Legendary Letter-Turner Vanna White Reveals Her Dream ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant: “If You’re Listening, If You’re Watching, Come on Our Show, Please!”

WHEEL! OF! FORTUNE!

I bet as you’re reading those three words, you can hear the chant heard at the start of every episode of the iconic game show. Vanna White, another mainstay of the show who has been at its letterboard since 1982, also commands the board on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which returns for its sixth season on Friday.

While Ryan Seacrest took over for White’s longtime co-host Pat Sajak on the flagship series last fall, tomorrow marks Seacrest’s first episode on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. But White assured DECIDER that Seacrest will be just fine.

“The game is basically the same, and with Celebrity Wheel, Ryan is dealing with celebrities, which—he talks to celebrities every day, you know, on the radio and so forth,” she explained when asked if she has any advice for Seacrest ahead of the new season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. “So I’m sure he’s going to feel so right at home, and it’ll be easy for him, I think.”

As for the advice she would give contestants?

“Buy. Vowels,” she quipped. “That’s my recommendation.”

Before Celebrity Wheel of Fortune returns tomorrow night—with Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy and judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli competing—check out our recent chat with White, in which she reveals what brings her back to the letter board year after year and her dream Celebrity Wheel of Fortune contestant.

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DECIDER: The new season of Wheel of Fortune has already kicked off, but how are you feeling ahead of the new season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune?

VANNA WHITE: I’m very excited. It’s always fun to have celebrities on the show. You never know what they’re going to say or do. So it’s great. I’m looking forward to it.

I know this marks your first Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season without Pat Sajak, but have you guys still kept in touch in the process since he left the show?

Absolutely, yes. I just saw him about a month ago. He looks great, he’s happy, he’s doing good.

His daughter, Maggie, is the show’s social correspondent, so does it feel like a piece of him is still there with her on set?

Oh, for sure. Absolutely. Yeah, so we talk about him all the time. We’re talking about him behind his back [laughs].

I love it. And with one season of Wheel of Fortune under Ryan Seacrest’s belt, do you have any advice for him ahead of the season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune? Does your work on it differ in any way from the original game show?

No, you know, the game is basically the same, and with Celebrity Wheel, Ryan is dealing with celebrities, which—he talks to celebrities every day, you know, on the radio and so forth. So I’m sure he’s going to feel so right at home, and it’ll be easy for him, I think.

You’ve been at the letter board since 1982. What is it that brings you back year after year?

The fun of it. It really is. Every show’s different. I wear a different dress every day. The puzzles are different, and we give away money, which makes people happy. It’s just a half hour of family fun that everyone can enjoy, and it’s always been that way, and will continue to be that way.

I was going to ask about the outfits. So is it true that you’ve never repeated an outfit on the show?

You know, one time. There was one, and we’re talking over 8,000 dresses I have worn. It was just a random [fluke], I don’t know how it happened, but it did happen. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. I just wear ’em. I don’t even know how they figured that out, but they take a picture of every dress that I wear and have a record of everything. So no, only one time in over 8,000 dresses have I worn the same dress.

Amazing. Do you have a favorite one? I mean, is it hard to keep track of a favorite one at this point?

My favorite ones are the comfortable ones. I will say, they’re not all comfortable, but they look great. Especially the beaded or sequined full-length gowns, they’re heavy, but they’re beautiful! I wear a variety of things. People say, “Do you like all the dresses you wear?” I can’t say that I love every one of them. But I feel like with our audience, everybody has different tastes, and I’m willing to try different things. It’s fun.

With Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, do you have a dream contestant for this show?

Oh, wow. You know what? I have to think about that. That is an interesting question… Oh, there is one person that I would love to see, and that’s Dolly Parton. Love her. Dolly, if you’re listening, if you’re watching, come on our show, please! We’d love to have you!

That would be a great one. Going off of that, have you ever found yourself starstruck by any contestants on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, or are there any from this upcoming season that you were particularly excited to work with?

Well, I’m excited to see everybody. You know, they’re normal people. They play these characters on TV or in the movies, but to meet them in person, it’s good to see the real side of them, shall we say. But I remember in the past, I think one of our first seasons, Tony Hawk was a celebrity who was an incredible skateboarder. My son, when he was 12 years old, went to his skate camp. He signed a helmet for him. So I brought in the helmet for him to sign, which was really special to me.

Many game shows have undergone hiatuses and revivals recently, but Wheel of Fortune has remained a staple that’s continued to be continuously on the air. What do you think it is about Wheel that makes it so successful?

I think the simplicity of it. Everyone loves to play games and solve puzzles. And, again, it’s always different. It’s always a different puzzle. If you’re walking through your living room and the TV’s on, and Wheel of Fortune is on, you’re gonna stop and solve that puzzle before you keep going. It’s an addiction. It’s like, I’ve gotta solve it! So people at home can play along, and they can play against each other, so I think that’s why it has remained so successful for 43 years.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for contestants, whether it be the average normal contestant on the original Wheel of Fortune or celebrity contestants on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune?

Buy. Vowels. That’s my recommendation.

You’ve previously opened up about the shooting schedule for Wheel of Fortune. I know it’s a pretty packed shooting schedule with the original flagship series, but with Celebrity Wheel of Fortune‘s shorter season of less episodes, is it as similar of a shooting schedule?

Yeah, it is. When we do normal Wheel of Fortune, we shoot about six shows a day. And with Celebrity, we do basically two shows, because they’re hour-long shows. So we do two hour-long shows with Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and six regular shows with regular Wheel of Fortune, per day.

With the casting for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, do you ever have any input with bringing on stars, or is that kind of a separate department?

It’s a separate department, but of course, I make recommendations. Like, “Could you ask Dolly Parton if she could come on our show?” [Laughs].

At DECIDER, we’re a site dedicated to all things streaming. What are you currently watching right now?

You know, I’m an HGTV person, and the Golf Channel person. I’m so boring. I do watch episodes here and there, but the problem with me is once I get in bed to watch TV, I fall asleep, like, within 10 minutes. So if I start something, I have to watch it during the day. Otherwise, I will be out in 10 minutes and have to rewatch it or whatever.

It’s okay if I fall asleep during someone putting the ball in. I have a long list that I need to watch, and I am going to do that! I am going to watch all those great shows.

Do you ever find yourself rooting for contestants, or do you want to remain impartial? How do you go about it?

No, my favorite show was when all three contestants win something. I mean, they’re put under so much pressure. The cameras are on, there’s 200 people in the audience, and they’re nervous. They want to solve the puzzle, so I love it when they all do that.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share for fans ahead of the new season?

I hope everybody tunes in to watch Ryan and me. It’s his new first season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, so there’s gonna be lots of fun and excitement. So please stay tuned for that!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premieres Friday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu.