‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Blame Ryan Seacrest for Contestant’s Bankruptcy Fail

Ryan Seacrest’s troubles on Wheel of Fortune are continuing. As viewers are still trying to get used to Wheel’s new host, Seacrest is still trying to get used to his new gig, and he’s sometimes not doing a very good job at it. Via DailyMail, the Feb. 12 episode saw a contestant losing all of their earnings, and many were criticizing the host for his part in it.

Texas native cover band lead singer and nonprofit worker Stephen Bailey was soon leading his fellow contestants with nearly $5,000, a trip, and an additional $10,000 wedge, but then came the moment everything changed. After Bailey spun the wheel and landed on a $1,000 piece, Seacrest encouraged him to turn it over for a surprise. “Oh. Let’s go, right?” Seacrest said. Unfortunately, that surprise on the back ended up being a “bankrupt.” Many people criticized Seacrest for not warning Bailey that the surprise on the other side could very well be a bankrupt panel.

Fans also pointed out that it was something that longtime host Pat Sajak would have definitely warned contestants about. “I don’t think I’ve seen a round quite like that one,” one Reddit user wrote. “I was watching it with some family, and there were several gasps with the ‘G’ called and the decision to flip over the mystery wedge.”

Ryan Seacrest’s first episodes of Wheel of Fortune episodes premiered in September, and fans had a lot of thoughts about his debut. Most of them were pretty mixed, but a lot of them were leaning on the negative side. It’s hard to take over for someone like Sajak, and even despite his numerous hosting gigs, Wheel of Fortune is different. It’s not something that he’ll pick up right away. Even Sajak was still making mistakes up until his retirement. But fans are still going to be brutal.

This isn’t the first time that Seacrest has been blamed for a contestant’s misfortune. In December, people blamed him for costing someone $13,000. Even though his time on Wheel has been brief, it still seems to be as rocky as ever. It might still take some time for Seacrest to get used to everything and making sure to tell contestants something, but it seems like the fans are not letting up. It just shows that Wheel of Fortune is in a new era, whether people like it or not.