Ryan Seacrest has had a rough start hosting Wheel of Fortune just one week after he took over from the longtime former host Pat Sajak. In the seven episodes that Seacrest has hosted of the iconic game show, he’s struggled to win over fans.
As Seacrest, 49, kicked off his second week of hosting on Monday night, things got even worse for him, as a contestant missed out on winning $1 million by just one word.
$1 Million Heartbreak On Wheel Of Fortune
After making it to the bonus round, contestant Vivian Tran lost out on the massive prize by heartbreakingly missing one word. Heading into the puzzle, Seacrest didn’t appear to help the situation, as he seemed as nervous as could be.
“My heart is racing, this is a first for me,” Seacrest said. “You’re playing for $1 million.”
Seacrest then explained that the usual $100,000 envelope had been replaced with the $1 million envelope. Tran proceeded to spin a small wheel that held the envelopes with the prizes inside, landing on one at random.
The category of the puzzle was “What Are You Doing?” and Tran chose the letters C, H, M, and I. She had the opportunity to choose a bonus letter, and she picked P.
Vanna White revealed the correct letters, spelling out “_ _ _ E R I N G S _ M E HELP.”
Tran Was ‘Nervous’
Tran admitted that she was “nervous” before she began frantically guessing.
“Wondering some help? Answering some help? Finding some help? Looking around for some help? Boundary for help?” she guessed.
Unfortunately for Tran, the answer was “Offering some help.” She couldn’t help but become emotional when this was revealed.
Things got even worse when Seacrest revealed that her envelope contained the $1 million prize. A devastated Tran put her head in her hands in response, ending the show on a truly sad note.
Check out the heartbreaking moment for yourself in the video below.
Tran later opened up about what happened.
“It turned out great, a little bit painful, but I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Tran told Maggie Sajak, the daughter of the iconic former Wheel of Fortune host.
“I knew the last two words… but the first one… I couldn’t get the syllables,” she continued. “It was 10 seconds, so by the time it got to the eighth second I was like ‘Ugh,’ and I missed it.”
Seacrest Hit With Backlash – But Gets Defended
Since replacing Sajak as the host of Wheel of Fortune, Seacrest has struggled to garner the support of longtime fans. After Sajak hosted Wheel of Fortune for 43 years prior to his retirement in June, fans were livid when Seacrest didn’t mention him by name once during his first episode hosting the show last Monday night.
As the backlash mounted, a source close to Sajak spoke out to defend him.
“Ryan is not used to taking over as a host for anything,” the insider told Daily Mail. “He is used to starting ventures so for him to do this is new.”
“He has spent months and months honoring Pat,” the source continued. “But Pat is gone, and Ryan is taking the show and the audience in a new direction. Pat didn’t wish him luck publicly.”
Reports have even circulated that White may be tapped to take over as host if Seacrest can’t turn things around soon.
Full Story: Vanna White May Take Over ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ If Ryan Seacrest Can’t Win Over Audience
The joy of having a Wheel of Fortune contestant win $1 million for the first time in a decade undoubtedly would have done wonders for Seacrest’s image. Instead, Tran’s narrow loss appears to be yet another blunder in Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune hosting gig.
Only time will tell if Seacrest is able to turn this around.
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