Wheel of Fortune’s Vanna White appeared on The Price Is Right in unexpected role before rise to fame

Vanna White was on The Price is Right in 1980 as a contestant

Vanna White was once a contestant on a game show

Vanna White was not always a iconic game show legend – she was once a contestant on a game show.

The iconic Wheel of Fortune letter-turner made an appearance on The Price is Right as a contestant in 1980. The episode originally aired on June 20, 1980 with Bob Barker as the host. In a YouTube video which showed her appearance, a then 23-year-old Vanna wore a baby blue shirt that had the words “Get Serious” on them.

Unfortunately, she did not win during her time on the show. She was called down with three other contestants to “Contestants’ Row” or “Bidders’ Row” where she guessed the price of certain items. She did the pricing game five times and lost each one.

Last year, in August, Vanna shared a screenshot of her time on the show in a tribute post to the longtime host Bob.

Vanna was a contestant on The Price is Right in 1980(Image: instagram/@officialvannawhite)

“When I moved to LA in 1980, I was on Price Is Right and met Bob Barker. Thank you Bob for introducing me to the game show world! We will miss you,” Vanna wrote.

But while Vanna did not win The Price is Right, she went on to have her life changed two years later when she entered the world of game shows co-hosting Wheel of Fortune as their letter turner. She has been on the show since 1982 and has outlasted former longtime host Pat Sajak.

Pat retired from the puzzle game show after 41 years with his last episode in June. Vanna like many others were emotional about his exit. During his penultimate episode, she had a heartfelt message for her “lifelong friend” and detailed how close they became and what he meant to her.

“8,000 episodes went by like that. When I first started, I was so green. You made me so comfortable and made me so confident, Pat. You made me who I am,” Vanna said in part, in the video message.

Vanna has been a letter turner of Wheel of Fortune since 1982(Image: ABC via Getty Images)

Ryan Seacrest is now the new host replacing Pat and began the new hosting job in September when season 42 debuted. Vanna signed a contract for two more seasons along with Ryan and is not sure if she’ll extend her contract after that.

“I don’t know. When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too. But I’m not ready! We’ll see toward the end of those two years how I feel.” The 67-year-old said in interview with TV Insider. “I thank God after all these years that I still love my job.”