WHEEL of Fortune executives are “popping champagne” after Ryan Seacrest “blew Pat Sajak’s ratings out of the water” in his new hosting position.
Ryan’s stunning early success has paved the way for him to renegotiate his deal with bosses, according to a show insider.
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Wheels of Fortune execs are ‘popping champagne’ over Ryan Seacrest’s ratingsCredit: Instagram / ryanseacrest
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He’s blown Pat Sajak’s ratings out of the water with his viewing figuresCredit: Getty
With bosses eager to lock him down for more than his current two-season deal, The U.S. Sun has learned negotiations for a long-term extension are already underway.
The source added that the ratings spike has come as a major blow for former host Pat, 77, who fronted the iconic show between 1981 and 2023.
They said: “You have to feel a little sorry for Pat Sajak because of how this is all playing out.
“Instead of matching or coming close to Pat’s audience numbers, Ryan has blown them out of the water!
“Everyone at Sony is popping champagne over the numbers and breathing a big sigh of relief that the tragedy, drama and confusion of the Jeopardy! host transition is not repeating itself here.
“The gamble on Ryan has worked creatively and as a business decision, and this new version of Wheel has excellent ratings.”
The insider went on to reveal Sony’s contingency plan, had Ryan’s initial numbers merely matched or come in below the ratings of the show’s previous era.
They continued: “It’s an even bigger deal because it’s an election year and all these daily syndicated shows usually take a small dip in viewership because of that.
“At least that’s what Sony was going to say if the numbers were underwhelming.
“But the refreshed Wheel is proving out Ryan’s strategic genius for joining the franchise in the first place.
“He’s making a very dusty, old format feel fresh and new, and the numbers show that he’s brought people back to Wheel who haven’t watched in years.”
The U.S. Sun revealed last month that Wheel of Fortune had surged past Jeopardy! by over 1 million viewers.
The syndicated show kicked off Season 42 on September 9 with new host Ryan making his highly anticipated debut.
Though Ryan has had a series of mishaps since the premiere, over a million viewers have tuned in to watch the famous host.
8,310,000 viewers watched Wheel of Fortune for the premiere week of September 9 to September 15.
As for rival game show Jeopardy!, which is hosted by Ken Jennings, 7,113,000 viewers tuned in for the episodes.
Family Feud came in the number three spot for syndicated television with 6,792,000.
Wheel of Fortune taking over the top spot is a shock, as Jeopardy! brought in more viewers overall last season.
JOB IN JEOPARDY?
The former American Idol star’s success on the game show could mean trouble for Ken, 50.
A source previously told The U.S. Sun, “Ryan is bringing a sense of youth and urgency to the job that is a lot harder to pull off than it looks, and Wheel is bound to get a bump in the numbers once his episodes start running in September.
“My advice to Ken is that just because Mayim is out of the picture doesn’t mean he shouldn’t watch his back.”
Ken and The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik shared hosting duties until she was let go from the show in 2023.
“In most media markets these shows run back-to-back and Ken needs to make sure he doesn’t suffer from the contrast with Ryan,” the insider continued to claim.
“It’s a tricky situation because their personalities are so radically different from one another.”
A second source told The U.S. Sun that while Ken currently has no long-term contract with the show, he has made it known to higher-ups that he would like to host for the long haul.
“Jeopardy! is Ken’s religion; he lives it, and he breathes it, and despite all the outside pressures, he’s not going to mess this up,” the insider claimed.
“He’s proud to have worked his way into this position and believes he has what it takes to make it last for decades to come.”
The source continued, “What he really wants more than anything is to stick around and make this position work for the long run.
“And if that means making less money to ensure his longevity, you can bet your life he’d be game.
“This isn’t all about the money. It’s a way of life for Ken and then some. He’s in it for the long run and to secure his status in the show’s history.”
Ken has a 74-game streak as a contestant, taking home $2.5 million.
He has made a total of $4.3 million from the game show with tournaments.
RYAN’S MISTAKES
Ryan had trouble adjusting to his role as host during the first few episodes.
On the premiere episode, a contestant mispronounced the word “ripened” while solving a puzzle.
Ryan ignored the mishap and granted the player the win.
“I thought he said the wrong word but when Ryan said he was correct, I assumed I misheard,” one fan wrote on Instagram.
“Why would the producers allow him to win the puzzle when he was wrong? Not a good way to start the new season, especially with a new host,” another viewer added.
“I don’t like the fact that Terry mispronounced the winning trip puzzle and he won it!!!! Pat would have said, ‘I’m sorry, Terry that’s not the answer,'” another said.
“Really surprised that the mistake wasn’t caught. He definitely said ‘ripeing’ instead of ‘ripened,'” a third pointed out.
“I agree – I agree, Ryan is fired after the first episode,” a viewer demanded.
For his second night as host, he failed to explain the rules to a contestant, causing her to lose a million-dollar prize.
“Pat would’ve explained that if she took the risk, she would’ve lost the million-dollar wedge,” one X user wrote.
“Pat would always remind the contestants if they look under the $10,000 they could lose their $1 million wedge. Ryan needs to do this too…” wrote a second.
Then on the September 16 episode, contestant Vivian made it to the bonus round to solve the “What Are You Doing?” puzzle.
Vivan picked “C, H, M and P” for consonants, while she picked the letter “I” for her vowel.
Vivian screamed out trying to solve the puzzle, “Wondering some help, answering some help, finding some help, looking around for some help, boundary for help.”
The buzzer then went off, as Vivian couldn’t solve the puzzle, which read “offering some help.”
Ryan showed the audience the prize, as they gasped when they saw $1 million.
Ryan smiled and laughed as he said, “You were so close to that million dollars. You almost had it.”
Vivan had trouble speaking and looked visibly upset as Ryan said, “Are you alright? Breathe! You’re still walking away with $27,300 and that trip to Europe.”
Fans weren’t happy with how Ryan handled the loss.
One viewer wrote, “Ryan doesn’t show the envelope correctly. He keeps showing to the contestant when he should be showing it to the audience and viewers at home.
“Also, he didn’t handle the distraught contestant too well.”
A second agreed, “I hear ya. It’s more devastating maybe than he realizes.”
A third complained, “He’s gotta work on his empathy skills. Lol yikes!! Can he even remember what it’s like to not be rich?!”
“Ryan laughed at her, I felt – Pat was way more demure about it,” another said.
A fifth wrote, “Didn’t Ryan say something like ‘You’re going to kick yourself’ or something like that? While Pat acted like somebody died. I’m not here to pile on Ryan but I preferred Pat’s approach better.”
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Bosses are keen to lock Ryan down for more seasonsCredit: Instagram/wheeloffortune
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Pat has been enjoying his retirement away from the spotlight
