Ryan Seacrest has received a lot of praise for how well he’s taken to the role of Wheel of Fortune host since Pat Sajak‘s retirement last June, but there is one quirk which is starting to grate on some viewers.
Taking to the Wheel of Fortune Reddit forum on Friday (September 26), one user noted how they dislike how Seacrest seemingly tries to create drama by delaying the revealing of the prize card amount in the Bonus Round.
“I hate the way Ryan Seacrest reveals the prize card in the bonus round. When it’s the minimum of $40,000, he slowly opens it and slowly turns it around as if it were a bigger amount,” the user wrote. “Just open it and turn it around without hesitation when it’s just the $40,000.”
Others agreed, with one fan commenting, “He’s got those American Idol dramatics ingrained in him,” referencing Seacrest’s long-time hosting of American Idol since 2002.
“I think he’s varied his approach a little more this season, but I’m in total agreement–the prolonged wait invites contestants to think they’ve won more, so their reaction when the $40,000 is revealed is momentarily “false”. Not that they aren’t happy to win, but that they’re expecting to express a greater joy than they actually do,” said another.
“AMEN ! He must be hearing a drum roll in his head?” another added.
Another added, “I’ve also noticed that, and I HATE it cause of that it never anything but 40K HE TREATS IT LIKE 100,000 It ain’t.”
“I like Ryan! He seems excited to be there and he’s personable with the contestants. The slow reveal is frustrating, I agree!” said one fan.
“Look at the bright side, at least he isn’t Mayim Bialik. She would pause for 5 seconds before revealing it,” another quipped, referencing Bialik’s time as Jeopardy! host, where she was often criticized for taking too long a pause between revealing the correct answers.
Others were frustrated with how Seacrest rarely seems to read out the prize amount.
“I actually think Ryan is doing a good job as host, but it definitely bugs me that he NEVER says the prize amount out loud in the bonus round!! He just opens the envelope and smiles. It’s odd lol,” explained one commenter.
Another added, “I really like Ryan. I think he’s been a great fit for the show if we can’t have Pat anymore! But agreed, the slow prize card turning and not calling out the amount is frustrating.”
“I totally agree with you about him never mentioning the prize amount. Bizarre,” said one fan.
Overall, though, many were happy with how well Seacrest is doing, with one fan writing, “I actually like him more than Pat who was kind of mean to contestants frankly sometimes.”
“I hated him at first. He’s grown on me as the host. My only complaint is his casual dress code,” said another.
“I think he’s going a great job. It seems like people want to drag him because he’s not Pat’s clone. To be frank, he seems more genuinely excited to be on the show than Pat seemed for a few years now,” wrote one user.
What do you think of Seacrest as Wheel host? Does the slow prize reveal bug you, too? Let us know your thoughts below.
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