It’s been three months since Ryan Seacrest took over hosting Wheel of Fortune from the legendary Pat Sajak, who hosted the iconic game show for over forty years. Seacrest has since struggled to win over many diehard Wheel of Fortune fans who desperately miss Sajak.
Now, Seacrest has found himself in hot water after a situation unfolded that fans say Sajak would have handled very differently.
Seacrest Makes Controversial Call
During the December 5 episode of Wheel of Fortune, things went off the rails in the final “Food and Drink” triple toss-up puzzle. A contestant named Clint guessed “Well-Seasoned Meal,” which was incorrect. Another contestant named Adrianne then buzzed in to make an incorrect guess of her own.
This left contestant Jenn Walker as the only player eligible to make a guess, seemingly rendering buzzing in unnecessary.
“Take your time, and don’t let it fill out,” Seacrest told her.
“Well-Balanced Meal,” Jenn finally said, though she never rang in.
“Buzzer!” Seacrest yelled as he tried to stop her.
Seacrest then refused to give Jenn credit for the solve, instead throwing out the $2,000 puzzle as the audience gasped. Things proceeded to get even more awkward as Seacrest called on his producers to step in.
“Can we get the judges on that? She didn’t buzz but gave an answer?” he asked, with the judges ultimately backing him up.
“You gotta buzz in,” he told a dejected Jenn, who replied by simply saying “Okay.”
Clint later won the game with $26,150. Jenn finished close behind him in second place with $20,490.
Related: Ryan Seacrest Enrages ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Fans With ‘Mistake Pat Would Never Make’
Sajak Handled This Differently
Fans were quick to slam this decision, saying that Seacrest “did Jenn dirty.” Then, on Monday, a fan took to the Wheel of Fortune Reddit forum to share a side-by-side video of Seacrest’s ruling compared to one from Sajak on the April 1, 2024. The situation was exactly the same, but Sajak did indeed handle it very differently.
Just like what happened last week, two players buzzed in to give wrong answers in this April episode. This left a contestant named Alicia as the only player still eligible to guess. She gave the correct answer of “The Joker Is Wild” without ringing in.
Instead of chastising her like Seacrest did with Jenn, however, Sajak let her off the hook.
“Alicia didn’t actually ring in,” Sajak said. “You were the only one left. It’s all fine, all clear. We’re not going to jail or anything.”
Check out the comparisons for yourself in the video below. (Click to bring up the video player)
This Is Why Fans Miss Sajak
The above video perfectly epitomizes why so many fans prefer Sajak over Seacrest. During his decades hosting Wheel of Fortune, Sajak never took things too seriously. Sure, he upheld the rules, but he also had the contestants’ backs in situations where things logically should be ruled in their favor.
In contrast, as Seacrest continues to find his footing on Wheel of Fortune, he’s more inclined to do things by the book and be a stickler about rules. Perhaps that will change as he continues to get more experience hosting this game show.
While we enjoy Seacrest as much as anyone else does, there’s simply no replacing Sajak. We hope Sajak is enjoying his retirement, but he’s still dearly missed!
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