The end of an era has officially begun. In honor of last night’s (Sept. 11) Wheel of Fortune Season 41 premiere — which marked the beginning of the end of Pat Sajak‘s run as host — Sajak joined forces with his daughter Maggie Sajak for a sweet Instagram video.
In the video, Sajak is seen sitting on a bench with a picnic basket in front of a fake scenic backdrop, holding a fake hunk of cheese with a (presumably also fake) loaf of bread alongside him.
“This is nice,” Maggie says as she approaches her father, “but you do know vacation’s over, right? It’s time to go back to work.”
“Already?” Sajak asks.
“Yeah, you better get to set,” Maggie tells him, as he hands off his cheese to her and adjusts his suit while walking onto the WoF set.
“Season 41!” Sajak exclaims as he hustles onto his podium with the show’s theme song playing in the background.
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Both Maggie and WoF posted the video to their Instagram accounts with the caption, “Get ready, everyone. And I mean everyone👀 Season 41 starts TONIGHT!🎉”
For some fans, the premiere aired later than its usual time slot, as the premiere of Monday Night Football postponed the show to as late as 3 a.m. in Chicago, per Parade.
Sajak revealed the news of his post-Season 41 retirement in June; Ryan Seacrest was crowned his successor just two weeks after Sajak’s announcement.
Vanna White returned with Sajak on last night’s premiere, despite her battle for an increased salary that took place in the weeks following Sajak announcing his retirement. Per TV Insider, Sajak kicked off the show by exclaiming, “Another year,” to which White replied, “yes, 41.”
“But who’s counting?” Sajak quipped, as he proceeded to welcome the season’s first three contestants, who he deemed as “victims.”
Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7:30/6:30c. Find local listings on the Wheel of Fortune website.
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