it in. As Stone later tweeted, “Just saw [the episode] for the first time and I won’t stand by and let that fly. It’s called a voice-over. Nice try, guys. Chris Harrison did not ‘present my rose’ to the group. In reality, I got shut down, hugged everyone and left ‒ well done, editing team.”

Regardless of who the current Bachelor or Bachelorette may be, there’s always a superstar making a sparkling appearance as the limos pull up on the show’s first night. That’s right, we’re talking about the glossy and glamorous driveway – always shining and shimmering whatever the weather. And believe it or not, there’s no trickery or special bricks. It’s just plain old water sprayed onto the drive before shooting, according to E! Online.

The gorgeous roses given out on The Bachelor franchise always look so fresh it’s as if they’ve just been picked. But, as you’ve probably guessed, that’s not necessarily the case. E! Online notes that those perfect buds are left on ice in the so-called “art room”– away from the cameras. Just to further shatter your illusions, the whole lot is kept in a giant garbage can. And if that’s not a metaphor, we don’t know what is.

Believe it or not, that first night on The Bachelor comes with some strict rules. And despite what looks like free-flowing alcohol available to the contestants, there is, in fact, a rule of two drinks per hour, according to E! Online. Though any alcohol enthusiasts need not be disappointed; Entertainment Weekly notes that filming lasts around ten hours on the first night. Yep, that’s a lot of cocktails.

Of course, if you are lucky enough to make it to the final of a Bachelor series, there’s a good chance that you will get your hands on some pretty serious designer jewelry. A bling-encrusted engagement ring features on every season of the show. But E! Online notes that the diamonds are returned if you and your TV boo break up in less than two years.

Despite Jeopardy!’s enormous popularity and success, there’s one thing they don’t tell contestants until after they’ve been chosen to appear. Turns out that you have to pay for your own flight and accommodation, according to BuzzFeed. Though provided that you come in above third, you should break even.

It seems the judges on Top Chef eat a lot. Like, everything that’s put in front of them. That’s a ton of food. According to E! Online, the secret is a huge amount of fluids. Some former contestants claim that the beverage of choice is water. Others, though, have suggested that it might be something a whole lot stronger.

Top Chef judges apparently spend hours in discussion when they can’t agree on a decision. And when this doesn’t work, Entertainment Weekly claims that they call in a very special assistant. A camera operator called T-Bone reportedly tastes many of the dishes, so he has as good an idea as any of the judges.

Host Padma Lakshmi once revealed just how much food she consumes during a season of Top Chef. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she typically consumes around 8,000 calories a day during filming. For the presenter, that means up to 17 pounds in weight gain every season.

One Redditor, it seems, spilled a huge secret about The Price is Right. Although it might look as though those audience names are being called at random, it turns out they may not be at all. Claiming to have been a former contestant on the show, they alleged that all participants are interviewed prior to the taping.

Perhaps unbelievably, the non-Bachelor/ettes in the show do not have access to hair and makeup services. As per E! Online, they’re pretty much left to their own devices right up until the final. That’s right, those contestants are doing their own hair every episode.