Wheel of Fortune fans have had to get used to Ryan Seacrest hosting after Pat Sajak retired, but it seems like he's settled into the new gig and thriving. On top of bantering with contestants, his relationship with Vanna White seems to be doing pretty well too, even if initial reports stated that there was trouble on set. Now, the American Idol host is showing off their fun dynamic in a festive way by playing White’s Christmas album during a meeting, and it took her a bit to even notice.
Seacrest shared a video on Instagram of him playing White’s 1996 Christmas album, Santa’s Last Ride “until she notices.” While she obviously knew he was playing Christmas music and was on board with him getting in the spirit, noting it takes her back to her childhood, she was oblivious to what kind of Christmas music he was playing. After Seacrest said it was “nostalgic,” White was able to really take in the tunes as she was sitting on the couch, and that’s when it hit her that she's been pranked, and her reaction is priceless:
White was in complete shock as Seacrest kept saying he listens to the album “every year,” later turning up the volume and taking in every second. Considering it’s been close to 30 years since Santa’s Last Ride was released, it is fun to see the letter-turner react to hearing it. Plus, the fact that it took a little bit for her to even recognize that it was her own music makes it even better. Also, it's fun to see just how well White and Seacrest are getting along.
Santa’s Last Ride is White’s first and only album, with all 14 tracks written by late British composer Leslie Bricusse. Seacrest playing the album is honestly pretty impressive, as it’s only available on physical CD and not digital or streaming. So it’s quite possible he either really has listened to it every year on CD or he managed to find a copy, and either way, the entire situation is gold.
Vanna White’s album is not the only way that Wheel of Fortune has been celebrating the holidays. The long-running game show has been doing Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway from December 9 through December 20, with Mickey, Minnie, and their friends joining in the holiday fun. Unfortunately, it was a cruel, cruel winter for one contestant who missed a big win after coming up with the Bonus Round answer immediately after the buzzer. While she did still take home almost $31,000, she missed out on an additional $40,000, making her Christmas not so merry after all. However, the money she did win plus the experience of interacting with White and Seacrest must have been festive and fun!
Now, as Wheel of Fortune prepares for its new episodes on the 2025 TV schedule, fans can try to hunt down Vanna White's Christmas album, but that might be hard to find. However, simply having fun watching the game show and this silly video of her and Seacrest brings me all the hilarious holiday cheer I need.