Ryan Seacrest Solves Hosting Puzzle! Will enough vowels be bought for Vanna? By Hank Indictor
I didn’t think I’d be writing about one of my favorite game shows again, or at least not so soon after I covered Pat Sajak’s imminent retirement, but now it appears that Ryan Seacrest will be the man to replace Pat after his final season concludes. As I will get into shortly, I think this is an excellent move personally as he’s had a good amount of experience as a game show host and has a proven track record beyond that in the T.V. industry, making him a perfect fit for the job. However, questions are being raised about Vanna White’s status, as there are rumors that she is dissatisfied with her current salary. In other words, while the hosting puzzle has been solved, the situation with Vanna has now become a mystery box (or, in this case, a mystery wedge!).
Ryan Seacrest is the perfect successor to Pat Sajak to be the next host of Wheel of Fortune. All you have to do is look at his track record and see why he has a reputation as one of the hardest-working people in the television industry. One person who shares my sentiment is fellow Empty the Bench member and former Wheel Contestant Kyle Hirshon.
“I recognize that Seacrest is the “safest” choice regarding finding a replacement host.” Hirshon says, “They did not want to repeat the Jeopardy fiasco almost two years ago. I think the choice for Seacrest was a great choice. We’re seeing that he is the Dick Clark of the 21st Century. He will carry on the legacy just fine. Not only that, I’m glad a game show chose an actual emcee as the host. Not to knock Elizabeth Banks or Joel McHale but Seacrest actually has the credentials of a good host.” To piggyback off of Kyle, I can’t imagine a scenario with Wheel trying off a scenario of guest hosts like Jeopardy did, and even better, thank goodness that weasel in Mike Richards is no longer involved with Merv Griffin Enterprises.
Johnny Montalbano, my game On co-host, added, “I’ve seen a lot of reaction in the hours and days following the announcement that Seacrest is everywhere, but there is one word that I feel that Pat Sajak’s replacement needed: experience. And Seacrest has plenty of hosting experience from “American Idol”, to “Rockin’ New Years Eve” to game show hosting as well. I still remember a young Seacrest hosting “Click”, a computer like game show in the late 90’s. Now, how long Seacrest hosts Wheel is yet to be seen, but the show got the decision correct.” Ultimately, I think experience matters in the hosting department. I should also point out that lots of game show hosts are also known for having other “hats” in the T.V. industry. Dick Clark is a prominent name that comes to mind, and the same is true for people such as Steve Harvey, Regis Philbin, and Alex Trebek. I also mentioned in the previous blog that Pat Sajak had a short-lived talk show. I can’t wait to see Ryan Seacrest succeed as the new host of Wheel of Fortune, and neither should you!
As for Vanna White, there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding her status as the longtime co-hostess. According to various sources, Vanna is unhappy with her current salary as she hasn’t received a raise in over 15 years. She is making about 1/5th less than what Sajak makes, and given her longevity, I would say she is justified in feeling this way if this is true. Hirshon said, “She deserves to get paid what she’s worth. She’s without a doubt the face of the show and should be paid as such.”
Vanna has been with the show since 1983, and on a few occasions, she has guest hosted on rare occurrences where Sajak was absent. However, Vanna herself had admitted a few times that she wasn’t interested in replacing Pat as the host.
Again, it is essential to remember that this is pure tabloid speculation. Montalbano says, “As far as the reports that have surfaced about Vanna White in the days following the announcement. #1, I always take tabloid stories with a grain of salt. They always seem to want attention more than anything. That being said, if it is accurate that Vanna has not gotten any bonuses or raises in 18 years, that is wrong and speaks to a problem that I could talk hours about but for this, I won’t go there. I believe that if Vanna wanted to leave the show, she would have left along with Sajak, but I think that at the end of the day, White will return as the legendary letter turner, I mean toucher (it's been like that since 1997) for the Seacrest era”. In other words, Vanna White is a national treasure and deserves to be treated as such. Come on, Wheel, do the right thing!!