Vanna White recalls 'Wheel of Fortune' mistake she made that left her 'mortified'

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Vanna White joined “Wheel of Fortune” back in 1982, which means she’s been revealing letters on the game show's puzzle board each time a contestant guesses correctly for 40 years now.

At least, that’s usually what the 64-year-old co-host does.

But during a recent visit to “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” White confessed she once made a blunder on the board that still haunts her to this day.

“I was mortified,” she said as she recalled a moment from her early days on the series, back when she was required to physically turn each letter around. “I don’t even remember which was the correct puzzle. It was either ‘Dr. Spock’ or ‘Mr. Spock,’ and I turned the ‘M’ or the ‘D.’ And it was like, ‘That’s the wrong letter! Oh, my gosh!’”

White, who gasped while retelling the story, added, "I’m scarred for life on that."

NFL Players Week on
NFL Players Week on

She then went on to share exactly how a mistake like that is handled on the show.

"They had to throw (the puzzle) out and put another one in," she said.

But they only had to do that once, at least for that reason, because it was a mistake White never repeated — and she's certain she never will.

"Fortunately, in 1997, they changed the puzzle board, where I only touch the letters," she explained. "And when I touch them, I won’t touch them unless they light up."

And since she's not in charge of lighting up the letters, if things go awry there, White said, "The mistake will not be mine."

That earned a laugh from Clarkson, who replied, "Yeah, I love that. Throw someone else under that bus! That’s what I’d do."