Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season 5 has come to a close and that means Pat Sajak‘s final time as host on the game show did as well. How did this season compare to Season 4? Read on to find out the ratings.
Pat Sajak returned for one final celebrity season alongside Vanna White after retiring from regular Wheel of Fortune at the end of Season 41. But it looks like fans checked out early as Season 5’s ratings were down from Season 4.
Season 5 starred Rainn Wilson, Ellie Kemper, and Oscar Nuñez of The Office, Josh Gad, Justin Long, and Rachael Harris of New Girl, and Sam Richardson, Randall Park, and Matt Walsh of Veep. Tiffany Haddish and Regina Hall of Girls Trip played, as well as Joe Manganiello, Katharine McPhee, Andrew Rannells, Pete Holmes, and basketball star Cameron Brink.
TV Series Finale shared the Neilsen ratings for Season 5. The season had 10 episodes, including a holiday special that aired in December 2024 with Chance the Rapper, Dionne Warwick, and Lil Jon as contestants. The most-watched episode this season was the May 28 episode, two episodes before the finale. It brought in 3.205 million viewers and was up 20 percent from the previous week.
These were the only episodes that hit three million viewers. The others averaged between 2.294 and 2.713 million viewers. The finale was the lowest-watched of the season. Season 5 was also delayed due to football, so the later start time could have tampered with the ratings.
This is down from Season 4, in which the lowest-watched episode was the second to last with 2.547 million viewers. The highest-rated episode that season was the fourth with 3.878 million Wheel watchers, according to the website. Season four was split between the fall of 2023 and the spring of 2024. The final two episodes were some of the least-watched, which may be due to other show’s season finales airing during that time.
Season 4 brought in an average of 3.58 million viewers while Season 5’s average was 3.24 million viewers. The drop isn’t that significant, but with it being Sajak’s final season, it is shocking to see a dip in ratings.
However, the drop in ratings didn’t hurt the series as it is renewed for Season 6. Vanna White will return, but this time alongside Ryan Seacrest, who hosts the syndicated version now that Sajak is retired. The celebrities have not yet been announced. Season 6 will also air on Friday nights instead of Wednesdays, and stream the next day on Hulu.
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Season 5, now streaming on Hulu