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, September 11
Abbott Elementary - "Double Date" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Two teachers head out on a double date, but when they run into familiar bar patrons, it proves to be an unfortunate distraction; at Ava's first book club meeting, the group ends up in a debate over who would be the best post-apocalyptic leader.
Abbott Elementary - "Mother's Day" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Barbara invites Gregory to her family's Mother's Day brunch; Jacob scrambles to figure out how to organize a school field trip.
Abbott Elementary - "Smith Playground" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Jacob manages to pull off a school-wide field trip to the park, but when Abbott must share the playground, the fun and games turn competitive; Mr. Johnson enjoys having an empty school to himself.
Abbott Elementary - "Party" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ahead of summer vacation, Janine throws the perfect end-of-year party for her colleagues and friends, taking all their interests into consideration.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 9)
Wednesday, September 11
- James Adomian (Duncanville) - Watch James on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kathryn Hahn (Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Amy Ryan (Only Murders in the Building/The Office/The Naked Truth) - Amy appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Aparna Nancherla (Lopez vs Lopez/Search Party/Corporate) - Aprana is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Edie Falco (Bupkis/Nurse Jackie) - Edie stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/The Mick) - Kaitlin talks about the new ABC series High Potential ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am, on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings, and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew is kicking off an important new series called Wellsdays, focused on all things wellness every Wednesday with Valerie Bertinelli opening up about her healthy lifestyle journey and prioritizing mental health on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey discusses her new series Celebrations with Lacey Chabert on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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