Pat Sajak Disses ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Shopping Round Days on Air: ‘Most Boring 3 Minutes on TV’

Pat Sajak has been hosting Wheel of Fortune for nearly 40 years, but there’s one segment of the show he wasn’t a big fan of. During the Wednesday night episode of the long-running game show, one contestant reminisced about the show’s shopping rounds, but Sajak was quick to nip that in the bud. “The most boring three minutes of television,” he said.

Wheel of Fortune‘s old format involved players using their winnings to shop a large selection of prizes displayed on a spinning stage, including home goods and other occasionally random items. This element of the game was eliminated from the syndicated version of the show in 1987, which Sajak began hosting in 1982. Speaking to co-host Vanna White of the shopping segments, Sajak said, “I don’t miss them.”

“In retrospect [you think], ‘Oh, that was kind of fun,’ but, really, it was this thing going around with the [contestant’s] head in a circle… It was really not exciting television,” he explained. “We like it just the way it is.” White agreed, noting that the show “is so much better now.”

This quote wasn’t the first time Sajak expressed his dislike for the shopping segment — in the early 2000s, he answered fan questions on his website, PatSajak,com, and shared that he wouldn’t be bringing back the old format. “Trust me, it was the most boring two minutes in television as shoppers hemmed and hawed over whether they wanted the dining room table or the floor lamp,” he wrote, via Fandom.

Last week, the host playfully criticized a contestant who had questioned producers’ word choice in regards to his show-winning puzzle. “Don’t! You won! Don’t argue, Darin! … You got the puzzle. Ungrateful players! I’ve had it!” Sajak exclaimed. “No, I’m just teasing. I finally snapped!”

On Friday, the 74-year-old sent a more upbeat message to fans of the show, teaming with White and announcer Jim Thornton for a video wishing viewers a Merry Christmas.

“Ho ho ho!” Sajak exclaimed as Thornton echoed him. “Maybe I’ll practice my elf,” Sajak remarked before White concluded with, “Happy holidays from ‘Wheel’!” “Sending love and joy to the best fans in the world!” the video’s caption read. “#MerryChristmas, Wheel Watchers!”