Watch: Vanna White’s First ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Spin as Host Nearly Landed on ‘Bankrupt’

Vanna White had some growing pains during her first show as host of Wheel of Fortune. The longtime puzzle board controller began her stint as host Monday after having to step in for Pat Sajak as he recovered from emergency surgery in November. When it came to her first time spinning the beloved wheel, she had a moment where she believed the special occasion had landed on “Bankrupt.”

In a clip from ABC News, viewers can see the moment (around :55 mark) when White mistakenly thinks the Wheel landed on Bankrupt, though she was simply looking at the wrong arrow.

“On my first spin,” she said, mistakenly thinking she had landed on “Bankrupt” for her first shot.

She then realized her mistake and added with a laugh, “Oh whoa. No! I’m looking at the wrong arrow… How do you do this show?”

White will be hosting the fame show during its beloved Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway, and also relied on Disney characters Mickie and Minnie Mouse for help with the puzzle board in her first two episodes.

“Hello, hello and welcome to Wheel,” White said in her greetings at the start of Monday’s episode. “As I’m sure most of you know by now, Pat [Sajak] is recovering from surgery and hopes to come back real soon.”

Ahead of the start of her episodes as host, White opened up about the scary moment when she found out about Sajak’s medical emergency. The longtime television has underwent surgery in November for a blocked intestine.

“It was horrible, just horrible,” she recalled of hearing the news. “We’ve been together 37 years, and it’s not the same — we are a team. We’re together. It just felt weird with him not being here on the set.

“You think the worst, because you never know when you’re going in for surgery. You never know what’s going to happen,” she added.

After finding out her friend would be OK, White faced the task of stepping in for him for three weeks of recovery – meaning Sajak will not return as host until the New Year.

“I was like, ‘What? No. You’re kidding, right?’ He goes, ‘No, I’m serious,’” she remembered when she was asked to host the show. “And my first thought was, ‘There’s no way.’ I don’t pay attention to Pat.”

“I’m busy with my letters and my puzzle board,” she added with a laugh. “I mean, I’m hearin’ him, but I don’t really pay that much attention.”

“Those three weeks without him was very hard. I really missed him,” she added. “I just can’t imagine doing this show without him, you know? And I hope he feels the same with me.”