As the new host of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Ryan Seacrest is enforcing a new rule following Derek Hough’s animated appearance.
Seacrest, 50, told USA Today in an interview published on Monday, October 20, that he stepped in after Derek, 40, jumped on the game show’s 2,400-pound wheel during the September 29 episode. At first, Derek — who was a contestant alongside fellow Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli — had mounted the podium, which is permitted.
However, “In the commercial break, [he] was jumping on the center of the wheel and having Bruno spin it, much like the top of a cake ornament,” Seacrest said. “We did say, ‘Please don’t do that. That would break it, and there’s only one of those wheels. If that breaks, we have a real problem.’”
He added, “We had to sort of say, ‘Stick to the ledge.’”
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Seacrest called his Dancing With the Stars guests “very physical, and that makes for fun.”
Seacrest has a long history with Derek — he dated the professional dancer’s sister, Julianne Hough, from 2010 to 2013 — and noted that the two are close enough to call each other out if needed.
“Knowing someone, or being friends, is definitely helpful,” Seacrest explained. “You can kind of tease them more than somebody you don’t know.”
Seacrest also hosts the original Wheel of Fortune, assuming the reins from Pat Sajak in September 2024. (Sajak, 78, announced his retirement in 2023.)
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“I’m sure you would assume but he really appreciates the show and knows how important it is,” Pat’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, exclusively told Us Weekly last year, giving Seacrest her seal of approval. “You can really tell by how prepared he is and how he treats the contestants and how he treats the whole experience.”
Earlier this month, Seacrest witnessed Wheel of Fortune history when contestant Christina Derevjanik won a record-breaking $1,035,155 on the September 30 show.
While confetti rained down upon them, Derevjanik, 35, hugged Seacrest and his cohost Vanna White, who told her, “I’m so happy for you!”
Seacrest then brought Derevjanik back on the stage and said, “I’m in tears. You’re a millionaire! Do you know you have more than $1 million?”
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She joked ahead of her victory that she intended to retire early from her job as a marketing manager if she claimed the grand prize. Turning toward the camera, she told her boss, “We’ll have a discussion once we get back to the office.”
Derevjanik is the show’s fourth contestant to achieve the million-dollar feat, breaking the record previously set by Sarah Manchester with $1,017,490 in 2014. Prior to Manchester, Autumn Erhard claimed $1,030,340 in 2013. Michelle Lowenstein won $1,026,080 when the prize was introduced in 2008.
Seacrest celebrated Derevjaniks’ success via Instagram after the episode, gushing, “Ecstatic doesn’t even cover it, my first million-dollar win just set a new Wheel record! Biggest win ever. Biggest grin ever. I’ll never forget this moment.”
