‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Roast Vanna White for Mistake During First Solo Hosting Episode

Wheel of Fortune viewers tuned into Monday night’s episode to see Vanna White host the game show by herself for the first time in the show’s history amid a temporary medical hiatus from Pat Sajak. It appeared as if White, 62, was a natural at the gig until Final Spin, where she only spun the wheel about halfway around a full rotation. That wheel is heavy!” she commented.

The moment may have gone unnoticed until another awkward mishap immediately after, when she misread the prize amount, looking at the wrong arrow.

“Oh no! My first spin, look at that,” she said, mistakenly thinking the arrow was pointing to “Bankrupt,” when in reality it landed on $500.

“Oh no, I’m looking at the wrong arrow!” she exclaimed, following it up with a joke: “How do you do this show?”

One viewer shared the slightly awkward moment on Twitter, where it quickly gained traction.

“She’s only been on the show for nearly 40 years, give her a break,” one user cracked.

Another user pointed out that if the final spin lands on “Bankrupt” then “the emcee just spins again. Nobody loses any money.”

Others defended White, saying the misstep was “cute” and that she was bound to make a mistake or two her first time hosting the game show.

“That’s so precious,” someone said.

“hahaha I love how she played it off though,” another said.

“give her a break! [shaking my head] wouldn’t you be nervous hosting a game show? mistakes happen!” someone else wrote.

Another person argued that Sajak is just as “super awkward” as White, even after 36 seasons on the job.

White stepped in for Sajak for about three weeks’ worth of episodes after he underwent emergency surgery on a blocked intestine in November. Sajak, 73, reportedly returned to work last week.

Last week, White told The New York Times that she was “very nervous” filling in for the longtime host. “Normally I just stand there and I turn my letters, and I’m just happy as cam be not having to worry about anything else,” she explained. “But here I am controlling the game, so logistically it was much harder.”

While White’s first show was a bit bumpy, fans will undoubtedly see her become more comfortable as she gets more practice.

Viewers can expect to see White through this week and up until Dec. 20. Then a series of pre-surgery, Sajak-led taped episodes will air through the holidays until White returns on Jan. 6 through Jan. 10.

Sajak will return on Monday, Jan. 13.