It was opening night for Ryan Seacrest on Monday’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune” — and so perhaps it was appropriate that the first puzzle out of the gate was “OPENING NIGHT,” based off the clue, “show biz.” “It feels that way over here!” Seacrest remarked after one of the show’s contestants solved the game.
Syndicated game show mainstay “Wheel of Fortune” returned on Monday for its Season 42 with some big changes, including a new set (which, Seacrest noted, came with a lot of lights) and, of course, the biggest change of them all: A new host. That was acknowledged up top, when announcer Jim Thornton opened the show: “And now together for the first time, here are the stars of our show, Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White!”
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After Seacrest thanked Thornton for the open, White turned to her new colleague and welcomed him to the show. “So happy to be here,” Seacrest said to White. “So happy to have you!” White responded.
With that, before introducing the night’s players, Seacrest gave a brief monologue to the audience. “I am your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck of 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.
“Thank you for the very warm welcome,” he added. “Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is a dream job. I’ve been a fan of this show 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 pat 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.’”
In the opener, Seacrest noticeably didn’t mention the person whose shoes he was replacing by name, however: Pat Sajak, who signed off from the show in June after more than 40 years as host. (Sajak and Seacrest, along with White, appeared in a promo together this summer, serving as more of an official pass-the-baton moment.) Sajak will still be seen this fall in ABC’s primetime edition of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” which reps his last turn on the show.
Seacrest taped this first episode of the syndicated version in July; at the time, he shared a behind-the-scenes look at his first day hosting “Wheel of Fortune” via an Instagram video: “I’m still spinning with excitement!” he wrote on the post, that showed him entering the set for the first time. “I’m so excited, my heart’s pounding,” he said in the video. “The wheel’s maybe smaller than you think — as am I,” he joked spinning the wheel for the first time. “I could not sleep last night, I was so excited. I slept okay, but still very excited for the alarm to go off.”
As for night one, things went smoothly, including his first batch of contestants: Corina from Denver, Cindy from Lake Tahoe and big winner Terry from North Carolina; Terry ultimately went home with two trips and a total of $25,849 (although he missed on the $40,000 grand prize).
In the end, White asked Seacrest how he felt, with the first show under his belt. “I feel like we did one!” he said. “What was great was everyone got to walk away with some money. I was really hoping that would happen on my first night.”
As Variety noted in a recent profile of Seacrest, the host studied intently while taking over the gig. Per the story, he went through “Wheel’s” more than 8,000-episode archive, watching hundreds of shows and cherry-picking moments from each decade to learn the nuances of the game. Executive producer Bellamie Blackstone also built a miniature version of the wheel and they practiced in conference rooms around the country while Seacrest traveled for work.
“By the time Ryan walked on that set, he was so prepared that he could just do what he does best and connect to those contestants in a very authentic way,” Suzanne Prete, president of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, said in that story. “He’s really fun. He over-delivered in that aspect. It’s just a whole new energy.”
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