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Sophie Hessekiel is a Newsweek writer based in Los Angeles. Her focus is on celebrity news and entertainment. She has also written extensively about culture and relationships for a variety of publications, including Mashable and the Los Angeles Times. Her writing can also be seen in the book Squishmallows: Radiate Positivity and on the Fox drama series The Cleaning Lady. Sophie began contributing to Newsweek in 2024 and is a graduate of Vassar College. You can see more examples of her work and contact her at sophiehessekiel.com.
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When Ryan Seacrest celebrates a Wheel of Fortune contestant's win, he puts his whole body into it. But he seemingly jumped for joy a little too hard on the Friday, February 21 episode of the long-running game show.
When Genna Root, a middle school teacher from Fresno, California, won an additional $40,000 during a bonus round, she couldn't contain her joy, jumping and screaming with her mom and her best friend. After revealing that her total winnings were $91,096, she screamed even louder and Seacrest, 50, joined in with the celebration.
As he jumped up and down, he did a celebratory kick, but appeared to irritate something in upper leg. He cried "Ow!" and had to crouch down and rub his thigh. The veteran host kept it professional, however, continuing on and reminding Root that she'd also won a trip to Antarctica. "I did?!?" she shrieked.
Fans of the show took to the comments when the clip began circulating on YouTube, pointing out how often fans get up close and personal with Seacrest.
"Everyone jumping all over Ryan every night when they win, and he's loving it. I don't quite remember that happening so much w/Pat," wrote one fan, referring to previous longtime host Pat Sajak.
Another viewer responded to that comment with their opinion on Sajak, who hosted the show for a total of 41 years. "Pat would probably have been fine with it in the early years, but as he got older, he and the producers wouldn't allow it," they wrote.
A third fan called out Seacrest's painful moment, tagging the exact moment in the video where Seacrest cried out in pain.
As fans noticed, this isn't the first time Seacrest has put his body on the line since he started hosting Wheel of Fortune. On January 15, a contestant nearly knocked the TV and radio personality to the ground as he leapt to hug him.
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About the writer
Sophie Hessekiel is a Newsweek writer based in Los Angeles. Her focus is on celebrity news and entertainment. She has also written extensively about culture and relationships for a variety of publications, including Mashable and the Los Angeles Times. Her writing can also be seen in the book Squishmallows: Radiate Positivity and on the Fox drama series The Cleaning Lady. Sophie began contributing to Newsweek in 2024 and is a graduate of Vassar College. You can see more examples of her work and contact her at sophiehessekiel.com.
Sophie Hessekiel
Sophie Hessekiel is a Newsweek writer based in Los Angeles. Her focus is on celebrity news and entertainment. She has also written ...
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