Wheel of Fortune is going through some changes after its 42nd season premiered on the 2024 TV schedule. Of course, Ryan Seacrest has succeeded one of the best game show hosts of all time — Pat Sajak — as the face of the franchise, and the beloved show debuted a new set that many Wheel Watchers had strong opinions about. As scary as change can be for anyone, something even creepier happened during one recent episode, when an apparent glitch caused Vanna White’s reflection to start acting independently of the co-host.
Spooky season is definitely upon us as we get closer and closer to Halloween, but even more terrifying than the time Pat Sajak almost conjured the Candyman was what happened to Vanna White’s reflection during the September 20 episode of Wheel of Fortune. As you can see in the screengrab below, the game was proceeding as usual, with contestants working on a “Living Things” puzzle:
The camera then cut back and forth from the players to the board, as per usual, but just a few frames later, this terrifying thing happened:
As you can see, the puzzle remained the same, but the category has changed to “Same Name.” What makes it a “glitch in the matrix,” as one Reddit user put it, was that at the very bottom of the screen, Vanna White’s reflection can be seen walking across the stage as the letter-turner herself stood perfectly still.
What’s more, her actual reflection can be seen too. How many of you are there, Vanna?! I’ve honestly never paid much attention to the reflection underneath the board, but now I definitely will. It’s like a scene from a horror movie, where you just know the reflection in the mirror is about to go out of sync with its object. Is this why Vanna White is so eternally youthful — because she’s A.I.?!
OK, obviously I’m not trying to start any rumors about the beloved co-host and whether or not she’s actually a robot with alter-egos breaking free to overthrow the planet one game show at a time. I just really don’t understand how it was only the reflection that was off. Does this mean that there’s not actually a reflection there and that the whole bottom of the screen where the category is shown is digitally added in post production? I would have thought they just superimposed the category name onto the frame with no other editing needed. Silly me, I guess.
I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for Vanna White’s reflection taking on a mind of its own, but that sure didn’t stop me from getting the heebie-jeebies when I saw this happen (and then every time that I rewound to watch it again).
I know there are a lot of upcoming horror movies to celebrate the approach of Halloween, but I will admit that I was not expecting to experience any such frights on Wheel of Fortune. I guess that’s what makes it one of the best game shows ever. And now, definitely one of the creepiest as well.
Check your local listings to see when the Wheel spins in your area if you want to see if there are more oddities to come this spooky season.