CNN anchor Victor Blackwell shared some throwback clips from a 2001 appearance he made on Wheel of Fortune in honor of longtime host Pata Sajak’s last show.
“Victor, I have known you for years, I did not know this, and I love that video,” Kate Bolduan told her colleague after showing footage of Blackwell introducing himself on the show as a Howard University student.
“Episode 3429, Feb. 8, 2001. When I tell you I remember everything about this experience, it was part of the best moment of my college career,” Blackwell said.
The anchor recalled that producers were scouting colleges for contestants and he auditioned. Following this, he received a callback two weeks later. Blackwell called Sajak and co-host Vanna White “fantastic.”
“I remember all of the puzzles, I remember the totals,” Blackwell said, then presenting a puzzle that he solved back in 2001 on the show.
Blackwell shared a clip of him solving the puzzle and remarked, “It was downhill after that because I didn’t solve another puzzle, but I did go home with $2350.”
The network also aired a clip of Blackwell predicting his future. At one point, Sajak asked the young student about pursuing broadcast journalism, and Blackwell said he wanted to be an “investigative reporter” for a “major network.”
“I am just grateful I had a moment there with him and the wheel. Again, it’s one of the highlights of my college years, one of the highlights of my life,” Blackwell said. “Next? I want to be on Jeopardy.”
Sajak’s final show is June 7. It ends a long run with Sajak’s gig as host beginning back in 1981. He’ll next be participating in a theater performance in Hawaii and he will remain a consulting producer on Wheel of Fortune.
Watch above via CNN.
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