Wheel of Fortune: Ryan Seacrest makes hosting debut

After months of speculation, tonight finally marked the first appearance from Ryan Seacrest as host of Wheel of Fortune. So, how did he do?

Well, one of the things that the producers of the show wanted here was for there to be a pretty smooth transition. Because of that, we really cannot be too shocked by what we saw here in the end. Seacrest is about as polished a host as you are going to find and really, he hit a lot of the expected notes here. He spoke extensively about his love of the show and his gratitude to be there as host. He had a little bit of rapport with Vanna White, but the focus remained on the game more so than anything that he said or did.

For some out there, it may take as much time getting accustomed to the new set as it is getting accustomed to Seacrest — a new era does signify some changes, right? The only other major tweak came in an LG sponsorship near the end of the episode, which allowed for “G” to be a free letter during the bonus round. Maybe this is sacrilege to the game, but does it really matter on a show meant to be this lighthearted?

From the moment that the American Idol host was announced to replace Pat Sajak, it was pretty clear what it was that the powers-that-be wanted to do. There was never an interest in shifting the show much from what it was, and Seacrest represented someone who was familiar, experienced, and would understand the legacy of what the show is. It’s not the first gig that he has jumped on board as a replacement for someone else, as we saw him take over New Year’s Rockin’ Eve following the passing of Dick Clark.

We will see how Wheel of Fortune moves forward but for now, it is just about exactly as we expected.

What did you think about Ryan Seacrest’s hosting debut on Wheel of Fortune tonight?

Share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, keep coming back to get some other updates.