The First Pair Of Hosts

Neither Pat Sajak nor Vanna White were the first choices, nor the first to actually host the show. That distinction belonged to Chuck Woolery, who originally spun the wheel and interviewed the contestants, while it was Susan Stafford who wore the dresses and turned the letters, when Wheel of Fortune was reborn. Even as a daytime program, the show was giving away huge prizes in its time. A salary dispute between Woolery and producer Merv Griffin in 1981 led to Woolery leaving the show, while Stafford grew tired of it and left the show in 1982, after seven years.