Is It True That Vanna White and Pat Sajak Barely Work? ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Behind the Scenes

Pat Sajak and Vanna White are known worldwide for hosting Wheel of Fortune — one of the most beloved game shows of the last four decades. The hangman-esque, crossword puzzle-inspired game features Pat Sajak — and all of his quippy banter — as the man with a mic. As for Vanna White, she clicks on each box in the puzzle to reveal the phrase one letter at a time, while managing small-talk with Sajak at the tail end of each episode.  

Though Wheel of Fortune is basically on every night, right after Jeopardy with Alex Trebek, the two people you see every night on the screen get most of their filming done in a very brief amount of time.

Let’s just say that when it comes to famous and rich people working in Tinseltown, Vanna White and Pat Sajak have got it made. Sajak has an estimated net worth of $65 million, mostly due to his work on Wheel of Fortune, while Vanna White is estimated to be worth about $60 million, yet the two spend much of their Wheel of Fortune-made lifestyles living the dream. 

How often do Pat Sajak and Vanna White work on ‘Wheel of Fortune?’ 

Pat Sajak and Vanna White may tape up to six episodes a week, but they are only expected on set four days out of the month, as MentalFloss notes; if they are on set 4 days per month at 12 months per year, they would theoretically be on set 48 days out of the entire year. Yet, it gets better! They only work nine months out of the year, as FantasticFacts notes; meaning, they work 36 days per year on Wheel of Fortune. 

If you compare that to someone who works a regular 9 – 5, the difference is astounding. Most people work over 200 days out of the year — after subtracting for vacation time, sick leave, and more. 

As WLKY notes, Pat Sajak and Vanna White are expected on set two Thursdays and Two Fridays out of the month. Pat Sajak once joked about the easy-breezy schedule, stating: 

It’s the closest thing you can do in pretending you have a full-time job. In dog years I’ve only done this show about nine years.

WLKY

The question is: if the duo is only coming into work four days out of the month, how are they taping all the episodes that premiere in a given calendar year? Vanna White explained that they must tape six episodes per day. So, while they aren’t busy very often, once they get to work, they work hard and fast. 

Many people envy their schedule, and the two do not take it for granted, as working four days out of the month and raking in that much money is definitely a lifestyle many would dream of. However, this is not to say that they aren’t involved in other projects.

Vanna White used to buy and flip houses a while back, and she has also appeared as herself in a handful of shows. Sajak was formerly a weatherman who used to host The Pat Sajak Show, and he has appeared in Sullivan & Son, Fresh Off the Boat, Mission of Mercy, and more.