There has been quite a run of sports and sports media personalities on televised game shows over the years. But a media personality telling a show figure they long had a crush on them? That’s a little more unusual. But it’s what NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt did in his appearance as a Wheel of Fortune contestant. That pre-taped appearance airs Wednesday night, and Brandt promoted it by tweeting out a clip where he talks about his love for the show and host Pat Sajak, plus his longstanding boyhood crush on co-host Vanna White:
Guys, I’m on Wheel of Fortune tonight.
9pm Eastern on ABC.Most fun I’ve ever had.
I left it all on the field, including my confession to Vanna… pic.twitter.com/GvYj5mqrCk
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) November 15, 2023
“Pat, I’m thrilled to meet you, but Vanna, let’s just put the cards on the table. I say this respectfully, you’re a TV legend, my wife is here, you were my boyhood crush. I love you. For many years of my life, you were the puzzle I wanted to solve. And I’m so thrilled to be here.”
“Do you have any advice for me, Vanna? Because you control the board. I love you, Pat, but, to me, this is a Vanna show.”
White looks a little stunned by that at first but quickly recovers. “Wow. Well, thank you for those kind words. Buy vowels, pretend like you’re in your own living room, not here. Just concentrate on the puzzle board. Not me, okay! Take me out of it, just think of the puzzle.”
That’s quite an unusual clip, especially from a sports media personality. But Brandt’s career has been unusual on many fronts, from first getting noticed on The Real World: Chicago to acting on Days of Our Lives to serving as executive producer of The Jim Rome Show to his since-2016 role with NFL Network as a host of Good Morning Football. (He even co-hosted a game show himself, Frogger on Peacock in 2021.)
And in his GMFB role, Brandt has done plenty of themed segments and unusual bits. So maybe we’ll see one themed on White or Wheel in the days ahead. We’ll also see how he does when this episode airs, and how it compares to some past memorable moments involving sports and game shows.
[Kyle Brandt on Twitter]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.