While Wheel of Fortune contestants were spending their money on vowels, turns out host Pat Sajak was spending his on margaritas.
In an interview on ESPN2′s Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable, Sajak admitted that in the show’s early days, he and co-host Vanna White would enjoy a few drinks during their dinner break during taping. They’d head to a nearby Mexican restaurant, throw back “two or three — or six” margaritas, and return to the studio to finish. Although it varied, Sajak said the average number of drinks was “cuatro.”
Sometimes he and White had “trouble recognizing the alphabet,” though no one ever complained about his performance. “So I guess I did okay,” he said. Sajak explained that back then, the show’s format lent itself to longer breaks between segments, so he and White had several hours to kill during dinner time. But now that he’s gotten older, the 65-year-old insists he’s no longer guilty of drunk hosting.
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