Ryan Seacrest Comforts Wheel of Fortune Contestant After $114,000 Loss

Ryan Seacrest will always be there to comfort Wheel of Fortune contestants.

On Tuesday, Dec. 22, during an episode of Wheel of Fortune, the host embraced firefighter contestant Cameron Payne after he lost his chance of winning $114,000. Earlier in the game, Payne had accumulated $14,478 and advanced to the bonus round for a chance to gain an additional $100,000.

With his wife and father cheering him on the sidelines, Payne spun the wheel that would determine the amount he’d win if he solved the bonus round. “We’ve got $100,000 on the wheel. That would be big,” Seacrest, 50, said.

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Payne then went to the letterboard to solve the puzzle, which looked like “_ _ _ E  _ E  THE  L _ _ _ _ _ N.” The letters given beforehand were R, S, T, L, N, and Payne chose “C, H, P and A,” giving him only one letter. With only a few seconds to spare, Payne shouted out his guess, “Have Me The Lesson.”

The puzzle was “Give Me The Lowdown,” and Seacrest revealed the amount Payne would’ve won if he had solved it: a whopping $100,000.

After an unsuccessful turn at solving the puzzle and appearing disappointed, Seacrest opened up his arms to give Payne a comforting hug. “I’m sorry,” Payne told Seacrest as they embraced, before the host responded, “No, don’t apologize.”

“Good job tonight! You’re a lot of fun,” Seacrest told Payne.

“I did need that hug,” Payne wrote in the comments of the bonus round YouTube video. “It was me, and I was so close to closing out the greatest night of my life with 100k. The most I’ve ever had. Thank you, Wheel of Fortune.”

Seacrest joined the Wheel of Fortune family as its host for its 42nd season in September 2024. He took over the role after Pat Sajak retired in June 2024 after 40 years on the show.

While bidding his farewell, Sajack advised his successor on how to be a great host. “[Pat] says the best part will be meeting the contestant every night, and that this is a show that really does have a cultural impact on the viewers, and there’s a great amount of fun,” Seacrest told PEOPLE.

He added, “There’s [also] a great amount of responsibility that comes with people who have invited this into their living rooms on a regular basis over decades and decades.”

Seacrest revealed that being the host of Wheel of Fortune was “a dream job” during his first episode on the game show. “Welcome to Wheel of Fortune. I am your host, Ryan Seacrest,” he began. “I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you and, of course, my good friend, Vanna White.”

“I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid, watching in Atlanta with my family, and I know how special it is that Wheel has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years, and I’m just so grateful to be invited in,” he gushed. “I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill, so let’s play Wheel of Fortune!”

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights and is available to stream on Peacock and Hulu.