Ryan Seacrest is filling some big shoes as he replaced Pat Sajak, the long-time host of Wheel of Fortune. The radio personality hosted his first episode of the show on Monday, September 9, 2024, alongside Vanna White, who formerly co-hosted with Sajak for many years. Let's take a look at how Seacrest ended up behind the wheel.
Ryan Seacrest Takes Over Hosting Wheel of Fortune
On Monday, an excited Ryan Seacrest hosted his first episode of the fan-favorite show Wheel of Fortune. The TV personality made a grand entrance walking arm-in-arm with co-host Vanna White through magnificent sliding doors and onto the brightly lit stage, where they exchanged pleasantries. "I still cannot believe my luck of being here with you tonight, to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and of course, my good friend Vanna White," Seacrest announced. He thanked everyone for receiving him warmly.
Seacrest revealed that Wheel of Fortune is a "dream job" for him. Earlier, he hilariously noted that turning down the opportunity to host the show would lead to "bad karma for the rest of your TV life." He also acknowledged he had much to learn from the previous host, Pat Sajak. After over four decades, Sajak announced his retirement from the show last year, having hosted over 8,000 shows and 41 seasons of Wheel of Fortune.
Seacrest's First Episode of Wheel of Fortune
Ryan Seacrest joined the show at the start of the 42nd season. To his credit, the night went smoothly. Contestants solved their first puzzle, "Opening Night," and moved to the second, which contained the phrase, "There's A First Time For Everything." Seacrest congratulated all the contestants as they won cash prizes and consoled the winner, Terry Watson, when he missed out on a bonus of $40,000. "No grunting. You've got over $25,000 in cash and prizes and great trips. Thank you for being here on my first night," Ryan Seacrest told him.
After the game, Ryan Seacrest and White talked about their first show together. "I feel like we did one. We got one under our belt," Seacrest said. After commenting on the changes to the set and lights, the hosts bid their audience farewell. Ryan Seacrest then took to Instagram to share his experience on the show. "If you're having half as much fun watching as I am hosting, we're in for an amazing season," he captioned the post.
Vanna White Is Excited to Work With Seacrest
White and Seacrest are long-time friends who have known each other for over two decades. White revealed that Merv Griffin had discovered her and Ryan Seacrest; he had also brought her to work on Wheel of Fortune. White and Seacrest met at Griffin's funeral in 2007. White, a former model, admitted she had doubts about returning to the show without Sajak; however, she said bringing in Seacrest was a good choice. "He's professional, he's kind, he's hard-working. We've known each other for 20 years, so I think he's a good fit," White told People.
Meanwhile, Seacrest is also enthusiastic about working with White. He confessed that Wheel of Fortune won't be the same without his co-host. Reacting to the news that White had renewed her contract, he told Today, "Vanna has been such a staple on that show and in our living rooms for so many years. I've been very excited to work with her but now that it's official I can say, 'Congratulations, Vanna.' I can't wait." Fans have also been responding positively to Ryan Seacrest's first episode. Hopefully, he will continue to have a great time on the show.
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