Credit: ITMIt was only a couple of days ago that legendary Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak announced that he would be retiring after 41 seasons – but Whoopi Goldberg is already gunning for that job.
The subject came up on The View yesterday, when new Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings made an appearance to chat with the ladies.
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Naturally, as the subject of the last heated battle for America’s Next Beloved Game Show Host, they asked Jennings who he thought should be the next host of Wheel of Fortune after Sajak’s retirement at the end of the year.
Before co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin could even finish the question, Whoopi Goldberg cut in: “I want that job.”
Whoopi Goldberg Announces She Wants Pat Sajak’s Job
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For his part, Jennings replied that he hoped that “Wheel’s got an envelope that says what to do” when the host leaves, especially given what happened when Alex Trebek was forced to step down from Jeopardy!
Joy Behar simply responded reiterating Whoopi Goldberg’s assertion – as did Goldberg herself, as she specified:
“I want that job. I think it would be lots of fun.”
This would not be Goldberg’s first spin on a game show: the famous actress not only produced the 1998 reboot of the game show hit Hollywood Squares, she also played as the center square for its entire six-year run.
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The job of Wheel of Fortune host is likely to be far less contentious than that of Jeopardy! host, for reasons that are difficult to articulate. The challenge of a game show like those is for the host to run the show without becoming wholly synonymous with it.
This is much easier for a show like Wheel of Fortune, which is primarily about the wheel and the players, than it is for Jeopardy!, which is and always will be about the questions the host is asking. Not to mention, Wheel has Vanna White, who – despite suggestions that Sara Haines and Joy Behar would replace her to go along with Whoopi – plans to remain where she is for the time being.
The race has only just begun, and we’ll surely see many more interesting names to consider in the coming year, but Whoopi Goldberg will probably be among them.
Who do you think should be the next Wheel of Fortune host? Sound off in the comments below.