Fans Are Calling Out Wheel Of Fortune’s Ryan Seacrest And Jeopardy This Week But For Polar Opposite Reasons

(Image credit: Sony)

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are two of the best game shows ever, so it stands to reason that the decades-old series would have a loyal contingent of outspoken fans. Viewers are definitely not shy about speaking out when they think Jeopardy! got a clue wrong or Wheel of Fortune needs a rule change. This week on the 2024 TV schedule has come with new gripes, but strangely enough Ryan Seacrest and Jeopardy’s producers are being called out for occurrences that were the complete opposite of each other.

Ryan Seacrest Called Out For Not Helping Wheel Of Fortune Contestant

On Tuesday, November 26, Wheel of Fortune contestant Oleh Voloshyn solved the Final Spin puzzle on his turn without guessing a letter first, only to ultimately come in second place, missing a trip to the Bonus Round by just $176. He clearly knew the answer, so literally all he had to do was guess one letter to earn an extra $6,000 before he solved the puzzle, and he would have won the game.

Many fans on Reddit thought Ryan Seacrest had a responsibility to remind the contestant of this, as Pat Sajak apparently did many times. Comments included:

Pat would have reminded him to guess a letter before solving. – andylayindustries
If I’m Oleh, I’m upset at myself for not realizing the situation… I’m also angry at Ryan for not doing something that Pat always made a point to do in this exact situation. It’s not the host’s job to point those types of things out but Pat always tried so now we expect it. – JerseyJoeEdits
People do this all the time, or at least try to. Pat was great at always reminding them to call another letter first though. – ExecutiveTurkey

However, I’m of the opinion that Ryan Seacrest was right to stay quiet, because if he had helped one contestant, it would have been at the detriment of another. A host should move the game along but never influence its outcome, in my opinion, regardless of if Pat Sajak did do that. Either way, I can’t help but be amused that Wheel Watchers are upset about the host not giving enough help to a contestant, when Jeopardy! was having the opposite problem.

Jeopardy! Called Out For Helping Out Its Contestants Too Much

A day before the possible Seacrest snafu, on November 25, Jeopardy! featured a visual clue in the category of “Time For A Cocktail?” A black-and-white photo of Helen Gurley Brown standing in front of several images came on the screen as Ken Jennings read, “Helen Gurley Brown became this publication’s first female editor in the 1960s.” Adam Hersh correctly responded with “What is Cosmopolitan?” but even if he hadn’t known the answer, it was right there for him on the screen.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Just to the right of Helen Gurley Brown’s right arm, above the item she’s holding, you can see “Cosmopolitan” is, in fact, written in white. One Jeopardy! fans was quick to call that out on the episode’s Reddit, writing:

I know it’s happened a handful of times before, but the ‘Cosmopolitan’ clue may be the most blatant example of an image clue giving an answer away ever.

The viewer is definitely not wrong, and I doubt the producers intentionally left that in there under the assumption that the contestants wouldn’t be able to see it. However, I — like several other Redditors — didn’t notice the word when I watched the episode, and even going back to look, I had to zoom in to see it. I don’t think there’s any way the players could have seen it from so far away and within the time limitations they’re under. Still, at least one person noticed it, so who knows?

Whether helping too much or too little, fans have lots of opinions about how Ryan Seacrest and Ken Jennings are filling the large shoes of their predecessors — two of the greatest game show hosts in history, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek. Tune in to see how you think they’re doing by checking your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! air in your area.