Maggie Sajak, Pat Sajak‘s daughter, has become a fixture on Wheel of Fortune as of late. Back in 2023, Maggie traveled to Chicago and visited Guaranteed Rate Field in honor of Great American Cities Week. During the visit, she enjoyed a hot dog and shared a little fact about how her father chows down on the classic ballpark treat.
Before eating her hot dog, Maggie made sure to note that there wasn’t ketchup on it, a note that she took from her dad. She even joked that Pat, a Chicago native, would “probably disown” her if she had ketchup on her hot dog. Maggie went on to say that he “doesn’t even like to mess around” about the possibility of putting the condiment on the hot dog.
In Chicago, it’s a total faux pas to put ketchup on your hot dog in the Windy City. As CNBC reported, the more appropriate condiments for a Chicago hot dog include mustard, relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, and celery salt. However, fellow Wheel of Fortune personality Vanna White is of a different mind when it comes to the ketchup debate. Maggie said that White “doesn’t approve” of Pat’s ketchup aversion and likes to put it on her hot dogs.
Interestingly enough, White previously recounted how this hot dog-related matter was a major point of contention between her and Pat. In May 2019, White explained how this topic was the only one that she and Pat have disagreed over in their decades together on Wheel of Fortune. She told Fox News, “Believe it or not, Pat Sajak and I have only had one argument in 36 years and that was over putting ketchup on a hotdog.” She went on to say that she is fond of putting ketchup and mustard on her hot dogs. But, Pat sticks with just mustard. White remarked about the issue, “I agree it is [weird].”
In March 2008, Pat opened up to Chicago Reader about growing up in the midwestern city. Naturally, the topic of hot dogs came up and the game show host shared his own idea of what the perfect “Chicago-style” one looks like. He explained that he prefers a Vienna sausage, steamed poppy-seed bun, mustard, onions, “tiny little peppers,” and celery salt. While ketchup is out of the question, he added that slices of pickles, cucumbers, and tomatoes are optional.
As fans know, Maggie’s recent ballpark-related reveal came shortly before a major reveal of Pat’s. In June 2023, the host revealed that he would be retiring from Wheel of Fortune after over 40 years with the program. He wrote to his fans, “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)” Following his retirement as a host after the upcoming television season, Pat will remain on as a consulting producer on Wheel of Fortune for three years.