Wheel of Fortune Reveals $70,000 Luxury Prize Donated by Jay Leno

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One lucky person will be trading in the Wheel of Fortune for a steering wheel. 

Jay Leno is giving away one of his classic cars as a prize on Wheel of Fortune.

Former late-night host Jay Leno, along with Vanna White, revealed on the May 11th episode of Wheel of Fortune that he’s giving away a 2026 Chevrolet Corvette C8. Five winners from this week’s show will compete for the Corvette—valued at approximately $70,000 according to TV Insider—during the May 15th episode.

“They know I’m a car enthusiast,” Jay told Vanna, which means he’s giving away a “cool car.”

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’ve always been fascinated by people who truly live their passions, and Jay Leno is a perfect example. He’s famous for his incredible car collection, but what many don’t realize is how generous he is with it! Just recently, he partnered with Yaamava’ Resort and Casino to give away another Corvette – a fantastic way to celebrate their 40th anniversary. It’s amazing to see someone share their love of cars with others like that.

I usually hold onto cars, but this time I’m excited to be giving one away!” he shared on Instagram on March 3rd. He described it as a brand-new 2026 Corvette ZR1 – a real powerhouse with twin-turbo power and incredible American muscle. He said it’s the kind of car that brings a huge smile to your face the moment you drive it.

He clearly loves Corvettes, as we saw with his recent giveaway, so his involvement with Wheel of Fortune is especially exciting.

In a 2019 interview with Fox News, he described the vehicle as offering Lamborghini-level performance at a much more affordable price, like a Chevrolet. He explained that the Corvette ZR1 boasts 755 horsepower for about a third of the cost of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and because it’s a Chevy, repairs can be surprisingly simple – often just needing a hammer to get things working again.

Jay Leno’s passion for cars hasn’t always been kind to him. In November 2022, he suffered serious burns to his face, arms, and hands in a garage fire while working on one of his vehicles. He required surgery to repair the damage.

It was incredible seeing Jay on The Kelly Clarkson Show just three months after everything that happened. He said, looking right at the camera, ‘This is a brand new face,’ and you could just feel the emotion in his voice. He kept repeating, ‘It’s unbelievable,’ and honestly, it was. Seeing his recovery firsthand was truly amazing.

Contestants on Wheel of Fortune don’t need to stress about their prizes—unlike Jay Leno, who was having trouble with a delicate 1907 White Steam Car when this happened.

Read on to see what other cool prizes Wheel of Fortune contestants have won over the years…

Created by Merv Griffin, Wheel of Fortune first aired in 1975 as a daytime game show on NBC, inspired by the game Hangman. Pat Sajak became the host in 1981, and Vanna White joined him as co-host the following year. In 1983, the show moved into syndication, and a celebrity version debuted on ABC in 2021.

Pat Sajak began his broadcasting career in Chicago. He served in the United States Army in 1968, working with Armed Forces Radio in Saigon during his time in Vietnam. After his service, he worked at various radio and TV stations as an announcer, talk show host, and weatherman.

He was actually working as a weatherman in Los Angeles when Merv Griffin called and offered him the hosting job on Wheel of Fortune. As Pat Sajak later recalled to his daughter, Maggie Sajak, in a June 2024 interview, his initial thought was that the show didn’t seem challenging enough to be a career move – a prediction he jokingly admits he was wrong about.

Vanna grew up in South Carolina and initially studied fashion design in Atlanta. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, where she was discovered and auditioned for Wheel of Fortune. She recalled being very nervous, as she was the last of 200 women to audition. Interestingly, the first letter Vanna ever turned on the puzzle board was T.

Jim Thornton became the announcer for Wheel of Fortune in 2011. Before that, he had a successful career doing voice work for various projects, including movies like Monsters, Inc., TV shows like Rugrats, and even Celebrity Deathmatch.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White worked together on Wheel of Fortune for over 40 seasons, appearing in more than 8,000 episodes before Pat’s retirement in June 2024. Pat even earned a Guinness World Record in 2019 for having the longest career as a game show host on the show. Vanna also holds a record – in 2013, Guinness World Records recognized her as the “most frequent clapper,” estimating she clapped over 3.4 million times in 30 seasons, averaging around 606 claps per show when factoring in her occasional absences.

With over 20 million weekly viewers (according to a 2023 announcement), Wheel of Fortune is a hugely popular game show. Over its 41 seasons, the show has given away almost 600 cars and nearly 5,000 vacations. As of 2024, Wheel of Fortune has awarded over $324 million in cash and prizes to lucky contestants.

Vanna White has walked the equivalent of two marathons (around 52 miles!) over the years while helping contestants on the show. She’s also worn over 7,000 dresses, but doesn’t get to take them home with her. Remarkably, for almost 40 years, she never wore the same dress twice. In a 2020 social media video, she jokingly pointed out that she finally repeated an outfit – a blue dress – and called it a fitting moment for the year.

Oh my gosh, the Wheel! It’s just… iconic! And HUGE. I read it weighs a whopping 2,400 pounds! Can you believe that?! But here’s the craziest part: they don’t just move it, they take it apart and rebuild it at every single location! The whole production travels with over a million pounds of stuff! It’s dedication, honestly. And the Bonus Wheel? Forget about it! It’s packed with over 24 envelopes just brimming with prizes. Seriously, how do they even fit it all in?! I’m obsessed.

If you’re ever confused about how Wheel of Fortune is filmed, Vanna White can explain! She revealed in 2015 that they film six shows in just four days.

The puzzle board itself got a high-tech upgrade in 2022 – it’s now one large screen. Vanna explained in a video that she doesn’t even need to touch it anymore; she simply holds her hand near it.

Interestingly, despite changing prices over the years, the cost to buy a vowel has remained consistent at $250 for the past forty years.

Have you ever wondered how Pat Sajak instantly knows how many letters are in a puzzle? He shared that the show’s team listens to each guess to confirm the correct letter, then displays the number of letters on a screen only he can see from his hosting position.

As a huge Wheel of Fortune fan, I always find the behind-the-scenes details fascinating! I learned they have a letter board the contestants can actually see – it shows which letters have already been called, helping them avoid repeats. Pat Sajak explained it’s something we don’t get to see at home, but it’s a real pressure point for the players.

And did you know Pat is the one who came up with the Toss-Up puzzles? Apparently, the show needed more content without adding a lot of time, and he had the brilliant idea! The producer then added the Triple Toss-Up, and Pat even suggested the $10,000 prize for getting all three – he jokes it’s not his money, so why not!

It’s also interesting that someone actually analyzed over 1,500 bonus puzzles! Back in 2015, an article in The Washington Post showed that H, G, P, and O were the most common letters in those puzzles (after removing the usual R, S, T, L, N, and E). But here’s the funny part: players actually chose letters like C, D, M, and A more often, even though those were less likely to be in the puzzle! It just goes to show, even with the odds stacked against them, those contestants are really putting their skills to the test.

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2026-05-13 17:17