How did Ryan Seacrest‘s first season as Wheel of Fortune host stack up against Pat Sajak‘s? The American Idol host took over for Sajak on Season 42 after the long-time host retired.
According to series distributor CBS Media Ventures, the game show was up year-to-year in households and total viewers. Ryan Seacrest’s first season ended on Friday, June 6, after 195 episodes, with Vanna White. They will both be back for Season 43.
CBS shared that Wheel of Fortune was “the only syndicated game show to post growth and was one of only two syndicated series to increase year to year.”
This season, Wheel averaged 7.93 million viewers, which is 74,000 more than the previous season. In households, the game show was up one percent for a 4.6 rating, which made it the number two syndicated game show in households behind Jeopardy!.
According to Nielsen, Wheel of Fortune averaged 7.99 million during its premiere month from September to October 2024. Seacrest’s arrival gave Wheel its highest premiere month in three years. This made it the most-watched entertainment program on linear TV when news and sports are taken out of the equation.
Although Pat Sajak signed off from WOF last year, he did do one more season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, whose ratings were down from last season. Ryan Seacrest will host the celebrity version next season, so here’s hoping the ratings go up since the syndicated version did. And with the game show streaming on Hulu and Peacock this September, the ratings are bound to go higher.
Although Wheel of Fortune is currently running reruns in the summer, it will be back in September for an all-new season. An exact premiere date has not yet been announced.
Many Reddit users praised Seacrest and liked his upbeat attitude, youthfulness, and hugs.
What do you think of Ryan Seacrest as host? Does he bring a younger vibe to the show? Let us know in the comments.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, fall 2025, check local listings