Ryan Seacrest 'Under Massive Pressure' to 'Reinvent Wheel of Fortune' — With Vanna White 'Poised To Take Over If He Fails'
Ryan Seacrest is under pressure as host of 'Wheel of Fortune' after a ratings hit.
Ryan Seacrest's gig as the new host of Wheel of Fortune comes with enormous pressure.
With ratings spiraling downward, insiders are whispering Vanna White is ready to take over, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Ryan Seacrest made his debut on 'Wheel' on Monday, September 9.
The insider said: "This is a very stressful time for Ryan. He’s in the seat now!"
New ratings figures show the beloved game show has fallen from its number-two spot in the rankings since Pat Sajak's time on the show ended on June 7.
It makes Seacrest's reign – which began this week – an uphill battle.
The source also revealed: "Ryan's trying to sugarcoat this and say it's good news, that the only way is up since Pat's ratings are down.
"But the bosses are worried it’s a free-fall that might not be automatically reversible just by hiring a new host!"
Pat Sajak and Vanna White have worked together since 1982.
The American Idol host, 49, secured a jaw-dropping $28million-per-year contract when he took over for Sajak.
White, 67, on the other hand, only got a "substantial pay increase" from the $3million salary she had been getting for nearly two decades.
Our source said: "The stakes are very high and Ryan’s under enormous pressure to deliver on the massive salary they're paying him, not to mention the huge money they invested in giving Vanna her raise."
Pat Sajak reportedly tried to stay out of the process of finding his replacement.
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The pressure on Seacrest comes amid fan backlash after he failed to mention Sajak, who hosted the show for 40 years, by name in his hosting premiere.
After walking on stage with White, Seacrest gave a brief speech before introducing that night's players.
The insider continued: "If the ratings don’t come back up, Ryan knows he'll be the scapegoat, so it's incredibly stressful. And Vanna's in the catbird seat. She can just stand back and see how Ryan gets on.
"Even if that's not her intention, she can certainly be the one to benefit from this in a big way because she'd be the next obvious replacement.
"Everyone knows there's no one the fans would rather see take over from Ryan — she'd be a slam dunk!"
He said: "Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job. I've been a fan of this show since I was a kid watching it in Atlanta with my family. And I know how special it is that Wheel has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years.
"And I'm just so grateful to be invited in. I also know I've got some very big shoes to fill. So, let's play Wheel of Fortune."
Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White have both been promoting a 'new era' of the show.
Obviously, those "big shoes" belong to Sajak, 77, but that wasn't enough for some fans, with one calling it a "slap in the face."
Wrote one fan on X: "That's all he could say, he has big shoes to fill? Couldn't mention Pat's name and thank him for all the years making Wheel what it is? That's a slap in the face."
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