Wheel of Fortune’s Ryan Seacrest Takes a Tumble While Celebrating With Contestant

Ryan Seacrest found him himself taking a sudden fall during a celebration with a contestant.

Ryan Seacrest’s hosting duties recently saw an unexpected spin.

During the Jan. 21 episode of Wheel of Fortune, the host went viral for his hilarious accident with contestant Daniel Thomas. Thomas made it to the Bonus Round and selected the Living Things category for his final puzzle.

After Vanna White placed his chosen letters (“G,” “U,” “E,” and “S”) on the board, Thomas solved the answer in the last second: “Guppies,” leading him to celebrate his win by giving Seacrest a tight hug. Well, maybe too tight.

Just as he let Seacrest go, the host lost his balance and fell backwards near the wheel.

To this, Thomas leaned up over to help Seacrest from the floor while laughing. The host reassured Thomas he was fine, before playfully holding his side and telling Vanna she “might have to take over” the rest of the show.

Later on, Seacrest asked Thomas how he “did that in the last second.”

As for Thomas’ perfect response? “Push you over,” he joked, “or solve the puzzle?”

It could’ve been those bonus round jitters that elevated the hug. However, it certainly helped Thomas secure a major gift. Seacrest revealed he won an additional $40,000 alongside his previous cash prize and a trip to Alaska.

This isn’t the first time Seacrest has hit the pavement on national television. During his previous stint co-hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan in January 2020, Seacrest fell out of his chair while trying to catch a balloon. Kelly Ripa had a similar stunned reaction as Thomas and immediately helped her cohost back to his seat.

Nearly a month later, Seacrest explained what it was that made him lose his balance. “Normally, we have little balloons that fall down, but [executive producer Michael Seth Gelman] went big and got these grand, gorgeous, shiny disco balloons that caught my eye,” he said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February. “I couldn’t stop staring at them, so I tried to catch one of the balloons.”