Wheel of Fortune Hosts Extend Contracts; Dancing with the Stars Announces Season 30 Cast

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.

Dancing with the Stars

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 25

Scrubs - "My Return" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
John “J.D.” Dorian unexpectedly finds himself back at Sacred Heart, reuniting him with new and old faces.

Scrubs - "My 2nd First Day" (ABC, 8:32PM ET/PT)
J.D. navigates a new normal, while Elliot and Turk clash over the budget.

Scrubs - "My Return" (ABC, 9:58PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
John “J.D.” Dorian unexpectedly finds himself back at Sacred Heart, reuniting him with new and old faces.

Scrubs - "My 2nd First Day" (ABC, 10:31PM ET/PT)
J.D. navigates a new normal, while Elliot and Turk clash over the budget.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Don't Grow Weary" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Calvin is pulled from each direction as he struggles to balance work and family. Ella must face a puzzling conclusion.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Mighty in Battle" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Vinny has the entire assisted living facility reeking of his special batch of baked goods.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 23)

Wednesday, February 25

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jackson White (Mrs. Fletcher) - Jackson is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Bradley appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Ahmed Ahmed (Sullivan & Son) and Rondell Sheridan (Raven's Home/Cory in the House/That's So Raven/Cousin Skeeter/Minor Adjustments) - Ahmed and Rondell are guests on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Piper Curda (I Didn't Do It) and Bobby Moynihan (Mr. Mayor/Me, Myself & I) - Piper and Bobby talk about Hoppers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Ted McGinley (Shrinking/Hope & Faith/Married with Children/Happy Days) - Ted talks about Shrinking on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael talks about Shrinking on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda tells Sherri about her new film Undercard on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - The Drew Barrymore Show has a little extra with father-son duo Michael and Cameron Douglas, so check your local listings.
Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - The Drew Barrymore Show A Little Bit Extra with Drew, Halle Berry and Kristina Zias who are celebrating aging helping a viewer over 50 achieve a glow up look, so check your local listings.
Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place/Young Sheldon/Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa talksa about Happy's Place on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about her film Operation Taco Gary on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.