Ryan Seacrest puts his own spin on hosting 'Wheel of Fortune.' He knows he has 'some very big shoes to fill.'
The veteran host is embarking on his next chapter, this time behind the wheel.
Ryan Seacrest took his first spin on Monday as the new host of long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. Taking over from Pat Sajak, who hosted the show for more than four decades, the TV presenter embarked on his next chapter, this time behind the wheel.
Walking arm-in-arm with Vanna White, Seacrest made his debut on the revamped gold metal laminate set, complete with 264 LED screens, dramatically signaling a new era. First thanking the audience and long-running announcer Jim Thornton, the former American Idol and Live With Kelly and Ryan host told White that he was “so happy to be here with you” after she officially welcomed him to the show.
“Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job,” Seacrest said after joining the three contestants behind the wheel. “I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid watching it in Atlanta with my family, and I know how special it is that Wheel has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years, and I’m just so grateful to be invited in.”
While Seacrest did not mention Sajak by name, he indirectly acknowledged the game show legend who earned a Guinness World Record for his longevity.
“I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill,” he said, “so let’s play Wheel of Fortune.”
After his brief introduction, Seacrest kicked off the game show, which ran pretty much as usual (although the new host ditched any notecards getting to know the contestants). That was apparently by design.
"Nothing needs to change. Just me standing there with my voice and my mannerisms, that's different enough," Seacrest told USA Today. “I want [the show] to be something that's not jarring, that's seamless."
Besides the glittery new set, longtime fans of the show will recognize the same goal of the contestants spinning the wheel, guessing letters to solve word riddles like “Before and After,” all while trying to avoid the dreaded “Bankrupt” tile on the wheel. Show sponsors have returned to provide items like luxurious trips or extra cash.
Seacrest has reportedly signed a multiyear contract with the show and says he’s committed to it, although terms of the contract have not been publicly disclosed.
“I hope the audience feels the same way," he told USA Today. "But this is something I want to do for a long time."
Seacrest told Good Morning America in an interview that aired Sept. 3 that Sajak and White offered the new host some advice on his first day on set before he took the reins of Season 42.
"Pat and Vanna both said to me when I first got here, the best part is you're going to meet three new people every night," Seacrest said. "And they walk away with cash!"
When GMA co-host George Stephanopoulos asked Seacrest, who was back on the show Monday, if Sajak had given him any words of wisdom, Seacrest brought it back to the viewers.
“[Sajak] really said, ‘You’re going to enjoy seeing people’s reactions on being on the show,” Seacrest said. “I mean, they’ve waited a lifetime. They are so excited that they got the call to be a contestant on the show because it means so much.”
After wrapping up his first episode, White asked Seacrest how he was feeling.
“I feel like we did one! We got one under our belt,” he said.
It was unclear who was supporting Seacrest in the audience, but the host posted on Instagram Stories on Monday the moment he introduced White to his mom, Connie.
While there can only be one Wheel winner, Seacrest did get to see all three contestants walk away with cash.
“What was great was that everybody got to walk away with some money,” he said. “I was really hoping that would happen on my first night.”
A night of winners all around.
