All of the anticipation surrounding Wheel of Fortune’s change of command is now over, as a full week of Ryan Seacrest-hosted episodes has aired on the 2024 TV schedule. Initial reactions to Seacrest’s debut were positive (though many fans didn’t take so kindly to the set changes), and I’d imagine the new host is breathing a big sigh of relief at that. However, it might not have turned out so well had Seacrest made the joke about Pat Sajak that a source alleged he was considering.
Ryan Seacrest officially took over as host of one of the best game shows on September 9, becoming Wheel of Fortune’s second host following Pat Sajak’s 41 years. There were a lot of words of mutual respect exchanged between the two ahead of the handover, with Sajak offering Seacrest advice, but on the night of the Season 42 premiere, the longtime host was not mentioned by name. A source for the Daily Mail alleges Seacrest had thought about including a joke. According to the insider:
Ryan was contemplating jokingly saying ‘Sajak out’ on the episode, but he decided against it. This is now his show with his viewers.
OK, I'm taking this with a huge grain of salt, but if it is true that Ryan Seacrest considered making a Pat Sajak joke by using his famous “Seacrest out” signoff, I am really glad that he decided against it. I can kind of see the humor in it, but I guarantee that Wheel watchers would not have taken it as fun wordplay and would have seen it as disrespectful to one of the greatest game show hosts to ever live.
People have had strong opinions about Ryan Seacrest since he was announced as Pat Sajak’s successor, and think what you will about him, but he’s definitely not stupid. If he really did consider saying, “Sajak out,” on his first night hosting Wheel of Fortune, I have to imagine he nixed the idea pretty quickly, knowing that the loyal fanbase was already apprehensive about such a big change.
Some fans were a little put off by the fact that Ryan Seacrest didn’t mention Pat Sajak by name, but there was so much respect shown between the two in the passing of the guard that I was personally OK with the show moving forward without one last Sajak mention. As the source said:
Pat knows he is grateful for this opportunity. But even so, Pat was not the one who hired Ryan. Wheel of Fortune is spinning in a new direction and there was simply no need. If the producers or anyone else thought it should have been included, it was pre-taped months ago and they did six episodes in one day. Surely it would have been done then.
Ahead of Pat Sajak’s retirement, Vanna White shared emotional memories of their decades working together, and the host bid his own touching farewell. I think that was the perfect way to go out, and I liked Ryan Seacrest’s short and to-the-point introduction, as he opened the September 9 episode by saying:
Thank you for the very warm welcome. 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 past 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.
That’s definitely more sincere than “Sajak out.” Check your local listings to see when to catch Wheel of Fortune in your area, and surprise! Pat Sajak will actually be back on your screens for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune at 8 p.m. ET Monday, October 14, on ABC. Those episodes were filmed in the midst of Sajak’s final season before he retired.
