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
Wednesday, February 4
Shifting Gears - "Surprise" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt revs his love life back up only to find the road rockier than expected. Meanwhile, a chance romantic moment has Riley and Gabe questioning the nature of their relationship. Jenna Elfman, Jesse Williams, Angela Kinsey and Mookie Betts guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Candygrams" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
It’s Valentine’s Day at Abbott, and the teachers find themselves meddling in students’ love lives while navigating their own.
The Muppet Show (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Music, comedy and a lot of chaos ensues when Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter.
Abbott Elementary - "Picture Day" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When picture day catches the teachers at Abbott by surprise, chaos ensues.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Good As Gold" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ella imparts wisdom and reassurance to her baby boy. Janine and Jazmine schedule much needed mommy daughter time.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Twenty-One" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sandra and Philip try to find the best way to celebrate their parents' anniversary; the assisted living facility puts on a manhunt for Reginald, who is still missing.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 2)
Wednesday, February 4
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Watch Kate on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Benanti (Life & Beth/Younger/The Detour/Go On/Starved) - Laura makes a special appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Kaley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat talks about BET+'s The Ms. Pat Show on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Miss Piggy (The Muppets) - Miss Piggy discusses The Muppet Show on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha discusses her new Lifetime movie Be Happy on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man talks about Relationship Goals on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Craig talks about Scrabble on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Michael Imperioli (This Fool/Alex, Inc.) - Drew talks to Michael about his new series Memory of a Killer on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) and Avan Jogia (56 Days) - Dove and Avan talk about about Prime Video's 56 Days on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
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