Who knew “Wheel of Fortune” could be so dangerous? Ryan Seacrest discovered the risk for game show workplace injury when an overzealous contestant embraced him … well, tackled him, really.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestant Knocks Ryan Seacrest to the Floor
Things can get pretty exciting on game shows, especially for winning contestants. We’re used to seeing the enthusiastic clapping and jumping up and down that goes on after winning, but have you ever seen a host get knocked to the ground?
During the January 21 episode of “Wheel of Fortune,” contestant Daniel Thomas chose the category “Living Things” for the Bonus Round puzzle. He only had the letters “G,” “U,” “E,” and “S” displayed on the puzzle board, but correctly guessed the answer in the final second: “guppies.”
“Yes! You got it. That’s it! You did it!” Seacrest said.
The contestant not only jumped up and down, but he came at the host with an excited hug to celebrate the win. Seacrest was caught off balance and fell to the floor.
Thomas turned around to see the fallen host and said, “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” then helped Seacrest to his feet.
The “American Idol” host assured, “I’m good, I’m good!” He opened the prize envelope and revealed that Thomas won an additional $40,000 on top of his winnings of $31,950 and a trip to Alaska, for a total of $71,950.
Announcer Jim Thornton said, “Daniel, easy on our host, but celebrate with $40,000!” Thomas said to Seacrest, “I’m so sorry, did I make you fall?”
The host jokingly backed away from the contestant and hid behind the prize wheel, then announced the total winnings and gave Thomas a hug. “Congratulations! That’s amazing!” Seacrest said, before noting, “Vanna [White], you’ll have to take over.”
When he asked Thomas how he did that in the final second, the contestant responded, “Push you over or solve the puzzle?”
After he told Thomas, “You did great,” the contestant apologized again. “No, don’t worry. I loved it!” Seacrest joked.
Ryan Seacrest Took the Spill in Stride
Later in the show, Seacrest said to Vanna White, I don’t know if you saw, but I think he was excited.”
White responded, “You think?” and asked if her co-host was okay.
“Oh yeah, it’s great,” Seacrest responded. “To all future contestants, please, if you win, pick me up, throw me over, tackle me … I’m totally fine with it.”
“Don’t listen to him,” White said.
The “Wheel of Fortune” Instagram account posted a video of the moment. “Bookmarking this video for when we see an influx of people tackling Ryan in the show…,” the caption noted.
Comments
Ryan Seacrest Knocked to the Ground on ‘Wheel of Fortune’