‘Vanna and I would have two or three or six margaritas’: Pat Sajak admits hosting Wheel of Fortune while drunk

Forget the wheel – the ROOM was spinning.

At least that’s what Pat Sajak may have said as the longtime Wheel of Fortune host admitted he used to enjoy a few margaritas during breaks from taping. 

Mr Sajak made the shocking admission on Tuesday during the ESPN 2 program Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable.

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Boozy breaks: Mr Sajak admitted this week that he used to enjoy a few margaritas during in between tapings of Wheel of Fortune

He said that in those days, the show had a different format, where instead of winning cash, contestants won fake money to spend on ‘cheesy prizes’.

The prizes would be displayed on a turntable, and between tapings, they needed to be changed, a process that could take hours.

Mr Sajak said: ‘But because we had all those prizes, we had endless time between shows.

‘Our dinner breaks would be two and a half hours long while they drove in new cars and boats and gazebos and stuff’.

Cracking up: Mr Sajak’s quips had Dan Le Batard and his father Gonzalo in fits of laughter during the revealing interview on ESPN 2

So he and leading lady Vanna White would retreat to Los Arcos Mexican restaurant across the street from the Burbank studio, which served ‘great margaritas,’ according to Mr Sajak.

‘Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six. Then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognising the alphabet.’

He added: ‘They’re really good tapes to get a hold of.’

So how many margaritas did he have?

He said: ‘I think the average number was cuatro [four]… I have no idea if the shows were any good. But no one said anything, so I guess I did ok’.

Cheers: Mr Sajak revealed that he Vanna White enjoyed an average of four margaritas during dinner breaks in their earlier years on the hit game show

However, the veteran TV personality says those days of taking boozy breaks are over.

‘Now if I were to inhale the cork on a bottle of wine, I’d probably keel over. I’m getting a little older for this’.

The Emmy Award-winner, who’s been hosting the popular game show since 1981, also spoke about his time as an Armed Forces Radio deejay during the Vietnam War, celebrity encounters and playing second-fiddle to Ms White during the revealing interview.

Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable, a sports talk show Mr Le Batard hosts with his father Gonzalo, has been on the air since last year.