Former ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Announcer Rich Fields Reveals What Pat Sajak Was Like Behind-the-Scenes
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Rich Fields was one of the announcers on Wheel of Fortune following Charlie O’Donnell’s death in 2010 and had nothing but great things to say about his time working with Pat Sajak and Vanna White.
“[They were] gracious, welcoming from the get-go,” Fields revealed on the Come On Big Money podcast. “Their attitude and personality interactions with me never changed from show number one to show number 58, or however many I did with them. [They’re] just really giving, professional people.”
Fields was called in to temporarily replace O’Donnell the day after the show’s longtime announcer died on November 1, 2010. He was greeted warmly by Sajak. “Pat even said to me the very first day when I met him in his dressing room, ‘We all understand you’re coming in under very difficult circumstances, so just go ahead and do your best and make Charlie proud,’” he recalled.
He went on to serve as announcer for 55 episodes, but the permanent position was eventually given to Jim Thornton in June 2011. Thornton is still the show’s announcer to this day. O’Donnell was with the show from 1975 until 1980, when he briefly took another job before returning to Wheel in 1989. He stayed on as MC until his death. Meanwhile, Fields previously worked with both Bob Barker and Drew Carey when he served as announcer on The Price Is Right from 2004 to 2010.
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During his tenure on Wheel of Fortune, Fields didn’t witness any major puzzle blunders or fails. However, he said he has a distinct memory of his first live taping.
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“It was the very first introduction of Pat and Vanna and I’d only heard it on TV from Charlie, but I don’t think I ever said it myself,” Fields explained. “And I got to say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Pat Sajak and Vanna White!’ As soon as I got done doing that, they’re walking out, and Mr. Sajak was like, as clear as a bell, ‘Thank you Rich. Rich Fields, our guest announcer today.’ And, God, it was just like … holy mackerel. I forgot about Pat always saying, ‘Thank you, Charlie.’ Just to hear him say my name was surreal for me.”
