Ryan Seacrest had no idea this ‘Wheel of Fortune’ win would take him off his feet — literally
Host Ryan Seacrest wasn’t fully prepared for the wild celebration from a ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestant who had just won big. On a January 2025 episode of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ contestant Daniel Thomas got so excited he nearly knocked Seacrest over with a hug. In the Bonus Round, Thomas had the letters “G,” “E,” and “S,” and he correctly guessed the word “Guppies” with just one second left. Thomas then hugged Seacrest so tightly he sent the host tumbling to the floor.
As per a report by TV Insider, after seeing Seacrest on the ground, a shocked Thomas went on to say, "Oh, my gosh." Shortly afterward, Seacrest quipped, "I'm good, I'm good," as Thomas helped him to get back up. Following that, Seacrest disclosed that Thomas had won $40,000 for solving the puzzle, and now he was heading back home with $71,950. Announcer Jim Thornton playfully remarked, “Daniel, easy on our host, but celebrate with $40,000!”
Soon after, Thomas offered an apology to Seacrest by saying, "I'm so sorry. Did I make you fall?" Then, Seacrest tried to maintain some distance from Thomas while announcing the total prize money won by him on the show. Subsequently, Seacrest asked Thomas, "How did you do that in the last second?" to which the latter responded, "Push you over or solve the puzzle?" Elsewhere in the episode, Seacrest also shared his thoughts on his fall while chatting with co-host Vanna White, and he said, "Pick me up, throw me over, tackle me. I'm totally fine with it."
Then, 'Wheel of Fortune' even shared a clip of the moment on Instagram as well as YouTube. The caption of the Instagram post read, "Bookmarking this video for when we see an influx of people tackling Ryan in the show... 🤣." Then, many fans of the show stopped by the comments section of the post to share their honest thoughts on Seacrest's tumble. One social media user wrote, "Ryan got guppied!! I’m here for it & I’ve never looked forward to watching The Wheel like I do now. Fresh breath to an already great game show!" Another user chimed in, "Bless you Ryan! You’re a good sport!! My favourite show host!!"
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A user went on to say, "Oh my Goodness .. Ryan will have to start wearing protective gear !!!" Followed by a fourth user who penned, "This just shows how amazing Ryan is and what a good sport he is! He has really added so much more fun, loving and laughter to this show! Way to go." Another user echoed the same sentiments by writing, "This was so funny. Ryan is such a good sport. Just love him as the host." One user gushed over Seacrest's hosting skills and commented, "Ryan is an amazing host. I don't think they could have picked a better person to take Pat's place."