Wheel of Fortune has undergone big changes in recent seasons including Pat Sajak retiring and Ryan Seacrest becoming the new host. Season 43 added some new elements, and fans think those elements made it the “greatest season ever.”
“Greatest season of Wheel?” a Reddit user asked. “We had a million-dollar winner, an interesting bonus round change-up in October, a month similar to Jeopardy! where people can come back and compete, and a Corvette giveaway. This season had so many exciting moments and new additions to make the game feel fun to watch, and I think Ryan is doing an amazing job even tho I did like Pat a little better. Season 43 might be the best season ever.”
During the first month of Season 43, Christina Derevjanik, of Stamford, Connecticut, not only became the first $1 million winner under Ryan Seacrest, but was also the biggest winner the game show has ever seen. She won a total of $1,035,155 after correctly solving “Pack of Coyotes” for her Bonus Round puzzle.
Around October, Wheel of Fortune seemed to implement new amounts on the Bonus Round envelopes, such as $35,000, $45,000, and $55,000, when the amounts used to be just $40,000 and $50,000.
In April, the game show had a tournament where whichever contestant won the game could come back the next day. They could continue to come back for up to five games, as long as they kept winning. Only one contestant, Chad Cabanilla, from Nicollet, Minnesota, became a repeat contestant to go on for more than two shows. He won four games and took home $171,068, and put himself in the top ten biggest Wheel winners ever.
Then, in May, Jay Leno gave away a luxury Corvette. The biggest winners of the week came back on Friday and got to play again. They were entered into a raffle, and one of them won the car picked by Leno.
Fans commented on the initial poster’s observation. “The transition from Pat to Ryan was seamless,” one said.
“Ryan exceeded all my expectations. He’s done an excellent job and has made the role his own while respecting the game. He has a great time with the contestants and seems to genuinely enjoy what he’s doing,” another wrote.
“I agree. Season 43 is the best,” a third added.
“I think we’re a few episode structure tweaks away from a new golden age of Wheel,” a fan said.
“Yes, especially since I got to arm wrestle Ryan,” one wrote.
“Yes! I agree,” one last fan said.
However, some fans said, “I don’t know about that.”
The game show has been renewed for at least two more seasons, so fans will get to see more of Seacrest and Vanna White, and more changes and improvements. Do you think Season 43 of Wheel of Fortune was the best, or one of the best? Let us know in the comments.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
