‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Are Not Taking It Easy on Vanna White’s First Hosting Appearance Amid Pat Sajak’s Health Scare

About a month after it was reported that Pat Sajak would need to take some time off from Wheel of Fortune due to a health scare, Vanna White has officially stepped into his hosting shoes during the Dec. 9 episode. And while White, with some help from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, did her best filling in for Sajak during the episode, some viewers weren’t convinced that she was ready for the hosting opportunity.

“Vanna seems uncomfortable as host and it’s making it awkward to watch [sic],” one viewer said.

Another viewer took a rather blunt approach to their commentary. “Vanna White is a trainwreck,” they wrote.

One viewer said that the episode was rather “weird” because White was hosting the show. But, at least they acknowledged that she is indeed new at this whole hosting thing. “Watching Vanna host Wheel of Fortune is cool but weird,” they wrote. “Very weird. She’s not bad, but she doesn’t do the back and forth banter with the contestants, so it feels a tad less personal. But hey, she’s new at this.”

White wasn’t the only one who got a little criticism. Some viewers weren’t too pleased to see that Minnie Mouse, who was filling in for White’s usual gig, wasn’t actually touching the letter tiles when they lit up (the show explained that Minnie was using a little Disney magic to help out). Yes, really.

“Vanna White is subbing for Pat and Minnie Mouse is doing a terrible job as her replacement,” one viewer tweeted. “She’s not even walking to the letters, just pointing.”

Another viewer agreed. “Minnie Mouse is on letter duty tonight on [Wheel Of Fortune] and she’s not even “turning” them. Lazy,” they wrote.

Even though there were many who criticized both White and Minnie Mouse, there were plenty of others who congratulated the guest host (and her Disney helper) on a job well done.

“I gotta give it up for Vanna,” yet another viewer related on Twitter. “She did pretty good for her first time :).”

On Nov. 8, it was reported that Sajak would miss some episode of Wheel of Fortune due to a health issue (he underwent successful surgery to correct a blocked intestine), per The Hollywood Reporter. At the time, it was announced that White would fill in for the longtime host while he recovers.

Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage