‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Ryan Seacrest vs. ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, two of the most famous TV game shows of all time, have entered a new era in 2024, with brand-new hosts taking over. Historically, both shows have been an important part of American pop culture. But the role of the host can really make or break shows like these. Starting from 1984, Jeopardy! was hosted by Alex Trebek for 37 seasons, whose name became synonymous with the general knowledge quiz show. Similarly, Pat Sajak was the force behind Wheel of Fortune for 41 years. However, the latest seasons of both shows in 2024 have seen Ken Jennings replacing the late Trebek and Ryan Seacrest succeeding Sajak.

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are sister shows, with both being produced and conceptualized by Merv Griffin. While Jeopardy! follows the format of a quiz show, Wheel of Fortune is all about strategy and luck. However, there has always been a bit of rivalry between the two, with fans arguing over which one is better. But with Jennings and Seacrest coming on board, the conversation has slightly shifted. Now, the viewers are left to wonder which host is the better replacement and can stay true to the tone and style of their respective show.

Ryan Seacrest’s Journey As ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Has Been Bumpy

Ryan Seacrest joined Wheel of Fortune after Pat Sajak announced his retirement in June 2023. Now, Seacrest has been a prominent name in television for a long time, and he has just what it takes to connect with the audience. Seacrest has hosted American Idol for 20 seasons since 2002, so he’s not a new face for audiences. From red carpets to award shows, Seacrest has made quite the name for himself in Hollywood as an Emmy-winning host and longtime radio personality. And he brings all those years of experience to Wheel of Fortune.

The best part about Seacrest’s hosting is that he’s not trying to copy Sajak or replicate what he did. He has come in with his own style of hosting, which has helped him get into the groove of things. During the season premiere for Wheel of Fortune Season 42, Seacrest took a moment to thank the audience for supporting him and acknowledged that he has extremely big shoes to fill. 8,310,000 viewers tuned into Wheel of Fortune for its premiere week with Seacrest, which is a good sign that the new host is setting himself up for success.

However, fans were quick to notice that Seacrest isn’t nearly as thorough as Sajak was, despite his claims of having taken months to prepare for his new role. During the premiere episode, Seacrest missed when a contestant mispronounced a word and granted him a win. And while you can chalk that up to first-day jitters, he made a similar mistake in Wheel of Fortune Season 42, Episode 2, when he failed to explain the rules to a contestant. The poor woman ended up losing her $1 million wedge on the wheel because Seacrest forgot to remind her of an important rule. If you draw a comparison to Pat Sajak, the former host of the show would never forget to give the contestants reminders such as these in such a high-pressure situation. If these rookie mistakes continue, Seacrest’s career as the host of Wheel of Fortune might not have the longevity of Sajak’s.

Ken Jennings Knows ‘Jeopardy!’ Inside Out — but Is That Enough?

Ken Jennings might not have the extensive TV experience that Seacrest brings to the table, but he knows pretty much everything there is to know about Jeopardy!. And that’s because he started out as a contestant on the show. Back in 2004, he became the show’s most successful contestant of all time after winning 74 games in a row. He then made several appearances in special episodes, tournaments, and competitions over the years, including the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades and Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. His long-time connection to the show made him an obvious choice to replace Trebek. Fans already know and love him, and everyone who takes part in the show aspires to be as successful as him. But Jennings’s journey to becoming the show’s full-time host wasn’t all that easy.

After Trebek’s passing, Ken Jennings and The Big Bang Theory‘sMayim Bialik joined Wheel of Fortune as co-hosts in 2021. However, in 2023, the decision was made to move forward with Jennings as the solo host, possibly because of online controversy Bialik was embroiled in relating to some of her views on health and medicine. All things considered, it made sense for the producers to retain Jennings, considering he has been a fan-favorite since 2004. However, he also found himself mired in controversy when a few of his old and extremely insensitive tweets resurfaced.

Jennings refused to delete his tweet making fun of disabled individuals, which led to an uproar from the fans who no longer wanted them to host their favorite show. Following the backlash, Jennings issued an apology for his past mistakes, mentioning he didn’t delete the posts as he believed it to be a form of “whitewashing.” However, he needs to show the audience that he is the right man for the job, and make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes again. For the viewers, the host of their favorite game show is someone they genuinely want to like and look up to because of their kindness, wit, and intelligence.

Who Is Going To Be the Better Host in the Long Run?

Both Jennings and Seacrest have seen rough starts as hosts of their respective shows. But, in terms of the ratings, Seacrest seems to have made up for his early oversights. Wheel of Fortune has experienced a huge boost in ratings. Despite Seacrest’s blunders, it became the most-watched entertainment show across broadcast, cable, and syndication for September 2024 after pulling in an impressive 7.99 million viewers. It’s fair to say that some of the credit goes to Seacrest. However, this boost in ratings for Wheel of Fortune might also have been because of the audience’s initial curiosity about the change in hosts.

On the other hand, Jennings hasn’t quite gotten the hang of things, because even though he’s had the hosting gig longer, Jeopardy! came in at the No. 3 spot with 7.35 million viewers. Not to mention that Jennings’s contract with the show isn’t permanent yet, compared to Seacrest, who is in it for the long haul. Sony is still evaluating how Jennings performs as a host before offering him a long-term contract similar to Alex Trebek’s. But Jennings is committed to Jeopardy! to the point where he is willing to take a pay cut if he has to, to stay on board as the show’s permanent host.

Ultimately, you can’t deny that both Jennings and Seacrest bring their own flair to hosting, and are loved by the fans for different reasons. While both of them are familiar faces for the audience, Seacrest already knows exactly what makes the audience tick. Jennings might need some more time to find his rhythm, but he has a loyal-enough fanbase that keeps coming back for more. So, the competition is still very much on, and it will be interesting to see who emerges as the winner.

Jeopardy! airs every weeknight on ABC in the U.S. Episodes are also available to stream on ABC.com. Wheel of Fortune is available on broadcast TV and streaming on YouTube TV in the U.S.