Ryan Seacrest‘s last week of his first season of Wheel of Fortune is here and the host opened up about how he felt taking over for Pat Sajak and working with Vanna White. White also spilled on if Seacrest is easy to work with.
ABC7 caught up with the cohosts to talk about Season 42 coming to a close. “We’ve done how many?” Ryan Seacrest asked.
“195 shows!” Vanna White responded. They made their debut as co-hosts in September 2024, following Pat Sajak’s retirement after 41 seasons. Vanna White learned to “go with the flow.” She compared Sajak and Seacrest to apples and oranges. “Everybody’s different, right? It’s completely different.”
When asked about the transition, White responded, “It’s seamless!”
Seacrest pulled a face and said, “Most of the time. I still have to remember what I’m doing out there.”
“And you make it look easy,” she said.
About taking over for Sajak, Seacrest told the outlet, “Let me be honest. There was a tremendous amount of pressure that I felt coming into this. It’s been built with Pat and Vanna for so many years, I just wanted people to feel comfortable and watch, and if we got a few more along the way then bonus round, right? I’m thrilled that the loyal audience has accepted what we get to do together.”
One aspect that Ryan Seacrest thinks makes the game show fun is that he and White don’t always know what they are going to say at the end of the show. “It’s ‘3,2,1, go!’ We get genuine laughter out of each other,” he said.
However, one part of Wheel of Fortune that he was not prepared for was the “strong hugs” he got from so many people. “At the end of the show, I’m embraced very strongly by a lot of the contestants because they’re walking away with real life-changing money,” Seacrest said.
“This whole season, I have been smiling from day one,” White shared. “He’s so easy to work with. He’s fun. He’s easygoing and he makes my job easy. You come to work and you make people happy. What could be better?”
The Wheel of Fortune Season 42 finale will air on Friday, June 6. Check local listings.
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