As the new era of Wheel of Fortune continues on the 2025 TV schedule, some fans are still finding it hard to get used to the new host. Pat Sajak stepped down last year, with Ryan Seacrest stepping up, and many were quick to share their opinions on Seacrest taking over. It also doesn’t help that he’s made some frequent mistakes, and people keep comparing him to Sajak. While it seemed like the takeover was going well, fans still have one complaint months after his first episode premiered. Although others actually love it.
A Lot Of People Really Hate The Intros Change
A thread on the Wheel of Fortune subreddit pointed out that intros have been longer since the American Idol host joined, saying that it’s about 6-7 minutes now. Seacrest speaks to the contestants longer than Sajak did, getting more information about their lives and families and what made them want to do the show. It's one of the many complaints about Wheel fans have, and for a fair reason. A lot of people couldn’t care less about the intros, and even compared it to how fellow long-running game show Jeopardy! does things:
- The main reason I record the show—so I can fast forward through all the intros. So boring. I watch to solve puzzles, not hear about your collection of cow pies or how many kids you have with “J” names. -MarshmallowRhubarb
- It does feel like they're giving the contestants considerably more time for their introductions this season. -jjc927
- I thought they seemed longer now too. I rarely listened to the contestant entros before and definitely not now. -patricknkelly
- Definitely longer now, approaching Jeopardy level of nonsense spewed about each contestant. I just showed my fiance a Pat episode from 2007 to show him how quick they used to be haha -Dazzaa533
If it’s one thing that Wheel of Fortune fans can agree on, it’s the fact that some of the changes that have been made since Sajak left haven’t been for the better. Since people mostly watch Wheel for the puzzles and seeing how much money the contestants end up taking home, it makes sense that a lot of them don’t really care about the intros. But that’s not to say they’re all like that.
But A Few People Welcome It
Some fans actually like the longer intros, agreeing that they enjoy learning more about the contestants and seeing them get excited to talk about their lives and families. It’s also the fact that you are seeing these contestants for a half hour and maybe even rooting for someone. Knowing what they’re all about and who they are can sometimes make the episode worth it, as Takora06 shared:
The entire show as a whole seems a lot more “social” than it used to be. I for one welcome it, especially whenever Vanna talks to Ryan of the contestants from the puzzle board
Obviously, there is only so much time for each episode, so it’s not surprising that people would rather just skip through to the game rather than hear each contestant talk about themselves for a couple of minutes. But it does make things fun when you learn who’s competing and why, and then seeing their family at the end if they make it to the bonus puzzle. In the end, WOF fans have strong opinions.
It's been hard for people to get used to Seacrest after Sajak retired, especially since he hosted for decades. It was expected that some things would change, but that doesn’t mean that people have to like it. Whether more changes will come next season is unknown, so fans will just have to tune in later this year and see. In the meantime, check your local listings to see when and where you can watch new episodes of Wheel of Fortune.
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