Remember the months-long chaos over finding a new Jeopardy host? There were extensive auditions, then the producer cast himself, then he was fired, then more auditions, and then the hosts they cast were problematic and at some point I just checked out of the drama. Well, with Pat Sajak retiring from Wheel of Fortune, Sony Pictures Television was looking to avoid a similar drama. I’m not even aware if WoF producers even held auditions, or if they just handed the hosting duties off to the first Sajak-esque dude they found. Speaking of, Ryan Seacrest is the new host of Wheel.
Ryan Seacrest, the dexterous Hollywood master of ceremonies, was named the next host of “Wheel of Fortune” on Tuesday, succeeding the longtime host Pat Sajak in 2024.
The selection of a star like Mr. Seacrest by Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the show, is a big bet on “Wheel of Fortune.” The show has demonstrated remarkable durability even as traditional television has declined in the wake of streaming entertainment.
The swift decision by Sony executives, made just two weeks after Mr. Sajak announced he would step down next year, also suggests that they are hoping to avoid the succession fiasco that nearly overwhelmed their other hit game show, “Jeopardy!”
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Mr. Seacrest said in a statement. “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
[From The NY Times]
At first, I hated this – Ryan Seacrest is smarmy and he makes me and many other women deeply uncomfortable. But then I thought about how much I dislike Pat Sajak and how Seacrest actually seems like an “heir” to Sajak, and I sort of get it. Seacrest will probably be a competent host of Wheel of Fortune and I hope he doesn’t try to shove Vanna White out of her job. Man, Seacrest’s goal of becoming the new Dick Clark with a vast television and radio empire seems to be coming along nicely.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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