Pat Sajak, the Cool, Unflappable, Reliable Host, Signs Off
After four decades on the air, Pat Sajak presides over his last episode of “Wheel of Fortune” this week.
If AI were ever prompted to generate an avatar of a game show host, surely the result would be Pat Sajak.
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| Pat Sajak, the Cool, Unflappable, Reliable Host, Signs Off |
Mr. Sajak, 77, presides over his final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday. His departure — as he suggested in a series of televised exit interviews with his daughter,
Maggie Sajak — offers a chance to reappraise what made him such a durable fixture of the American cultural landscape.Mr. Sajak has been with viewers through seven presidents, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the AIDS and Covid pandemics, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the 2008 financial crash, and the rise of the Kardashians. Notably, he has outlasted the internet’s incursions into broadcast television’s long-held primacy.
Through it all, he’s been with the American game show audience, unflappably prompting contestants to choose a consonant or buy a vowel. He calmed contestants as they guessed at Hangman-style word puzzles. He bantered inoffensively with the imperturbable Vanna White in her parade of sparkly gowns. He blandly exchanged quips with an ever-changing roster of celebrity guests as they spun a carnival-style wheel, willing it to clatter past “Lose a Turn” and “Bankruptcy” to land on big money.
Against a backdrop of lives filled with workaday stress and debt, “Wheel of Fortune” was a refuge, notably less a game of chance than a bulwark against everyday humdrum. How oddly easy it is to forget that overdue electric bill as Mr. Sajak asks, in his peppy tenor, “How do you feel about ampersands?”
The World of TV Game Shows
A Thriving Genre: Game shows including “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jeopardy!” and “Family Feud” continue to attract big audiences, even as streaming upends viewing habits.
‘Wheel of Fortune’: For 40 years, contestants on the TV game show staple have hoped to reach the final puzzle, known as the bonus round. Here’s the best strategy to get there.
‘The Traitors’: A cross between “Survivor” and the party game Mafia, the competitive reality show,
hosted by Alan Cumming, arrived on Peacock after the British version became a hit.‘Jeopardy’: Despite the death of its longtime host, Alex Trebek, and the drama over who would replace him, viewership of the show has held mostly steady, emboldening a move to spinoffs and tournaments.
Guy Trebay is a reporter for the Style section of The Times, writing about the intersections of style, culture, art, and fashion. More about Guy Trebay
Pat Sajak, wearing a black suit and white shirt, stands in his usual position on the set of “Wheel of Fortune,” his arms spread out in front of him.
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