Vanna's Voice

I learn the solution to each puzzle right before we play each round. When I walk behind the puzzle board there is a graph of the puzzle solution, just as it will appear on the board. This way I can see the letters spelled out so that I know where to go. For example, if the puzzle is "THE THREE BEARS", I know that the "S" is at the end.

By the way, Pat Sajak also sees the puzzle solution right before each round begins. He is given an index card with the solution written on it, which he holds in his hands while the contestants play.

Here's how you can determine if a public place has a two-way mirror. Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface. If there is a gap between your fingernail and the image of your nail, then it is a genuine mirror. However, if your fingernail directly touches the image of your nail, then beware...for it is a two-way mirror!

How many of you use sponges or brushes when washing your dishes or cleaning your kitchen counters and kitchen table? They can hold a lot of bacteria. I throw them in the dishwasher with my dirty dishes when I run a cycle to help kill the bacteria they've collected. I occasionally put my toothbrush in there too so that it will come out fresh and clean! If you don't have a dishwasher, try running scalding hot water over your sponges and brushes for 30 seconds.

Do you have any kitchen cleaning tips that you'd like to share?

Here's what it looks like from my point of view when the crew is taping me. In this photo, they were shooting me standing next to one of the cars we gave away on the show. The camera is pointed toward both the cars and me. This shot was taken on the Sony lot in March of 2005.

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato. It absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up".

I tend to under salt my food, as it's easier to add more salt than it is to take it away!

  

I ran with the torch for the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. I took part in the Los Angeles leg of the relay. I only ran for a couple of blocks before passing it off to someone else, but it was very exciting! Here's something no one knows about that day: I had a broken toe! It hurt to run, but how could I not do it? It was a once in a lifetime experience!

Do you remember how you slept before you had kids? We went to bed late and slept so soundly and so late. Now, after having kids, we go to bed early and exhausted and then get up early after sleeping with one eye open all night listening to the baby monitor or for your teenager to come home by curfew. I remember someone telling me, you'll never sleep the same after you have a child. Boy, is that true!

As the years go by, it becomes habit for us to wake up early and then something changes. Those days of waking up early to care for them vanish. You are prying them out of bed in the morning, rushing like crazy and in a panic to get them to school on time-- half the time eating their breakfast in the car. When the weekend comes, they sleep till noon. My kids always woke up early. I never thought I would see the day that they would sleep so late. Now, I'm waiting for the day that I start sleeping in again. Will that ever happen?

When we take our show on the road, not only do we do lots of shows, we also do lots of interviews! They consist of radio, TV, magazine, and newspapers. Here I am sitting behind the stage talking with a reporter. We do the interviews before we start our first show of the day.

Do you know the difference between the two? Full Screen DVD's are intended to be played on traditional TVs that are more square in shape, and widescreen DVDs are intended more for the current rectangular-shaped TVs.

"Full Screen" DVDs fits perfectly on the more square TV as they have the same 4:3 aspect ratio. Since almost all theatrical releases are filmed in a widescreen format, a full screen edition DVD must be "formatted" to fit a full screen TV. This is like cutting a 4x6 inch photo to fit in a 3x5 frame. Some of the image will be lost.

"Widescreen" DVDs are intended to be played on widescreen TVs - those that are more rectangular in shape. A widescreen DVD will fit close to the full size of a widescreen TV (16:9 aspect ratio), but since widescreen aspect ratios vary, the picture might not fit exactly. A widescreen DVD is the original unformatted movie just as it was released in theaters.

Both types of DVDs will play on either type of TV.

If you play a full screen DVD on a widescreen TV, the picture can either be stretched to fit the screen (making people look a little distorted), or it can be shown in the full screen format with 2 black bars on the right and the left of the screen.

If you play a widescreen DVD on a full screen TV, the picture will be shown with a black bar on the top and on the bottom of the screen. The size of the bars will vary depending on the aspect ratio of the DVD.

Do you feel like you drink too much coffee and you want to cut down? I have a suggestion: water your coffee down. Start by adding a little water to each cup, and as time goes on, keep adding more water. Before you know it, you'll be having half a cup of coffee instead of a full cup!

Another idea to cut down on caffeine: when you brew your coffee, mix half caffeinated and half decaffeinated together. I buy the same brand, but one package is regular and the other is decaf, and then I mix them in equal parts before I brew my coffee. You can't taste the difference, but I can tell the difference now.

You could also make your coffee weak when brewing it. This might take some getting used to, but it certainly helps cut down on the caffeine.