I really think that someday
when Pat Sajak and Vanna White retire from Wheel
of Fortune, and Alex Trebek retires from Jeopardy, it will destabilize America.
These two shows have been
an institution for over 30 years, the perfect shows to watch casually in that
hour between finishing the dinner dishes and the start of prime time. We
usually have them on unless we’re doing something else. I’m usually reading or
doing something else at the same time but it’s still fun to watch both.
It’s amusing to watch Wheel of Fortune and see contestants try
to guess “Thing” from “____D_L_.” It’s fun to see people win the $30,000 at the
end and dream about what we’d do with it. It’s fun to see people miss solving
the puzzle while getting one letter wrong. And tell me Vanna White does not
have the sweetest gig in all of showbiz. (Wheel
of Fortune is an institution so I don’t understand why the cable guide
describes it as something like “Merv Griffin’s version of hangman.” You don’t
know what Wheel of Fortune is, a show
that airs in some form in dozens of countries and languages, but you get the
references to Merv Griffin and hangman?)
It’s also entertaining to
watch Jeopardy and feel smart when
you get a question and stupid when you have no idea what they’re talking about.
Both games are like a crossword puzzle; they keep your mind active. Like a lot
of people, I think about auditioning for Jeopardy,
just to see how much I could win. I get some of the questions at home but I’m
sure it’s harder to do when you’re on that stage. I don’t have the personality
for a game show and like Dorothy Zbornak, I don’t know that America would root
for me.
Eventually, these shows
will end and then what? They could continue with new hosts but that doesn’t
always work. The Price Is Right went
on without Bob Barker, Janice and Holly, but what’s the point? They were the
whole show. What would the point of Wheel
of Fortune or Jeopardy be without
the hosts? Who’s going to banter with contestants and turn those letters
besides Pat and Vanna? And can you imagine anybody besides Alex Trebek quizzing
people on 18th century French literature?
Hi Brian,
ReplyDeleteI am right with you! I watch both shows every night! I almost made it onto Wheel of Fortune back in the 80s.
I hope all is well with you!