Wheel of Fortune is in its Seacrest Era.
With Ryan Seacrest at the helm, things are looking a little different at Sony Pictures Studios.
The television icon has eased into his role as host of Wheel of Fortune and is looking forward to an exciting season alongside Vanna White.
Despite some apprehension from longtime Wheel of Fortune fans who miss seeing Pat Sajak on their TV screens, Ryan has proven that he’s got what it takes to get the job done as the host of the popular weeknight game show.
Even though Ryan has a jam-packed schedule between hosting Wheel of Fortune, American Idol, and his podcast, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, he still takes time to interact with his fans now and again.
Ryan responded to a Wheel of Fortune fan in the comments section of a recent Instagram post and expressed his excitement about an impending milestone on the show.
Ryan and Wheel of Fortune uploaded identical Reels on Instagram, captioned, “When given the chance, you have to say ‘hi’ to grandma on National TV! 📺 🤣 #puzzle #puzzlesolve.”
The video shared a contestant named Ryan Burkett’s thrilling Bonus Round win, in which he shouted out his grandmother before discovering he’d won $100,000.
In the comments section of the post, Wheel watchers conveyed their excitement for Ryan and couldn’t believe that a $100,000 prize was given away twice in one week.
Ryan Seacrest is looking forward to an epic Wheel of Fortune moment
One Wheel watcher commented, “Hopefully looking for the first $1 million winner in Seacrest Era.”
Winning $1 million on Wheel of Fortune is a rare event. In fact, only four contestants in the history of the show have ever won the coveted grand prize, so Ryan Seacrest is certainly holding his breath in anticipation of that special occasion.
In response to the Instagram comment, Ryan replied, “@ryananthony_pajaro I can’t wait for that moment!”
Another lucky Wheel of Fortune fan received a reply from Ryan in the comments section.
When @tyler_horp2011 pointed out that this was the second $100,000 win for the week, he asked, “What’s going on here????”
Host Ryan Seacrest responded with what he felt was responsible for the contestants’ successive big wins: “Good fortune!”
Ryan Seacrest is making a name for himself among Wheel watchers
It appears that Ryan is slowly growing on his critics, who doubted he could fill Pat Sajak’s shoes.
Ryan has plenty of experience in the business, having hosted such popular shows as Live with Kelly and Ryan, E! News, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, to name a few.
Aside from his experience, Ryan’s stats have proven that he’s having no trouble bringing in the views on weeknights.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Ryan’s September 9 Season 42 Wheel of Fortune debut attracted 9.63 million viewers—a 70 percent uptick compared to Season 41’s premiere episode with Pat Sajak as host.