There are few things our industry is more addicted to than arguing about who is the best at a certain skill. We will argue about the Mt. Rushmore of this or a Top Ten of that for hours on end. If we do either one of those for all-time great game show hosts, Pat Sajak is in the discussion, and he is likely at or very near the top. The Wheel of Fortune host will sell off his final vowels soon ending a remarkable 41 year career.
In my mind, Sajak joins the late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek and the legendary Price is Right host Bob Barker as the greatest game show hosts of my generation. With the decline of daily TV game shows, it is very unlikely their place in this discussion will ever be challenged. Go ahead and cast Sajak’s bust for the Game Show Hosts Hall of Fame, if that even exists. Few, if any, have ever done it as smoothly as him.
With all of that in mind, the one thing you learn in the entertainment business is that the show must go on. Game show syndication is big money and, there’s a good chance the owners of TV conglomerates are battling for which gets to show Jeopardy and which gets to show Wheel of Fortune in your market. Most people are not inclined to walk away from that type of money. So, just as Drew Carey followed Bob Barker and the team of Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik flowed Trebek, we need a new Wheel of Fortune Host. I say we choose one from the sports world.
You guessed it, here’s my Top Five.
Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve. This is a two-for-one deal. The Sportscenter duo is a natural team and you could never take SVP’s trusted partner away from him (do not Google: Ryen Russillo).
Van Pelt is as good and smooth as they come, funny but not to the point you forget he’s actually giving you news. Because he is hosting the late Sportscenter, you get to see his vamping and interview skills on full display.
Stanford Steve can not only join Van Pelt in turning the letters but we are given a whole new series for Bad Beats. Can you imagine the contestant that tries to squeeze in one more spin to add to their haul only to hit a Lose A Turn or a Bankrupt? Of course, the contestant next to them solves the puzzle after only earning $200 the entire round. This is gonna be TV gold!
Stephen A. Smith. “YOU PICKED A ‘B’? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! WHERE IN THIS PUZZLE DOES IT LOOK LIKE A ‘B’ FITS? THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!”
Couldn’t you just envision Stephen A shaking his head in disgust at contestant after contestant as they fumble through trying to solve the puzzle? He becomes more and more visibly disgusted as they miss one obvious clue after another to the point he just tosses the cards in the air and demands an entirely new set of contestants. I’m not sure your grandma in Des Moines is ready for this change but it would be highly entertaining!
Joe Buck. This is probably the most realistic and serious candidate that I could offer. Buck’s play-by-play is smooth as silk and he matches that with a very quick wit. Anyone that can so seamlessly jump from sport to sport, the way Buck does, and never miss a beat could pull this off. High level sports play-by-play is one of the more difficult things to do in television. If you can do that well for three hours at a time, a 30 minute show is no sweat.
Charles Barkley. Hear me out on this one. What if you completely changed Wheel of Fortune? Look, I know it has an established track record of massive success but that doesn’t mean the post-Sajak world has to look just like the one before it. Why not bring on one of the most entertaining people on television, a man that never minds making the jokes or being the butt of them. How entertaining would it be seeing Charles try to pronounce some of the words himself?
Rich Eisen. This will sound like an insult but certainly is not intended as one, Eisen seems like a game show host. I’d like to quantify that but I really can’t. He just strikes me as a guy that would be really good in that role. I think Eisen has a comforting voice that makes him seem like a guy you’d invite into your living room.
People I’d Like to See For the Train Wreck: Chris Russo, Pat McAfee, Terry Bradshaw, Shaq, Chris Berman, Michael Waltrip and Tony Kornheiser
As with any Top Five discussion, this is the definitive list and any of your debate points are incorrect. If you think you have a better list than this, guess what? You just hit Lose a Turn.
Ryan Brown is a columnist for Barrett Sports Media, and a co-host of the popular sports audio/video show ‘The Next Round’ formerly known as JOX Roundtable, which previously aired on WJOX in Birmingham. You can find him on Twitter @RyanBrownLive and follow his show @NextRoundLive.
