Vanna White to Compete on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

For just the second time in her 40-year Wheel of Fortune career, Vanna White is stepping away from the letter board and up to the wheel. White is set to compete as a contestant on an upcoming episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune set to air next month, ABC recently confirmed.

When White joins the show as a contestant, she will have some stiff competition. During the episode, set to air on Wednesday, May 10, White will compete against fellow game show hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, who currently host Jeoaprdy!, with Jennings having been a former Jeopardy! competitor. The three game show hosts-turned-contestants will be playing for their charities of choice, with White playing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Jennings for the Equal Justice Initiative, and Bialik for the Mental Wealth Alliance. All of the money the celebrity contestants win will be awarded to their respective charity.

White’s upcoming stint as a competitor will come just months after she celebrated 40 years with Wheel of Fortune. Back on Dec. 13, the long-time letter-turner marked the special anniversary, sharing a slideshow of two images that showed her and Pat Sajak in the current day and a throwback from one of Wheel‘s earliest episodes.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but 40 years ago today I taped my first episode of [Wheel of Fortune],” she captioned the post. “It’s been a wonderful 40 years, too! I’m so grateful to those of you who watch and everyone behind the scenes who make us look good. We wouldn’t still be here without all of you! (And the cake was delicious!)”

White, who began her career as a model while studying fashion, competing in Miss Georgia USA in 1978, joined Wheel of Fortune in 1982 and has served as the game’s letter-turner ever since, being made permanent hostess just two months after joining the game show. Longtime host Sajak, meanwhile, has hosted versions of Wheel of Fortune since 1981 when he took over for Chuck Woolery. The syndicated version with Sajak and White has been airing since September 1983. 

While the May 10 episode will mark a big change for White, it will not be the first time she has taken her shot as a contestant. White previously competed as a contestant on a 1997 episode, competing alongside Sajak as late Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek took over hosting duties.