Island Hopping ~ A Day with Vanna

Island Hopping – Vanna White; Grace Under Pressure 

The flight to Kona, Hawaii is a quick yet majestic one. When you land at Kona International Airport the terminal is reminiscent to the days of old Hawaii with the gate denoted by the grass rooftops and the open air terminal, not to mention the moment you start to step off the plane and realize you’re exiting onto a stair ramp and onto the jetway. Like the good ole days when we would board and exit the planes straight from the tarmac. Your hair would get windblown and your face whipped with sun and those warm Kona winds. Plus you are greeted by a statue of keiki hula dancers welcome you.

Its noticeably hotter and less developed in this region of the pacific because the island is still growing and its evident as you exit the airport as you see miles of old lava fields both to the left and right of the freeway. But, hidden about 30 minutes from the airport and the black rocks is a majestic white sandy beach. Hapuna Beach Park, noted as one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii, and the world for that matter, is almost like an oasis of sorts from the desolate, dry and lava desert-like surroundings that is Kona. 

Imagine this as you step out to view the beach in all its wonder and there are about a hundred people scattered about carrying equipment, holding up cue cards and umbrellas. There’s a huge jib with a camera at the end swooping to and fro and a team of hair and makeup stylists eagerly awaiting a break from the shoot and piercing hot sun.

Well, hello there…it’s Wheel of Fortune! That’s right Pat Sajak and Vanna White are back and they are not alone. Why all the hustle and bustle? And what are they doing might you ask? I can’t say at this time as you’ll have to tune in to the KHON2 news and Wake Up 2day for more details, but what I can tell you is there is an excitement in the air and its coming from the visitors and locals. 

I  am  not a huge fan of Wheel of Fortune, but once in a blue moon I will get sucked in and watch for a few moments. The series that has been on television since 1983 was created by Merv Griffin and has been on the air for just about as long as I have been alive. Notably the stars of the show are Pat Sajak and Vanna White. I have never met either of them before, despite Joe Moore’s close friendship with Pat. I saw the pair (Pat and Joe) in a play a while back and it was enjoyable, although it wasn’t really my demographic. 

Throughout my life I have met many celebrities. As a child growing up on Kauai I used to wait tables and knew Gabrielle Reece, Laird Hamilton, Bette Midler, Craig T. Nelson and many others by name. After moving to Honolulu my time spent as Miss Hawaii and the many years working in the food industry resulted in meeting huge stars including Cuba Gooding, Adam Sandler, Will Smith, Drew Barrymore and the list goes on and on. 

But, I have to say I just met the most down-to-earth and the nicest mega celebrity I have ever come in contact with – Vanna White. Honestly I am not a mega fan, nor do I even follow Vanna’s career or history. I recall seeing her on TV turning the letters and walking back and forth on the WOF stage. I may have admired her smile and beautiful gowns as a child, but I am not enamored with her or anything…but I must admit when we met I got nervous. The butterflies were a good thing though, it added to my day and the overall experience. 

My few moments and minutes with Vanna inspired me to write this blog because she was truly sincere and extremely pleasant and humble. Like many celebrities do she spoke of loving Hawaii, its people and of course the food. Getting to know her was the best part of my experience as I learned she has two children, a 20 year-old son in college and a 17 year-old daughter in high school. She said the first time they came to Hawaii her son would chase around the lizards at the hotel they stayed at. Now the pair are busy with their education and too grown up to come to Hawaii with mom. 

Vanna’s job, although very glamorous seems like a lot of work, especially for a woman who has been up since dawn and has been smiling, reciting lines, walking, posing and taking direction and critique from crews sitting behind cameras and monitors all day and all night long. I asked her “how do you do it and how are you not tired” and she said she just does it. Both Pat and Vanna had to stand out in the hot sun all day with brief moments of relief, outfit changes and refreshments. 

Vanna was just as nice, if not nicer off camera during her downtime, eager to take a moment to get to know the other people surrounding her and greeting everyone with a hello and a handshake. It was inspirational to me to be reminded that it’s so important to always be kind and pleasant to everyone all the time. Even if you are hot, hungry, sweating, tired and frustrated – if these were the feelings she had you would never know it. She let me steal a few moments during her lunch break to get to know her and then again she approached me when they moved locations into Kailua-Kona. 

In the end, it was a great experience to meet someone who has been around the world and is watched by millions of people across the globe. Her poise, grace and politeness shows me that you should always be reminded that no matter the circumstance it’s important to make others feel special too. 

Lastly, I always freeze up when I want to take a photo with someone of celebrity status. I pulled out my cell phone and asked if I could get a picture. I think this is hard for Hawaii folk because we are a bit shy and not very aggressive when it comes to this. Much of the celebrities that visit Hawaii like the fact that we let them be and don’t hound them for pictures. But this was not the case as I took out my phone and put it on selfie mode, then snapped the picture. 

{Wheel of Fortune is looking for contestants – auditions for Hawaii Island residents can be submitted until Monday, May 19, 2014 and Oahu residents deadline is June 16, 2014.}