Ryan Seacrest hosting Wheel of Fortune appears to have positively impacted the show’s ratings.
Season 42 of the weeknight game show premiered earlier this month, and Wheel watchers tuned in more than ever.
Ryan made his debut as host of Wheel of Fortune on September 9. His first episode as host — replacing veteran Pat Sajak — accounted for 9.63 million viewers tuning in, a 70 percent uptick compared to last year’s premiere episode (according to Nielsen).
To put Ryan’s debut into perspective, Pat Sajak’s final episode during Season 41 raked in 11 million viewers compared to Ryan’s 9.63 million.
During Ryan’s first week of shows on Wheel of Fortune, it averaged 8.31 million viewers, accounting for a 21 percent increase in viewership.
Each subsequent episode following the Season 42 premiere averaged nearly eight million viewers—compared to last season’s 6.87 million viewers.
Ryan Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune debut boosts the show’s ratings
In addition to bringing in more viewers, Ryan’s presence at Sony Pictures Studios surged ratings by 21 percent among homes and total viewers versus last week’s premiere.
Ryan and Pat are serving different roles at Wheel of Fortune these days
Ryan and his predecessor, Pat, have both remained in important roles at Wheel of Fortune.
Ryan also serves as a consulting producer, while Pat opted to stay on as a consultant for an additional three years.
Although Pat bid adieu to Wheel watchers earlier this summer, he hasn’t had his last spin yet.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Pat will continue to host Celebrity Wheel of Fortune for the 2024-2025 season.
Ryan’s new colleague, Vanna White, extended her contract and will remain on the show through the 2025-2026 season.
Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White are a great team
Ryan and Vanna seem to be getting along great as co-workers. In a recent Reel shared to Wheel of Fortune’s Instagram feed, the iconic TV duo shared some behind-the-scenes footage of what takes place before they take the stage.
Ryan addressed viewers in the video, saying, “We always talk to you at the end of the show, but why not share one of our favorite parts of Wheel of Fortune, which is all the excitement, the things that are happening before the show starts?”
In one clip, Vanna White is seen getting fitted in her gown for the night as she stands on her wardrobe platform and twirls for the camera.
In another clip, Ryan walks into Vanna’s dressing room as her makeup artists put the finishing touches on her look.
Another scene showed Vanna being spun around in her makeup chair, showing off her finished look and Ryan gave his approval with a thumbs-up for the camera operator.
Vanna did some bicep curls in front of the mirror before taking the stage to get her blood flowing, and Ryan did some jumping jacks in the hallway to prepare for filming.
The duo locked arms as they descended down to the stage, where Vanna greeted the studio audience, waving and telling them, “We’re going to get on with the show.”
And, as Vanna noted, the best part of their filming days is meeting the Wheel of Fortune contestants.