Mark your calendars, Wheel watchers, because according to the 2024 TV schedule, September 9 is the day we will get to see Ryan Seacrest take over as the host of one of the greatest game shows of all time. With rumors circulating for the past couple of months about possible trouble on set between Seacrest and Vanna White, Wheel of Fortune gave us a first-hand look at what to expect from the new leading duo in a video from their recent photo shoot — which was adorably crashed by a scene-stealing dog.
Ryan Seacrest has promised he won’t change anything about how the game is played as he becomes the first new host of Wheel of Fortune in over 40 years. However, in the video shared to the official Instagram page, it looks like he’s bringing the same silly energy we’ve seen on Live with Kelly & Ryan and his other big hosting gigs. Check out the clips and images from their fun photoshoot:
OK, I don’t know whose idea it was to bring the loveable creature to set, but I can’t imagine anything that would boost the cast and crew’s spirits quicker after what looked like a pretty intense day of hair, makeup and costume changes. The photo crasher appears to be Ryan Seacrest’s pup Georgia, who he first introduced to the world 10 years ago, and the black Lab looked like she was having a pretty good time in front of the camera, especially when her dad broke out the tennis ball.
As for what we can expect when Wheel of Fortune’s 42nd season premieres in a couple of weeks, Ryan Seacrest certainly does look enthusiastic about filling Pat Sajak’s shoes. There was no sign of tension between him and Vanna White, which isn’t really a surprise since some sources have claimed there’s “absolutely no truth” to the rumors that they don’t see eye to eye. (Honestly, even if they don’t like each other, they’re both so professional that I bet we’d never know it.)
In the video, Ryan Seacrest kept himself entertained by naming his favorite genres of music and dancing like the California Raisins (shout-out to the ‘80s!). Vanna White, for her part, looked as gorgeous as ever in a sampling of her iconic dresses. Wheel of Fortune fans have had strong but mixed opinions about Ryan Seacrest’s takeover, but it’s likely a relief to everyone that the famed letter-turner was able to renegotiate her contract for at least a couple of more seasons.
The announcement that Ryan Seacrest would replace one of the best game show hosts in history on Wheel of Fortune came shortly after Pat Sajak announced that he would retire following Season 41. While Sajak issued an emotional goodbye on the season finale, it turns out we haven’t seen the last of him. A fifth season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was shot ahead of his last syndicated episode, with that series returning on ABC’s fall schedule in October.
