Wheel of Fortune fans slam ‘terrible’ new set and admit they ‘miss’ Pat Sajak after replacement host Ryan Seacrest makes his debut
Ryan Seacrest left some viewers feeling overwhelmed as he made his debut as new host of Wheel Of Fortune on Monday along with a brand new set.
The 49-year-old TV presenter joined longtime letter turner Vanna White, 67, for the season premiere of the ABC game show after replacing Pat Sajak, 77, who hosted Wheel Of Fortune from 1981 to 2024.
‘And now, together for the first time, here are the stars of our show, …Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White!,’ said announcer Jim Thornton, 59, as Vanna and Ryan took the stage together.
Vanna looked lovely in a one-shoulder blue dress while Ryan was dapper for his debut in a dark grey suit and tie.
Ryan thanked the studio audience for the enthusiastic applause as well as announcer Jim, who joined Wheel Of Fortune in 2011 following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell at age 78.
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Ryan Seacrest left some viewers feeling overwhelmed as he made his debut as new host of Wheel Of Fortune on Monday along with a brand new set for the ABC game show
‘Welcome to the show,’ said Vanna, who has been co-host since 1982.
‘So happy to be here with you,’ Ryan said.
They both agreed to have fun and Ryan greeted the three contestants, Corina Ellison, Terry Watson and Cindy Erhart, before directly addressing the audience.
‘Welcome to Wheel of Fortune. I am your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck 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,’ Ryan said as Vanna clapped for him.
‘Thank you for the very warm welcome. Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job. I’ve been a fan of this job 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. I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill. So, let’s play Wheel of Fortune,’ Ryan added while noticeably not mentioning Pat by name.
Ryan interviewed the contestants without relying on hand cards and casually kept the game moving with light conversation.
‘The most fun I ever had,’ Ryan said at the end of the half-hour episode.
Ryan wasn’t the only new element for the season premiere as the show also unveiled a new set heavy on wheels that received mixed reviews.
The 49-year-old TV presenter joined longtime letter turner Vanna White, 67, for the season premiere of the ABC game show after replacing Pat Sajak, 77, who hosted Wheel Of Fortune from 1981 to 2024
The fifth season of Wheel Of Fortune on ABC featured a brand new set with lots of wheels
‘Welcome to Wheel of Fortune. I am your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck 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,’ Ryan said
Vanna clapped as Ryan introduced himself as the new host of Wheel Of Fortune
The new host and new set design was too much for fans of the show who vented their frustration on social media.
One viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘Did Ryan just call Vanna “Savannah”? Also, the new set hurts my eyes.’ The post included a colorful kaleidoscope pattern.
Another called the set design ‘terrible’ and a commenter said they ‘miss’ former host Pat.
‘I get that Wheel of Fortune replaced Pat Sajak because he retired, but why did they have to change the entire set?!,’ another posted.
Another said it felt as if they were watching an ‘international edition’ of the show and one commenter flat-out admitted to hating the set changes.
A viewer used a Steve Martin image to share their anxiety over the change of host and set.
‘Ryan Seacrest on Wheel of Fortune just doesn’t do it for me. Boo.,’ another person posted.
The set design was called ‘terrible’ by a viewer on X
Anoter posted on X that the lighting on the set is terrible
The new host and new set design was too much for fans of the show who vented their frustration on social media
‘I get that Wheel of Fortune replaced Pat Sajak because he retired, but why did they have to change the entire set?!,’ another posted
One commenter flat-out admitted to hating the set changes
A viewer used a Steve Martin image to share their anxiety over the change of host and set
‘Ryan Seacrest on Wheel of Fortune just doesn’t do it for me. Boo.,’ another person posted
Some praised Ryan while still missing Pat
Some wondered if the set designer left with Pat
One viewer was kind of done after the first 10 minutes while greatly missing Pat and the ugly set wasn’t helping
Ryan admitted that he is not particularly great when it comes to spelling, as he discussed taking over from the legendary host, 77, on Monday’s episode of Good Morning America on ABC.
‘Spelling, I am not the greatest at spelling,’ he said of his challenging new gig. ‘I rely on auto-correct quite a bit in real life.’
However, the new face of the popular show insisted that he has been having a blast with the show’s long serving cohost Vanna, just weeks after DailyMail.com reported that the pair were struggling to ‘jibe.’
‘It’s a dream, to be on this show, and work with Vanna, I am happy that you are on board with us,’ he said. ‘It’s the same Wheel of Fortune everyone loves, but it’s me standing there saying “Let’s play”, that’s the big difference.’
More than 11 million viewers tuned in to Pat Sajak’s final episode in June, the show’s largest audience in four years.
