Ryan Seacrest blasted by Wheel of Fortune fans who say ‘maybe he just can’t read?’

Wheel of Fortune fans have been left divided over new host Ryan Seacrest, with some questioning if he can ‘read’ after spotting an unusual habit during the bonus round

Seacrest – who earns a huge salary on the show – is still slipping up according to fans (Image: (Image: Youtube Screengrab))

Ryan Seacrest, the fresh face of Wheel of Fortune, has been catching some heat from fans over his approach to the show’s bonus rounds. While he’s received a nod for settling into the role after initial stumbles, opinion is split on his performance as the successor to long-time host Pat Sajak.

Some viewers reckon Seacrest – who earns a huge salary on the show – is still slipping up, letting contestants off the hook for botched answers. His unique style compared to Sajak’s has also sparked debate about his fit for the iconic hosting gig.

A fan aired their gripes on Reddit, pointing out an odd quirk during the bonus rounds, questioning Seacrest’s ability to “read,” since he doesn’t announce the prize amount for the final puzzle aloud. Instead, he opts to reveal the envelope’s contents to both the contestant and viewers at home without verbalizing the cash figure.

One wrote: “He just flips the gold envelope open, looks down at it, and then at the contestant. So you can see that the puzzle was worth $40,000 BUT HE NEVER says the dollar amount of the prize out loud.”

A fan aired their gripes on Reddit, pointing out an odd quirk during the bonus round (Image: (Image: Youtube Screengrab))

Seacrest skips reading the prize sum from the card, choosing to display it to the audience and cameras.

One viewer found it particularly strange, saying: “I find it super awkward because he’ll start to say the puzzle was worth, but then just flips the card open and goes silent without stating the prize number. At first I thought it was just him getting acclimated to the gig, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe he just can’t read numbers?”

However, Seacrest’s supporters were quick to defend him, pointing out that he reads numbers off the wheel throughout the episode. One fan said: “He says every number that comes up on the wheel.”

Another added: “Ryan can read numbers. He reads them all the time off the wheel and when he reads everyone’s final winnings before the bonus round. So he is not numerically illiterate! ” A third chimed in: “Do you even watch the show? If you don’t like Ryan fine…but at least back your criticism up with substance. Saying he can’t read numbers is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard.”

Others pointed out that previous host Pat Sajak also didn’t read out the prize amounts.

One asked: “Did Pat ever read the prize amount? ” Another agreed: “I don’t recall him ever reading them out loud either,” while a third noted: “Pat never said the number of the final either, did he? He just showed it to the camera and contestant,”.