Ryan Seacrest takes hard fall on Wheel of Fortune set after being knocked to the ground by contestant & grimaces in pain

RYAN Seacrest was seen taking a hard fall on the Wheel of Fortune set after a contestant knocked him to the ground.

The game show host grimaced in pain after the tumble – causing panic from the player who repeatedly checked in to make sure the beloved TV personality was okay.

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Contestant Daniel hugs Ryan to celebrate his big winCredit: Wheel of Fortune

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Ryan Seacrest gets knocked to the ground by a Wheel of Fortune contestantCredit: Wheel of Fortune

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Ryan appeared in pain after the hard fallCredit: Wheel of Fortune
On Tuesday’s episode of Wheel of Fortune, Daniel Thomas from San Marcos, California made his game show debut.

Daniel, who discussed his love of road trips down the coast with his dad, played against opponents Amaryllis and Dina.

Despite strong gameplay from all three players, Daniel came out on top with a total of $31,950.

In addition to the prize earnings, he also won a luxury trip to Alaska to see the Northern Lights that’s worth over $11,000.

He moved onto the final round hoping to add even more money into his prize pot with the last puzzle.

Daniel went with the category “Living Things” and was given consonants to help him out.

However, out of the seven-letter puzzle, only the final two squares, an ‘E’ and an ’S’ were given out.

Daniel then made a series of letter guesses and when two ‘P’s’ showed up – a lightbulb appeared to go off.

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Daniel was elated when he correctly guessed ‘Guppies’Credit: Wheel of Fortune

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Daniel helped Ryan up after the fallCredit: Wheel of Fortune
“Guppies,” he exclaimed at the last second to which Ryan, 50, revealed was the correct answer.

The accurate guess added $40,000 to his prize pot – giving him a total take-home of $71,950 in addition to his Alaskan adventure.

Both in shock and elated he won, Daniel began to jump up and down to celebrate the win.

As Ryan celebrated with him and shouted “you won!”, Daniel gave the host a big hug and appeared to try to jump into his arms.

Ryan Seacrest checks Wheel of Fortune contestant for earpiece as she gets $50,000 question with only four letters

The move knocked Ryan completely to the ground, as the host can be seen on his back with his feel flailing in the air.

Once Daniel realized what had happened, he helped Ryan up and asked “are you okay?”

“I’m fine, no you’re good. I’m okay,” Ryan assured before switching the attention over to the prize card he was holding that revealed the additional $40,000.

Daniel’s family came running out to celebrate with him and as they were all hugging, the American Idol host can be seen grabbing his back and appearing uncomfortable after the fall.

When one of Daniel’s family members comes over to hug Ryan, the TV icon playfully hides behind the podium – joking about the fall he had just taken.

At another point, Ryan hunches over and appears in pain as he grabs his side and jokes to co-host Vanna White: “Vanna, you’ll have to take over now!”

Wheel of Fortune’s big changes

The game show has undergone a major transformation now that Ryan Seacrest has taken over hosting duties for Pat Sajak.

-Ryan and Vanna White now host on a brand-new set, featuring a blue-toned stage, a green screen and art-deco wheel design.

-Ryan and Vanna make their big entrance from behind new sliding, brightly lit doors.

-Vanna turns – or now, touches – a modern, digital puzzle board controlled by lasers.

-Ryan brings a new hosting style, and has ditched Pat’s signature cue cards.

-The prizes have also been upgraded, and now include tickets to NFL games, and tickets to A-list concerts.

When Ryan asked how he pulled the move off at the end, Daniel quipped: “Which one? Winning or pushing you over?”

Once Ryan assured the contestant he was asking about solving the puzzle accurately, Daniel excitedly answered: “I don’t know, I was just looking at the letter board and I saw ‘P.’

“It just popped into my head. But again I’m so sorry,” he added as he rubbed Ryan’s arm.

Ryan was a good sport about it though, and repeatedly told Daniel: “It’s okay, don’t worry! I loved it!”

‘PROTECT RYAN AT ALL COSTS!’

Fans flocked online to express their worry for Ryan, with one saying: “We must protect Ryan Seacrest at all costs!!! Please be gentle with my man!”

“My advice to future #WheelofFortune contestants: Don’t knock Ryan down the floor during the bonus round,” another advised.

“The dude body slammed Ryan,” another viewer wrote.

“Please don’t hurt Ryan. We need him,” one more begged.

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Daniel was elated to win the additional $40k at the endCredit: Wheel of Fortune

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Ryan Seacrest suffered a hard fall on Wheel of FortuneCredit: Wheel of Fortune

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Ryan jokingly hid from Daniel and his family after the fallCredit: Wheel of Fortune