Thursday, September 09, 2021
Wheel of Fortune Hosts Extend Contracts; Dancing with the Stars Announces Season 30 Cast
As Wheel of Fortune is set to kick off its 39th season on September 13, hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White have signed on to continue hosting the iconic show through the 2023-2024 season. As part of the deal, Pat Sajak has added consulting producer to his responsibilities to the show. Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton is celebrating his 10th anniversary with the show, and viewers will get to see more of him on-screen this season. At the open of each episode, Jim will now be featured at a new podium on stage as he introduces Pat Sajak and Vanna White. In the game show's digital space, Maggie Sajak, Pat's daughter, will be joining the show as Social Correspondent. As such, Maggie will treat Wheel of Fortune's digital audience to fresh content including exclusive videos, behind-the-scenes access, and interviews with the hosts, staff, crew, and contestants. She will be a presence across all of Wheel of Fortune's channels including: www.wheeloffortune.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
On September 13, fans will notice a few upgrades to the game they love. The set and music have been refreshed for the new season, but longtime viewers may recognize the familiar Wheel of Fortune theme song, "Changing Keys," which will return this season with a modernized arrangement. Pat Sajak will no longer do the "Final Spin" of the game. Instead, the contestant in control of the Wheel at the time will spin to determine the amount each consonant is worth during the speed up round. More money will be up for grabs in Season 39 with the removal of the "Free Play" wedge from the Wheel which was replaced by an $850 wedge. Also, a $4,000 bonus is being added to contestants who solve all three puzzles in the Triple Toss Up Round, making the round worth $10,000. And finally, the minimum amount that can be won on the Bonus Wheel has been upped to $39,000, in honor of the show's 39th season in syndication.
ABC's Dancing with the Stars 2021 celebrity cast was announced on ABC's Good Morning America, live from Disney's California Adventure. The series, hosted by supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks, returns to the ballroom for its milestone 30th season with a lineup of celebrities including a WWE legend, a Real Housewife, a Bachelor, an Office fave, a country superstar, a 90210 hearthrob, and a Spice Girl, to name a few. The cast joins Suni Lee and JoJo Siwa, both of whom were previously announced at ABC's 2021 TCA Virtual Press Conferences last month. The new celebrity cast will debut their twists, tricks and kicks during the premiere, live on Monday, Sept. 20 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. Watch episodes on demand and on Hulu the day following their premieres.
The celebrities and professional dancers heading to the ballroom are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Celebrities:
Country singer Jimmie Allen
Spice Girl Melanie C
Reality star Christine Chiu (Netflix's Bling Empire)
Actor Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills, 90210)
Actress Melora Hardin (“The Office”)
Social media star Olivia Jade
Reality star Matt James (The Bachelor)
Actress Amanda Kloots (The Talk)
Actor Martin Kove (Netflix's Cobra Kai)
Gold medal Olympian Suni Lee
WWE Superstar Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
Reality star Kenya Moore (The Real Housewives of Atlanta)
Peloton star instructor Cody Rigsby
NBA star Iman Shumpert
Popstar JoJo Siwa
Professional dancers:
Brandon Armstrong
Lindsay Arnold
Alan Bersten
Sharna Burgess
Cheryl Burke
Witney Carson
Artem Chigvintsev
Val Chmerkovskiy
Sasha Farber
Jenna Johnson
Daniella Karagach
Pasha Pashkov
Gleb Savchenko
Emma Slater
Britt Stewart
Viewers will have to tune in to the season premiere to find out with whom their favorite professional dancers are paired. The pairs will be judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, November 17
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Walk of Roses" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin receives an unexpected honor that sparks mixed emotions, while Malcolm’s ghostwriting gig takes a wild turn after a viral outburst from his celebrity client.
DMV - "Blindspot" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette is crushed to learn that Noa is dating someone. So, Ceci encourages Colette to fight for him using magic. Meanwhile, Barb tries to find out who is defacing DMV property with childishly inappropriate drawings.
St. Denis Medical - "Two Docs, One Conf" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron and Bruce butt heads at a medical conference; Joyce tries to show her nurses some love for Nurse Appreciation Week.
The Paper - "The Five W's" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ned slowly starts with his volunteer crew until Esmeralda forces an accelerated scramble for stories; Detrick and Travis, Mare and Barry, and Adam and Adelola form Woodward and Bernstein teams with limited results.
TV We Love - "Dynasty" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Cast and crew spill the secrets behind the on-set drama, outrageous glamour, and iconic '80s excess.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 17)
Monday, November 17
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Watch Ms. Pat on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jeff Goldblum (Search Party) - Jeff stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jimmie Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Jimmie is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Josh Hutcherson (Future Man) - Josh talks about Five Nights at Freddy's 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob, Andy Garcia and Demi Moore talk about the return of the hit show Lamdman and how each of them first met Drew on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris) - Samuel talks about Netflix's Emily in Paris on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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