HOUSTON — It's the end of an era here on KHOU 11. Longtime "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak is saying goodbye on his final episode that airs at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The show is a television institution and Sajak has been the host since 1981.
“It's been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year," Sajak said in a goodbye message.
Over the years, Houstonians have tuned in to watch Sajak, with Vanna White giving out big bucks, trips and cars. Some have even gone on the show to spin the wheel and win some money.
Sajak was the host on more than 8,000 episodes in his 41-year career. He and White are a TV dynasty that beamed into our homes for decades.
“I would jump up and down in my diapers and scream, ‘Come on down!,’” superfan Eugene Byon of Houston told KHOU 11’s Marcelino Benito in a 2019 interview.
Byon grew up on game shows like "Wheel of Fortune." Fate would bring him to Houston in 1998.
“I suddenly find out that the Wheelmobile is coming into Houston,” Byon said. “And then I determined it was destiny that I have to try out for 'Wheel of Fortune.'"
Then came the show, which was seen on KHOU 11.
His antics were memorable. His play? Not so much.
But talking to us on Friday, he told us winning wasn’t everything.
“I got to meet Pat and Vanna,” he said. “I got to be hugged by Pat twice actually.”
Watch more from Byon talking about Wheel of Fortune in the video below!
He said his failure to win didn't end his love for Pat and Vanna and "Wheel of Fortune."
“That was indeed a precious consolation prize for me,” he said.
Sixteen years later, Byon got redemption on another KHOU 11 game show -- "The Price is Right." He went home a winner that day.
“I was an avid watcher with my mom,” another Houston "Wheel of Fortunate" contestant Stephen Hudson told us. "My mother would come home from work just in time while my dad was cooking dinner and we would watch 'Wheel of Fortune' every day at 6:30.”
Hudson, a voice coach, went on 'Wheel' with his mom in tow. He had auditioned with friends as part of his bucket list.
“We went through the list and I decided to apply for 'Wheel of Fortune' because it's something I've always wanted to do,” Hudson said.
He was picked for the show and won big. Hudson took home $70,000 on 'Wheel of Fortune,' just one of the many Houstonians whose lives were touched by Sajak’s incredible run.
“It’s a beautiful show,” Byon said. “It's one of the best game show formats out there. I think Pat helped make it what it is today for sure.”
Sajak goes out on top, as the longest-running host of a single game show in modern TV history.
It’s an incredible run for a show we know so many of us love.
Ryan Secrest will take over as host and Vanna is staying.