Is the Wheel hard to spin? What`s Vanna really like? Is Pat a nice guy?
Here are answers to some of the most-frequently asked ”Wheel of Fortune”
questions:
The Wheel: Last month, fantasy mixed with reality when the soap opera
”Santa Barbara” showed one of its characters, Gina (Robin Mattson),
”winning big” on ”Wheel of Fortune.” During one dream sequence, Gina visited the studio and was awestruck at her first glimpse of the glamorous, glittering wheel. But in reality, the wheel looks dingy and dog-eared and surprisingly small-until showtime. Then, when it`s your turn to spin, it suddenly becomes big and bulky and mean-spirited. Can the wheel be controlled? Possibly-but not by me. I hit ”bankrupt” at least five times (I lost count) and never came close to any of the ”big bucks” spots.
Pat Sajak: The guy is all eyes. At home, they look twinkly-brown and friendly. In person, they`re steely-blue and riveting. Sajak is an
exceptionally good game-show host because those eyes really ”read” the contestants; he seems to know instinctively when to help and when to back off.
Vanna White: First, answers to the two questions everyone asks about her: (1) Is she really that skinny? (yes); and (2) Is she an airhead? (no). What White appears to be is a woman who works very hard, both on her body (there is nothing anorexic about her weight-trained muscles) and her job, which is made more difficult by the cramped conditions of the ”Wheel” set. The tricky part is the show`s ”live” opening sequence, in which White has just seconds to dash around the studio showing off the right prize to the right camera. In two days of taping, she never made a mistake and she never complained. But she has little of Sajak`s wit and quickness, and probably couldn`t make it as the main host.
Sylvester Stallone: Are all those Vanna-and-Sly rumors true? Maybe, because they looked pretty cozy when they showed up briefly-arm-in-arm-at a dinner buffet for the ”Wheel” staff. Stallone, who had joined White after taping ”The Tonight Show” in an adjacent studio, stopped briefly to chat with a tableful of contestants. ”Y`all look like a pack of divorce lawyers,” he mumbled. Two shows and several hours later, White still was basking in Stallone`s visit. As proof, watch when the credits roll to end the show on June 29, and try to read White`s lips. After she congratulates the winning contestant (me!) on a successful day, she will add, ”and, you got to meet Sylvester Stallone!”
