Wheel of Fortune contestant makes touching ‘promise’ to Pat Sajak ahead of legend host’s retirement

A Wheel of Fortune contestant added an extra “Woof” to “WoF” as she pledged to name her new dog after Pat Sajak himself.

Mary Catherine moved the audience and Pat, 77, with her heartwarming tribute on Tuesday, just two months before his retirement.

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Mary Catherine said she’d use her winnings to buy a dog and name him ‘Sajak’Credit: ABC

Pat, retiring after 41 years on June 7, was visibly movedCredit: ABC
The episode kicked off with Pat engaging in a chat with the mother-of-two from Athens, Georgia.

“Now, did you promise your kids something about a pet?” Pat prompted.

“I did, now see what you think about this Pat,” she said.

“They’ve been wanting another dog, so when I found out about this experience, I promised them that if I got on and did well, we’d get one.”

Then came the adorable bombshell: “Under the condition his name would be ‘Sajak.’”

The studio erupted into cheers as Pat was visibly moved and glanced at the camera.

He then opted for a classic quip as the audience was still clapping.

Pat responded, “I don’t know! ‘Sit Sajak,’ ‘Beg Sajak?’ kind of like being at home for me,” he joked.

Indeed, Mary-Catherine won the game with $15,582, and Pat joked, “I expect you to get one, and I want approval on the breed!”

The game show contestant proceeded to special bonus puzzle round where she correctly answered the puzzle, winning a new car for a grand total of $48,287

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Wheel of Fortune shared that ‘Sajak’ has arrived at Mary-Catherine’s houseCredit: Instagram

PAT’S WRAPPED FILMING

Meanwhile, Pat has not only set his last day as host but taped his farewell episode, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

He will bid farewell to the masses at the end of Season 41 on Friday, June 7, 2024.

But a rep for Wheel of Fortune exclusively confirmed to The U.S. Sun that Pat has filmed his last slate of six episodes on April 5, 2024.

This includes his final episode, fittingly titled “Thanks For The Memories,” and is already filmed, the show exclusively shared.

That means Pat is done hosting the show and the episodes fans are seeing come as he’s already retired.

The episode will be a TV milestone as the host has doled out puzzles and prizes alongside Vanna White, 66, since 1981 and 1982 respectively.

The show did not share if Pat’s farewell episode will be an all-out tribute with memories from over the years or simply a normal game ending with him saying goodbye.

Tickets for Pat’s penultimate five episodes were opened to the public at the last minute, while his farewell episode was reportedly not open to the public and was invite only.

Pat announced in spring of 2023 that he’d be leaving the iconic game show and that Season 41 would be his last.

Shortly after, Ryan Seacrest announced on Instagram that he would replace Pat as the new host come fall 2024.

The show airs weekdays at 7:30 pm ET on ABC, so fans can catch his sendoff on June 7 at that time.

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Mary did win the game, and Pat reminded her, ‘I want approval on the breed!’Credit: ABC

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She also won a new car with plenty of room for ‘Sajak’ to sit passenger-sideCredit: ABC

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Pat is now done filming and new host Ryan Seacrest has already taped a commercial spot with Vanna WhiteCredit: Instagram/ officialvannawhite