The 43rd season of Wheel of Fortune premiered on Monday. To mark the occasion, host Ryan Seacrest revealed a secret about the iconic game show that left even his co-host Vanna White stunned.
Seacrest Shocks White With Wheel Of Fortune Revelation
While being interviewed on Good Morning America, Seacrest dropped a bomb when he revealed how the game show creates the clicking sound viewers hear when a contestant spins the wheel. Even White was shocked by the secret from their set!
“Do you know the clicking sound? There are rubber bands, like you used to have with orthodontia on your teeth. That’s what makes the clicking,” Seacrest explained.
“Do you know I never knew that?” White confessed.
“Well, welcome to season 43!” Seacrest replied.
White, 68, has been co-hosting Wheel of Fortune since 1982. Indeed, she’s appeared in over 8,100 episodes. White’s latest contract is set to last until the end of the current 2025-2026 season.
“I love coming to work every day,” White said after she renewed her contract. “It’s always fun and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Thankfully, White received a “substantial pay increase” with this contract. It remains unclear if she will be staying on Wheel of Fortune after this season, but fans certainly hope that she does!
Seacrest Takes Over For Pat Sajak
Meanwhile, Seacrest, 50, began hosting Wheel of Fortune last year. He took over for Pat Sajak, 78, who had hosted the game show for 42 years before he retired in 2024. Many wondered if Wheel of Fortune would be able to survive without Sajak, given how long he hosted the game show.
Public relations expert Doug Eldridge previously told Fox News that Sajak’s appeal is “like humidity. You can’t see it, but you can certainly feel it.”
“Sajak embodies everything you would want in a host — calm, charismatic, clean-cut and very likable,” continued Eldridge, who is the founder of Achilles PR. “He managed banter with contestants, while celebrating them in victory and consoling them in defeat. He did so with a small smile and a big heart.”
“It was a perfect storm in a lot of ways,” he added. “Timing, tempo and teamwork. When you look at the timing, game shows reached their zenith in the 1960s and 70s … the timing [of Sajak and White’s takeover] was like the last few clicks at the top of the roller coaster climb, when it comes to American viewing habits.”
Wheel Of Fortune Season 43
Thankfully, Wheel of Fortune was able to survive the transition from Sajak to Seacrest. This season, the game show is upping the anti with more tournaments, bigger prizes, and extra opportunities to win.
“Ryan brings his charm, warmth and playfulness into his interactions with the contestants and co-host Vanna White, and that has resonated with our viewers,” said Bellamie Blackstone, the game show’s executive producer. “A big part of the success we saw last season can be credited to these many wonderful moments, so we decided to embrace it, and make ‘The Year of Fun’ the season 43 theme.”
Wheel of Fortune has been one of the most beloved game shows on television. Though it’s been on the air for 50 years, it’s still watched by millions every night to this day. God bless Seacrest and White for continuing to bring joy to millions of viewers on a nightly basis. We need more shows like Wheel of Fortune on television!