Wheel of Fortune behind-the-scenes secrets revealed as fans point out massive taping edit in Ryan Seacrest’s second show
Plus, why fans criticized Ryan for failing to explain the show’s rules properly
A WHEEL of Fortune taping secret has been revealed after fans noticed an editing inconsistency during Tuesday’s episode.
A Reddit user who was present at the taping explained why producers might edit a contestant’s spin of the wheel, after a viewer pointed out a continuity error.
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Ryan Seacrest, 49, makes his debut as Wheel of Fortune host during the season 42 premiere on Monday nightCredit: NBC
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Ryan Seacrest and co-host Vanna White in a promo for the new season of WoFCredit: Wheel of Fortune
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A still from Tuesday night’s episode that was shared on Reddit after a fan pointed out a continuity editing errorCredit: Reddit/The Wheel of Fortune
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Ryan Seacrest with players Andrew, Airica, and Promise during Tuesday night’s episodeCredit: Wheel of Fortune
“Anyone notice the spin edit tonight?” they wrote on a Reddit forum dedicated to the beloved game show that is currently in its Ryan Seacrest era.
“I’ve seen it on the Final Spin, but I’d never expect that in any other round.”
In response, the Redditor “RAS310” explained, “I was at the taping. They edit out whenever there are three (or six) lost turns in a row that don’t add letters [to the board] or change anyone’s score.”
They further explained that, prior to contestant Promise (Blue) landing on a $900 point value space, she “hit the Bankrupt” wedge (and lost no money to it).”
Meanwhile, player Andrew (signified by Red) “spun $700 and called a wrong S, then Yellow (signifying Airica) spun $850 and called a wrong R.”
“This is why they will never show the used letters on screen,” the Reddit user continued.
“They also edited out nine lost turns from the round before this, as I detailed in a separate post here,” their comment read.
LOSING STREAK
Referring to the Same Name round, the Reddit user shared that new host Ryan Seacrest was “so exasperated” after a “streak of 12 lost turns in a row, and 9 edited out.”
They added the episode was marked by “a lot of reshoots” as well as technical glitches “where the board wasn’t responsive.”
The “Same Name” category puzzle includes two names, phrases, or terms that end in the same word.
Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest ‘fails to explain rules’ as player loses $1m prize wedge in ‘horrendous’ moment
Tuesday night’s answer for the round was “Birthday” and “Credit Card” but the reveal was preceded by a historic streak of lost turns, as Ryan declared, “This has never happened before on WoF.”
Contestant Promise ultimately ended up solving the puzzle after a correctly guessing the letters “C”, “E”, “I”, and “A”.
Reacting to the post, one fan commented, “And the poor gameplay/guesses probably didn’t help.”
Another user who said they attended the taping added, “I was there for this episode and it was absolutely brutal.”
Wheel of Fortune Host Timeline
Although Pat and Vanna have been a staple on the game show for decades, there have been other hosts
Chuck Woolery was the host from 1975 to 1981
He co-hosted alongside Susan Stafford (1975 to 1982)
Vanna White then stepped in as hostess in 1982 and has been ever since
After a contract and salary dispute, the show got rid of Chuck and brought in Pat in 1982
Pat hosted with Susan for one season
He then left the game show in 1989 to host a late-night talk show for CBS
For five months, NFL player Rolf Benirschke took his place
In July 1989, Bob Goen hosted the show on CBS
He hosted for a year and a half until the show was canceled in 1991
The show was then moved to ABC with Pat and Vanna hosting for the foreseeable future
In 2023, Pat announced his retirement and Ryan Seacrest as quickly named as his replacement
Ryan took over as WoF host from legendary presenter Pat Sajak, making his long-awaited debut on Monday, September 9.
RYAN’S ERROR?
Despite receiving positive reviews initially, Ryan was criticized by fans for failing to properly explain the rules after a blunder during Tuesday’s episode.
The “horrendous” moment occurred after contestant Airica risked her £1 million wedge for a mystery wedge that ended up being a bankrupt.
Fans reacted to Airica’s mistake on social media, as several people pointed out Ryan failed to properly reinforce what was at stake when Airica “risked” her lead by picking the mystery wedge.
“Pat would’ve explained that if she took the risk, she would’ve lost the million-dollar wedge,” one X user wrote.
“Seacrest is doing okay but he’s yelling a lot,” wrote another. “He didn’t help the poor woman reminding her she had a million on a mystery wedge.”
“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 third.
‘TOO MUCH OF A DISTRACTION’
Since WoF’s 42nd season premiered on Monday, several fans have complained about the newly-revamped set to signify a new era for the game show.
Several viewers noted the set was too bright, while others expressed their exasperation over the glitchy puzzle board.
Additionally, the new camera set up for toss-up puzzles, which shows separate panels of each contestant on-screen, has also been called out.
One Redditor started a thread, “Ryan is ok but hate the new set. Also hate them showing the contestants at bottom during the toss ups. It’s a distraction. I just want to see the puzzle!”
A second person agreed, “Yes!! I hated them showing the contestants too. It felt like too much of a distraction from the puzzle.”
“The three box was nauseating. Let the viewer focus on the puzzle!” a third user urged.
Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. Eastern – check your local listings.
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Vanna White, 67, stunned in a one-shoulder royal blue gown as she joined Ryan Seacrest for his WoF debut on September 9Credit: Wheel of Fortune
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Vanna White stands by the puzzle boardCredit: Wheel of Fortune
