Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest was ‘scared to death’ and ‘unprepared’ for sobbing contestant’s $1 million loss

RYAN Seacrest admitted he was ‘scared to death’ as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune struggled to guess the correct answer and missed out on a $1 million prize.

Ryan, 49, is the new host of Wheel of Fortune with Vanna White after replacing iconic star, Pat Sajak.

And although he appeared to take to the job like a duck to water, a behind-the-scenes source said he was “unprepared” for the moment the contestant, Vivian, lost out on a life-changing amount of money.

Ryan opened the envelope to reveal she would have scooped $1million if she’d answered the question correctly.

Fans have critcized Ryan’s reaction saying he “didn’t handle the distraught contestant too well.”

the insider told The U.S. Sun, “He seemed nervous when holding the envelope.”

“A lot of the audience members were looking at each other and acknowledging they knew the answer, it was painful to watch in the studio while cameras were rolling.

“It appeared she choked under pressure as she rattled out guesses and Ryan stood frozen watching her.

“He admitted to the audience afterward that he knew he was holding the million dollar envelope before revealing it and was in shock.

“He said he was ‘scared to death’ standing there as she tried to clinch the top prize.

“Ryan appeared gobsmacked by the situation and asked Vana and the crew aloud when the last time someone won a million was.

“He was told it was around ten years ago and was left openmouthed.”

The source described the atmosphere in the studio as “very tense” for the crew and small TV audience.

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“He didn’t seem to have done a lot of research on big prize winners and how to handle a situation like that.

“It seemed he didn’t really know how to speak to her afterward as he was in shock, but did his best to try and look on the bright side.

“She took it like a champ, but many members of the audience were chatting afterward about how they would have broken down.

“Ryan and Vana briefly spoke to her when the cameras stopped rolling and she thanked them.

“She still seemed glad to be walking away with something, but who knows how she felt when she got home.”

Contestant Vivian made it to the bonus round for the “What Are You Doing?” puzzle during the September 16 episode.

She selected the letters “C, H, M and P” for consonants, while she picked the letter “I” for her vowel.

Vivian admitted she was “nervous” as she watched many of the letters light up.

And what seemed like an easy puzzle to solve for some audience members in the TV studio, she became flustered. responded “nervous” as she watched the letters light up.

Vivian screamed out, “Wondering some help, answering some help, finding some help, looking around for some help, boundary for help.”

But the buzzer went off before she could shout out the correct answer, “Offering some help.”

Ryan then revealed he was secretly holding the million dollar envelope and showed it to the contestant and briefly flashed it to the audience.

The source said the TV audience gasped and were “gutted” for Vivian who was left open-mouthed and put her head in her hands in shock.

Ryan laughed and told her, “You were so close to that million dollars. You almost had it.

He added, “Are you alright? Breathe! You’re still walking away with $27,300 and that trip to Europe.”

She appeared lost for words and fans of the show criticized Ryan for how he handled the situation.

One viewer complained, “Ryan doesn’t show the envelope correctly. He keeps showing to the contestant when he should be showing it to the audience and viewers at home.

“Also, he didn’t handle the distraught contestant too well.”

A second agreed, “I hear ya. It’s more devastating maybe than he realizes.”

A third said, “Didn’t Ryan say something like ‘You’re going to kick yourself’ or something like that? While Pat acted like somebody died. I’m not here to pile on Ryan but I preferred Pat’s approach better.”

But it wasn’t all negative, as one viewer said, “Ryan is doing great, and getting better each day.”