'Wheel of Fortune' contestant misses out on huge $1 million — viewers blame Ryan Seacrest for it

Among gameshows on TV, the "Wheel of Fortune" has gained iconic status, but one of the memories associated with it is that of the previous host Pat Sajak being blamed for contestants missing out on the prize money due to confusion. Now his successor Ryan Seacrest seems to be carrying his legacy forward, since he has been blamed for a contestant missing out on a million dollars.

On his second night as a host, one contestant Airica spun a $1 million dollar wedge during her turn. The wedge could have been swapped out for the $100,000 wedge in the bonus round, which means that she got it right, she could've gone home with the big prize, according to Fox News.

After she solved the first puzzle, she got the $1,000 mystery wedge had a choice to either unveil it or leave it. "So Airica, those two T's are worth $2,000. You could keep those, or you could risk them by what’s seeing on the other side," Seacrest said. "It could be a bankruptcy or it could be $10,000," he added. After she decided to risk it, she unveiled the bankrupt wedge. "Got to take the mystery and the million-dollar wedge," Seacrest explained. Later fans were outraged that Seacrest actually failed to explain that she had to give up the chance at the million-dollar prize ahead of time. 

Seacrest's hosting has been met with mixed reviews. Some say that the "American Idol" host is actually doing a good job while others do not like his style of hosting. "Does anyone besides me feel like the entire new WoF is just over the top? From the set to the contestant's outfits, and even the contestants' behavior. Especially the male contestant tonight. To me, it’s almost like they are actors. It feels unnaturally “extra,” a Reddit user wrote on Wednesday, according to TVinsider. "Watching @RyanSeacrest debut on @WheelofFortune, and despite my low expectations, he is doing a good job. I actually am finding him likable....he seamlessly stepping into @patsajak big shoes," @SugahAintSweet wrote on X.

According to Deadline, Monday's episode delivered a 4.62 household rating, up 57% from last year’s premiere which saw a  2.94 household rating in the same 44 overnight markets. Seacrest's debut was Wheel of Fortune's most-watched season premiere in nine years. His first week boasts of 8.31 million viewers which made it the No.1 show in syndication that week, Wheel of Fortune "reached 40 million total viewers in its premiere month" and the show is "up 3 percent in the adults 25-54 demo versus last year," a Sony Pictures TV producer for the show told Variety.

According to reports, Seacreast is feeling the pressure, "Ryan is seriously feeling the pressure and wondering if there's just no winning this fight," an insider tells Radar Online. "Everything he tries on the show seems to spark an outcry, and he's already fed up with the fan backlash," the source said. "He's getting the very distinct impression nothing will make them happy short of Pat coming out of retirement and hosting the show again," the source added as per reports. Seacrest is now making $28 million a year, which is $13 million more than Sajak, who hosted the show for 41 years.