Pat Sajak greeted with standing ovation as he returns to 'Wheel of Fortune'

Pat Sajak was greeted with a standing ovation on Wheel of Fortune, Monday night. The 73-year-old host had emergency surgery in November and was forced to miss three weeks of taping.

Pat bashfully asked the in-studio audience to take their seats amid the uproarious applause. He jokingly said, "I don't know whether you're happy to see me or if you're leaving because Vanna's not hosting."

While Pat was out, longtime letter-turner Vanna White stepped in to host. While Vanna admitted she was "very nervous" to fill-in on short notice, she did a wonderful job. Pat spoke glowingly of his longtime partner on the show. "You were great," he said. "It's a very tough thing to step into that ... you were terrific."

Since Vanna was hosting the show, Pat's daughter, Maggie Sajak, filled in as a guest letter-turner one week. And while Pat admitted he was very proud, he also admitted that Maggie and Vanna's chemistry may have been too good.

"You two made a very nice team," Pat told Vanna. "And I was a little nervous about how good you two were together, but that's all right."

Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays, visit their site for local listings of time and channel.

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