Pat Sajak was mostly loved and at times criticized by “Wheel of Fortune” fans, but he was a familiar face who they were comfortable with. Ever since Ryan Seacrest took over the hosting duties of “Wheel Of Fortune,”  he has naturally been compared to the iconic Sajak who led the show for decades. While most like the new host’s charm and personality on the show, die-hard fans of Sajak often feel he falls short. Recently, a player who shared the stage with Seacrest on the show shared some insight into how the host is in real life.

In a Reddit thread called “The new guy,” on the show’s unofficial forum, fans of “Wheel Of Fortune” discussed Ryan’s performance as the new host.

Further, lauding the host’s looks, one Redditor, u/Aggravating-Body-721 wrote, “He dresses nice, is personable & engaging with all the contestants & their families. I like the new guy!” In the replies to the comment, Cody Munger who appeared on the show’s “Big Tournament Championship” last year, chimed in to share his insight. He shared his experience with Ryan off-camera and claimed that the new host has an easygoing personality which is partly responsible for his success.

“I got to play recently and when my friends/family ask me about him, I say that I get why he’s so successful,” u/CodyyeMunger wrote. He further continued that Seacrest was very fun to be around as well. “He was so nice and fun to be around. He makes you comfortable and forget that millions of people are watching you play,” he wrote.

The former contestant even attributed his success on the show to the host. “He was a big factor in all of my week having as much fun as we did,” he added. This was evident in Munger’s bonus round where Seacrest talked to him like a friend. Going into the bonus round, Munger introduced his buddies Jason and Billy. “Well, let’s hope it goes really well tonight. I’d like to meet you up on stage this time around, so don’t screw it up,” Seacrest told Munger, putting his warmth on display.

 

Munger emerged victorious in the episode, winning the week-long BetMGM Big Winners Tournament with $27,150 in cash and a prize trip to Atlantic City. Going into the bonus round, he had a  $94,900 jackpot at stake.

The Bonus Round featured a four-word puzzle, which read, “O_T     O_    T_E    _ _ Y” after the standard letters “R, S, T, L, N, E” and Munger’s “C, D, Y, O,” were filled in. When the 10-second timer went off, Cody wasted no time to solve it by guessing, “Out of The Way.” While Vanna White immediately started clapping, it took a moment for Seacrest to register the answer. “Cody? That’s it,” Seacrest yelled after an awkward pause. The elated contestant finally threw his head back in relief.

“You got it! Congratulations,” Seacrest added as confetti was showered on the stage, and the camera showed the amount close to $100,000 that Munger had just won.