Last night, Pat Sajak shared that, after more than 40 years of standing beside contestants spinning and spelling, he would be stepping away from Wheel Of Fortune. Immediately, the speculation around who should take his place felt reminiscent of the recent, tumultuous quest to fill Alex Trebek’s spot at Jeopardy!. However, Jeopardy! is a different animal, requiring a host to appear knowledgeable without being condescending.
Wheel Of Fortune seems like a much easier gig, at least to our outsider eyes. Sajak’s job was mainly to facilitate small talk between rounds and to repeat a letter that a contestant already said. In a notoriously unstable industry, it seems like a supremely comfortable gig, and even if it’s not the most glamorous, it’s probably pretty coveted. So who—or should—it go to? Allow us to speculate.