Pat Sajak knows how to captivate audiences.
The former Wheel of Fortune host did just that with his final episode earlier this month.
June 7, 2024, marked Pat’s last episode on stage at Sony Pictures Studios alongside his longtime co-host and friend, Vanna White.
The episode was emotional and drew millions of viewers.
Pat became one of weeknight TV’s most beloved game show hosts, and the number of people who watched his last episode of Wheel of Fortune proved that.
Per Deadline, Pat’s final episode drew in a whopping 11.03 million viewers.
Pat Sajak brought in millions of viewers and earned a top-notch TV rating
That figure totals the most Wheel of Fortune viewers in the last four years.
The episodes during the week of Pat’s departure averaged 8.5 million viewers and a 5.0 household rating.
All five episodes during Pat’s final week were rated the highest and were the most-watched telecasts that week.
Ryan Seacrest will take charge this fall
In September, Wheel watchers will see if Ryan Seacrest can pull in the kind of views that his predecessor, Pat Sajak, did.
Ryan will join Vanna on stage as he tests his TV-hosting skills.
Wheel of Fortune fans have expressed mixed emotions about Ryan coming on board.
Many fans felt Pat’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, should have taken over Vanna White’s role and that Vanna should have replaced Pat.
That’s not how it turned out, however, as we know. Maggie will remain Wheel of Fortune’s Social Correspondent, Vanna will remain the show’s tile-turner, and Ryan will show us what he’s got as he takes Pat’s place.
Despite his years of experience hosting TV and radio shows, Ryan’s critics think he lacks what it takes to host Wheel of Fortune.
Some of his disparagers have mentioned they’re tired of seeing him on TV, while others don’t think he’s cut out for the job … especially not for the long haul.
Pat hosted Wheel of Fortune for 41 seasons, so will Ryan even come close to that kind of tenure? That remains to be seen, but it would certainly mean a ton of dedication on Ryan’s part.
As for Vanna, she won’t be around too much longer herself.
After stewing over whether or not she wanted to retire alongside Pat, Vanna ultimately decided to extend her contract and will remain on Wheel of Fortune through 2025.