CELEBRITY Wheel of Fortune has announced its premiere date with Pat Sajak getting one last hurrah as host.

After departing from the main show and being replaced by Ryan Seacrest, Pat will join Vanna White on the spinoff.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak and Vanna White returns October 14Credit: Instagram

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Pat Sajak seen returning to the set to host Celebrity Wheel of FortuneCredit: Getty
The Wheel of Fortune special will return on October 14, 2024 on ABC and Hulu.

The iconic game show announced the big news on Wednesday with a poster on Instagram.

Vanna, 67, is seen beaming alongside Pat, 77, – where they’ll team up for the very last time.

Above them is a puzzle board that reads: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Returns.”

In the caption, WoF confirmed this is Pat’s last time hosting any part of the show.

“It’s the final spin for Pat Sajak as host when Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premieres October 14 at 8/7c on ABC and Stream on Hulu,” the caption reads.

After the premiere, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune will likely air weekly, but no celebrities have been attached yet.

The announcement comes as Ryan, 49, prepares to make his debut as host of syndicated Wheel of Fortune in less than a week.

The American Idol fixture takes the stage on the nightly show starting this Monday, September 9.

WHY PAT IS BACK

Longtime fans were initially confused by the announcement, believing Pat had left the game show for good.
Ryan Seacrest reveals more of the new Wheel of Fortune set ahead of season 42 premiere as fans ‘can’t wait’
After 41 years on the job, Pat Sajak’s last episode as the host of Wheel of Fortune aired on June 7, 2024.

Pat was set to retire from showbiz and hand off his hosting duties to new host Ryan, which he did – just not for the celebrity edition.

As part of his contract, Pat had one more year of hosting duties on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune to fulfill.

This is why he’s not fully retiring, and fans will get one more dose of Pat before he officially retires for good.

Wheel of Fortune host timeline

Premiering in 1975, the beloved game show has had a few different iconic hosts in its nearly 50 seasons.

1975 – 1981 : Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel of Fortune until he departed in 1981.

1981 – June 2024: Pat Sajak took over and became a beloved Wheel of Fortune host for over 40 years.

September 2024: Ryan Seacrest was declared the newest host as Sajak announced his retirement.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune typically airs about ten episodes per season, and the longtime host reportedly began taping the shows in July (likely on the old set).

Pat can be seen absolutely beaming in a photo of him back on set.

After this season of Celebrity Wheel, it’s all but certain Ryan will host the special going forward.

Meanwhile, while Pat will otherwise no longer be hosting, he’ll still be close by, serving as a supervising producer for the next three years.

HIS OWN SPIN

Ryan is well into taping Season 42 of WoF, his first as the new host alongside TV royalty Vanna.

Ryan is not just a fill in and has signed a contract “through the 2030s,” The New York Times reported.

The New York Times also shared earlier this week how Ryan is differentiating himself from Pat as host.

Unlike Pat, Ryan doesn’t use cue cards. Instead, the TV everyman memorizes every contestant’s info when introducing them.

“He has already brought a new energy to the set,” the outlet wrote. “He can break into a salsa dance. He moves easily around the stage.

“And he does not require index cards – one of Mr. Sajak’s hallmarks – when he introduces each new contestant.”

During his 40-plus years as host, Pat famously carried a stack of index cards for the show’s interview segment.

Before getting into the game, Pat relied on the cue cards to learn about the contestants and their personal lives.

A studio source also told The U.S. Sun that Ryan’s host style is vastly different from Pat’s overall.

“Ryan is simply not doing the low-key version of the show that Pat did,” the source said.

“He’s brought every bit of his ‘hype-beast’ morning radio and New Year’s Eve energy to the production of his first episodes.

“It’s a pretty big shift and an obvious grab for a younger generation of viewers than Pat had.

“Ryan just makes the whole Wheel experience feel hipper, faster and less sleepy than the version of the show that Pat did for all those years.”

The source added that while the gameplay will remain the same, Ryan “is a master of memorization and doesn’t rely on the teleprompter remotely as much as Pat did.”

“God knows how many old episodes of Wheel he watched, but he really prepared for this gig.”

WHEEL DIFFERENT

Of course, with new host Ryan on the main show comes a number of drastic changes: one being an all-new set.

The stage is now blue-toned with a golden wagon-wheel throughout, and Vanna has a new laser-controlled puzzle board which she recently called “crazy.”

Fans will see all the changes in action when the new season premieres, as the show has been very secretive about teasing too much.

That said, one thing that isn’t changing is the iconic centerpiece wheel – the same one has been used for 20 years.

“There is no other wheel,” Suzanne Prete, the head of game shows at Sony, told NYT.

As the hype around Ryan’s debut grows, he also told the Times that he’s honoring the traditions of the show.

“Honestly, if there’s a through line to all of the things that I do, I’m really not the center of attention,” he shared.

“At American Idol, it’s about the contestant. On the radio, we’re playing songs. With New Year’s Eve, it’s the ball. On Wheel, it’s the game.”

He also said he appreciates the tradition of walking out and being called the “star” of the show alongside Vanna.

“It’s such an old school thing,” Ryan said. “No one says that anymore.

“Those classic, vintage, old-school things about this show are what make this show.”

Ryan’s Season 42 premiere on Wheel of Fortune is Monday, September 9, at 7 pm Eastern.

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Pat Sajak seen with Vanna White on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in 2023Credit: Getty

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Ryan Seacrest is about to make his host debut on the main show with Vanna on September 9Credit: Wheel of Fortune

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Wheel of Fortune’s new set for Ryan Seacrest’s big debutCredit: ABC