Ryan Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune debut could cause ‘friction’ with rival Ken Jennings

Seacrest will start hosting the popular game show a year after Jennings joined Jeopardy permanently.

Wheel Of Fortune: Pat Sajak hands the reigns to Ryan Seacrest

Jeopardy’s Ken Jennings is facing immense pressure as a competing popular game show faces a major shakeup.

Jennings started hosting Jeopardy in 2023, and approximately a year later, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest would replace Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune.

Now, the two hosts are going head to head, competing for ratings.

A Sony Television insider recently told The Sun that Jennings needs to remain alert, especially if Jeopardy numbers start to drop amid Sony’s changing dynamic.

“For decades, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have been very evenly matched when it comes to ratings and popularity, but they actually draw two different audiences. The U.S. Jeopardy! fans typically come from bigger cities, while Wheel pulls more from middle America,” the source explained.

Ken Jennings and Ryan Seacrest compete for ratings (Image: Getty)

“Now that both shows are going into this fall with their new hosts in place, that equilibrium is poised to be disrupted, and at Sony Television, you can feel the excitement as Ryan settles in and starts getting his first episodes as host,” they added.

Seasoned television personality Seacrest is also expected to give Jennings a run for his money, especially with his charming demeanor.

“[Ryan is] bringing a sense of youth and urgency to the job that is a lot harder to pull off than it looks, and Wheel is bound to get a bump in the numbers once his episodes start running in September. My advice to Ken is that just because Mayim is out of the picture doesn’t mean he shouldn’t watch his back,” the source added, referring to actress Mayim Bialik, who hosted the show from 2021-2023.

The insider also used their knowledge of the television industry to give wise words to Jennings on how he should navigate the new challenge.

“Taking the Jeopardy! audience for granted is the worst possible thing he could do right now with Ryan poised to re-invent the Wheel franchise with his Top-40 radio sensibility and unflappable optimism,” they said.

They continued: “In most media markets these shows run back-to-back and Ken needs to make sure he doesn’t suffer from the contrast with Ryan. It’s a tricky situation because their personalities are so radically different from one another.”