Stars on screen

Checking in with Vanna White

With “Wheel of Fortune” poised to move into a new era, Vanna White will remain a constant of it, at least for a while.

Though host Pat Sajak is leaving after the syndicated, Merv Griffin-created weekday game show’s current 41st season, television’s iconic “letter-spinner” recently signed a deal that will keep her on the program for two more years once Ryan Seacrest assumes Sajak’s former spot. White rarely has been absent from “Wheel “since she joined it in 1982 (though she was absent for a week of shows that aired earlier this month), and she’s also prominent on the “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” edition Wednesdays on ABC, so there had to be interest in keeping her there for consistency .. with a pay hike reportedly a part of her new deal.

Having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Guinness Record as the most frequent clapper in television history – indicating her enthusiastic cheerleading for contestants – White knows firsthand what it’s like to be a game player. Before she began her “Wheel” tenure, she made it to Contestants’ Row on “The Price Is Right,” though she didn’t make it to the stage with host Bob Barker.

Previously a model and a Miss Georgia USA contender, White actually was one of three hostesses who initially worked with Sajak after Susan Stafford left “Wheel.” It only took a couple of months for that position to go solely to her, and though she customarily has held that job, she got a temporary promotion to host when Sajak needed emergency surgery toward the end of 2019. She also hosted the show for a week in early 2020, assisted then by Sajak’s daughter Maggie.