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‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans blame Ryan Seacrest for letting contestant fail in Bonus Round: ‘Paj Sajak would...’

‘Wheel of Fortune’ player loses thousands — and fans blame Ryan Seacrest for skipping what Pat Sajak always did

‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans continue to miss Pat Sajak! All it took was one mistake for fans to get riled up against host Ryan Seacrest. The latter began hosting alongside Vanna White in September last year and was still new to the game when he made a grim error that cost one contestant their bonus round. On the November 26, 2024 episode, fans took turns to solve a puzzle in the “event” category for the final round. When it was contestant Oleh’s chance to guess the puzzle, she offered to solve the entire thing instead of guessing one letter. This would have increased his total by $6,000 per letter.

However, these moves are often considered risky, especially in the final round. Oleh’s guess went wrong, and contestant Kathryn made it to the bonus round instead, even though she didn’t win it. ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans believe that Sajak would have handled the situation well by at least hinting that it’s a wrong move. Angry viewers slammed Seacrest for not being more thoughtful in the moment. “Pat would have reminded him to guess a letter before solving,” one Reddit user wrote. “Could Ryan not say something???” another outraged fan wrote.

“If I'm Oleh, I'm upset at myself for not realizing the situation... I'm also angry at Ryan for not doing something that Pat always made a point to do in this exact situation,” a third Reddit user added. The user clarified that the hosts are not liable to give hints, but Sajak “always tried” to prevent such losses, which built an expectation among the fans. “Exactly! People do this all the time, or at least try to. Pat was great at always reminding them to call another letter first, though,” another fan wrote. Another social media user called the host “amateur” for not helping the contestant.

Seacrest definitely had trouble adjusting to his role as host in the first few months. On the premiere episode of season 42, the host accidentally ignored a contestant mispronouncing the word "ripened" while solving a puzzle. He ended up granting the win and left the audience blindsided. Netizens were quick to point out the blunder on social media. “I thought he said the wrong word, but when Ryan said he was correct, I assumed I had misheard,” one Instagram user, as reported by The Sun. “Not a good way to start the new season, especially with a new host,” another fan remarked.

“I agree - I agree, Ryan is fired after the first episode,” another social media user commented. In the second episode of the season, Seacrest fumbled another task. The host failed to explain the rules of the show to a contestant, which resulted in her losing a million-dollar prize. “Pat would've explained that if she took the risk, she would've lost the million-dollar wedge,” an X user wrote. Another fan pointed out that former host Sajak would “always” remind the contestants of the stakes of their decision. “Ryan needs to do this too,” the user added.