Ryan Seacrest’s First Wheel of Fortune Episode Ends With Bonus Round Surprise — Grade His Debut!
After more than a year of anticipation, Ryan Seacrest finally gave the Wheel of Fortune a spin on Monday, making his debut as the new host of the long-running game show, following Pat Sajak’s retirement after 41 years.
Seacrest stepped onto Wheel’s of Fortune‘s brand-new set linking arms with letter turner extraordinaire Vanna White, who formally welcomed him to the family. “Let’s have fun,” they agreed before parting ways, her stepping up to the board and him walking over to the wheel.
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“Welcome to Wheel of Fortune,” he began. “I’m your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue the legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and of course my good friend Vanna White.”
Thanking everyone for the warm welcome, he continued: “Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job. I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid, watching 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. I’m just so grateful to be invited in. I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill, so… let’s play Wheel of Fortune.”
From that point on, it was mostly business as usual, save for a few temporary premiere-week tweaks to the show’s usual format. The only truly noticeable change came during the bonus round, when a sponsorship from LG resulted in “G” being added to the classic list of free letters. That’s right, “R-S-T-L-G(!)-N-E.” Television will never be the same.
Though Seacrest will continue to host Wheel of Fortune five days a week, we actually haven’t seen the last of Sajak. New episodes of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which were taped prior to Sajak’s retirement, will begin airing Monday, Oct. 7 at 8/7c on ABC.
Photos: Wheel of Fortune Unveils New Set
OK, it’s time to pick a letter of your own. Did Seacrest knock it out of the park on his first day hosting Wheel of Fortune, or do you already long for the Sajak era? Grade the new host below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.
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