Ryan Seacrest took over "Wheel of Fortune" hosting duties from Pat Sajak Sept. 9 and fans are having mixed reactions to changes that came with the newest chapter of the iconic show.
Seacrest is stepping into Sajak's role. Sajak retired in June after appearing on the program for more than 40 years. And when Seacrest and co-host Vanna White stepped out for their first show together, it was clear the set had been remodeled with a more modern look.
On social media following the show's debut, some fans weren't sure about the new look.
"I get that Wheel of Fortune replaced Pat Sajak because he retired, but why did they have to change the entire set?! #WheelOfFortune," @SimchaG wrote in a tweet.
I get that Wheel of Fortune replaced Pat Sajak because he retired, but why did they have to change the entire set?! #WheelOfFortune
— Simcha Genesove (@SimchaG) September 9, 2024
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
"Not to be negative but I absolutely hate what they’ve done to the #wheeloffortune set," @ET2U posted. "It feels like one of those weird international versions of the show. Very distracting."
Entertainment News
Not to be negative but I absolutely hate what they’ve done to the #wheeloffortune set. It feels like one of those weird international versions of the show. Very distracting.
— ET2U (@ET2U) September 10, 2024
There were a few specific things with which longtime fans seemed upset. First, some were unhappy with the set's new screens — many of which are blue throughout the show.
"The new one is awful, awful lines bright lines, it’s terrible it almost hurts your eyes!! " one person wrote on a "Wheel of Fortune" subreddit thread about the set. "How could they do this, this is an abomination, make it stop!"
"What they have done is cheapening the show and obviously saving them a lot of money but not changing anything in the background bad idea bad bad not only do they change a wonderful commentator but they changed the set and ruined it as well!"
"Looks terrible on (our) OLED tv," another fan replied. "Something just off about it. Too much blue. Definitely too much gold."
"New (set) looks like a cheap green screen with a lot of bright blue," someone else wrote. "Too tacky looking."
Fans were also upset with how the show handled the "Toss Up" challenges. Previously, the players had been shown at the top of the screen, but now the three contestants are displayed at the bottom in separate boxes.
"This weird new (Toss Up) setup is giving 90s computer game version of Wheel of Fortune," @RyanMoyer10 wrote in a tweet.
@WheelRob10 posted a screenshot of the computer game in response.
OMG #WheelofFortune https://t.co/H7LNUHfiBp pic.twitter.com/gNG32F05JP
— WheelRob (@WheelRob10) September 9, 2024
In the "Wheel of Fortune" Reddit thread, fans also complained about the apparent lag between when White touches the letter board and when the letters appear.
"What is wrong with the letter board? Vanna (White) touches it and there’s a very annoying delay," one person wrote. "Ugh!"
The popular show has not publicly responded to any fans' complaints about the new set.
