The Untold Truth Of Wheel Of Fortune

"Wheel! Of! Fortune!" Everybody knows the famous chant that begins every episode of the long-running game show. On the air for more than 40 years and still going strong, Wheel of Fortune has gone through a number of changes over the years, and more than a few secrets lurk behind those turning letters. Find out how a little daytime game show launched careers and inspired a nationwide mania before becoming the nighttime standby it is today. 

Shouldn't game shows involve more shopping? That's what the network thought when a new Wheel of Fortune entered development in 1973. The original name was going to be Shopper's Bazaar, because a major part of the show would be contestants using their winnings to shop. To be clear, the shopping wasn't a part of winning more money, like The Price is Right. The contestants would shop for whatever they wanted to win, then play the game to take home an Indian squash blossom necklace or a Pontiac Firebird.

The name didn't make it past the pilot phase, but Wheel of Fortune stuck with the shopping motif for awhile. After playing the game, which was pretty much the same as it is now, the winner would get a chance to blow their cash on a mini shopping spree. They could buy things like redwood patio furniture or a "Mahogany fun tub for two." Though the shopping portion is a faint memory today, it stuck around until 1989, at which point producers evidently realized it isn't all that entertaining to watch someone make a list of goods they'd like to purchase.

Stafford's unhappiness with Wheel of Fortune ran deep in the months before she left. When thinking about her life and job as number one letter turner, she told the Tribune, "I had to ask myself if that was any way for a grown woman to live her life." Instead of trying to land another acting gig or moving on to more modeling, she moved to Houston to work with cancer patients.

In her book Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off!, Stafford recalls the moment she told her boss she was leaving, saying he told her, "Susan, you can't be serious. Even for you, this is a stretch." Later, she became a born-again Christian and allegedly helped Rock Hudson find Jesus on his deathbed.

It's hard to imagine a nation going crazy over someone who mostly stands, smiles, and turns things, but as Wheel of Fortune's popularity soared, so did Vanna White's. In 1986, the show became the most popular syndicated series of all time, reaching more than 30 million viewers. White appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1987 when "Vannamania" was in full swing—the co-host received tons of fan letters and media attention, becoming so popular that people started naming their children after her. "Vanna" was the 8718th most popular girl's name in the U.S. when she joined the show in 1982—and by the following year, its ranking shot up more than 5000 places. With her newfound fame, White started a clothing line and wrote a book; 90% of girls surveyed thought Vanna White was the ultimate role model of 1986.

By 1996, Sajak and White were so thoroughly ingrained as American pop culture icons that they were asked to carry the Olympic torch for that year's Summer Games in Atlanta. As the torch passed through much of the country, it was carried by "Community and Local Heroes," with the occasional famous face popping up here and there. Though Sajak and White were obviously notable enough to earn an Olympic invitation, they still had to pay $3,000 each for their turn with the flame. 

Pat Sajak has stayed at the helm on the nighttime version of Wheel for decades, but he did leave the daytime version for a period of time. While Sajak was taping his short-lived nighttime talk show The Pat Sajak Show in 1990, producer Merv Griffin relieved him of his daytime hosting duties, subbing in former San Diego Chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke—who admitted he'd never watched the show and didn't really know how the game was played. After he was fired, Benirschke didn't seem too upset, shrugging, "I didn't pursue this to begin with. I enjoyed it, and I would consider other things, but I'm not going to pursue. My lifestyle here (in San Diego) is too precious to me."

After Benirschke's ouster, Griffin hired Bob Goen, a seasoned gameshow host and sports broadcaster, but even with Goen's experience, it still didn't work. In an interview, Goen looked back on his experience, saying, "We were the poor stepsister to the night-time syndicated version with Pat and Vanna. They were making millions and giving away BMWs, while we were stuck with $50 spaces on the wheel and giving away GEO Metros. It was a bit of an embarrassment, and I think, the ultimate demise of my version of the show." The daytime Wheel was off the air by 1991.