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Pat, we’d like to buy an O(h, wow).
Taking to Instagram last week, the Wheel of Fortune host, 77, and his daughter, Maggie Sajak, 29, took viewers to a place few have ever seen: behind the puzzle board.
Maggie — who has been the social correspondent on the show and frequently gives Wheel fans glimpses behind-the-scenes — was excited to show her Instagram followers the glamorous world behind the board.
“So, I’m behind the puzzle board and look who I found!” she shared, panning the camera over to her dad, who showed off his trademark sense of humor by making a joke how it looked like “election night” backstage with all of the screens (and all of the people).
“A lot of people were asking what behind the puzzle board is like, so we can give them a glimpse,” Maggie explained to both the viewers and her father, who quickly cut in to make an important point.
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“We can’t show a lot,” Pat began, as Maggie noticeably cringed, perhaps realizing she may have accidentally revealed too much. “Since there are certain things that are highly classified.”
“Highly,” she said in agreement.
Still, even just the quick glance at the other side of the puzzle board — which was dark and slightly mechanical-looking — was a deliciously deviant treat for longtime viewers of the game show, which Pat has hosted since 1981. (Cohost and iconic letter-turner Vanna White joined the show one year later.)
The BTS look at the puzzle board marked one of Pat’s last days on the famed set; he is retiring after 40 years of hosting the beloved game show. The final Pat-helmed episode of Wheel will air on June 7.
Ryan Seacrest will take over Pat’s hosting duties after his retirement. White, for her part, will still be exactly where she always has been — right next to the puzzle board.
