A WHEEL of Fortune contestant has stunned host Pat Sajak and viewers at home by revealing she was back 40 years later.
Lisa shared she was removed from the game show the first time, making her win on Friday’s episode even more momentous.
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The Texas native was prompted by Pat, 75 during the interview portion: “Now do your kids know this story I’m about to bring up?”
The lovely bespectacled lady replied: “Absolutely.”
40 years ago, she shared: “I was a contestant, I made it to this point.”
Lisa didn’t make it past the audition round when she first took to the Wheel of Fortune stage in 1982, and told him why.
“I panicked. They said, ‘now say a word’ and I couldn’t speak a word!”
“So, they showed me my seat, and brought in an alternate – and I’ve been waiting for 40 years to get back and here we are!” she exclaimed.
Pat was speechless as Vanna White, 65, clapped in amazement.
“Aw, in the interim you’ve learned to speak beautifully,” the host joked. “Well that’s a nice story,” he added.
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Lisa, who finally made it to her first spin after decades of waiting, won the episode, making it to the bonus round.
Though she didn’t get the final puzzle, she did win $12K and a few fans.
One viewer wrote to Twitter: “Anyone else watching Wheel of Fortune tonight? This girl Lisa back on after 40 years!”
“I’m rooting for Lisa tonight,” gushed another.
PRESTIGE PLAYER!
Last month Jeopardy! fans fondly remembered the past as well – and even further back than the late Alex Trebek who hosted from 1984 until his tragic 2020 passing (Pat began at Wheel in 1982).
Contestant Martha Bath revealed she had played before too, in 1972 during the Art Fleming Era, that game show’s original host.
Martha, a retired CPA from Seattle, Washington amazed now-host and former champion Ken Jennings, 48, when she told all about it.
“I was on the original daytime show with Art Fleming in New York.”
“I won $40 and a set of encyclopedias and I still have them,” she said with a chuckle.
Ken joked: “You still have the encyclopedias – or the $40?” and she replied: “No, no” to the latter.
The host encouraged: “We’re gonna send you home with more than $40 tonight.”
She proudly won the episode with $30,800, or as Ken joked: “if we count 1972, $30,840.”
She then said during her second game: “Art was a wonderful man. I played with [contestants] Ford and Connie…”
Ken was wowed and said with a gasp: “You still know their names!”
Viewers were so thrilled to Martha put on a commanding display and nearly won twice, showing it’s never too late to dominate Jeopardy! even 50 years later.
“I literally yelled with joy when Martha won. I decided about two minutes into the episode that I would die for her!” one fan tweeted.
Both game shows air on weeknights on ABC and were created by Merv Griffin who also enterprised the Jeopardy! theme music.
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