Ryan Seacrest is ready to spin the wheel — and take over Pat Sajak ’s hosting duties — with the season 42 premiere of Wheel of Fortune . “We’ll have some special surprises and maybe some souped up cash giveaways for the premiere week,” Seacrest, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Wheel of Fortune Ferris Wheel Lighting in Santa Monica, California, last month, insisting, “ Wheel of Fortune will be Wheel of Fortune .” Seacrest joked viewers “can expect” him to be hosting , which is a big shift after Sajak, 77, ran the game show for 40 plus years, claiming that “not much else has changed” this season.
“The show is so well known for what it is, what it does and how it makes people feel, that nothing really changes,” he shared, revealing, “I think Vanna [White] has maybe a new carpet or something under her puzzle board.” White, 67, confirmed that there is “fresh carpet” for season 42, but fans will be getting the show they’ve known and loved for decades. “We do have a new set, but it’s just an updated set,” she told Us .
“You’re not going to feel like it’s a new show at all. You know, the puzzle board is still there, the wheel is still there. It’s gonna be a nice little remodel.
” Seacrest teased that the set refresh wasn’t the only thing he had to get used to as the show’s new host. He told Us that the iconic wheel that contestants spin every episode wasn’t what he expected when he got his hands on it. “To me, the whe.