Pat Sajak's final season will be affected going forward by NFL schedules
Last night's season premiere of "Wheel of Fortune" left fans spinning – and not in a fun way.
The first show of the season, which will be the last season for longtime host Pat Sajak, was not available for all viewers, as the pregame show for Monday Night football caused scheduling issues in some areas. For some fans, the show aired Tuesday morning in the wee hours, and for others, the show was not available to watch at all.
One person took to X, formerly Twitter, to ask their local network, "Where the hell is tonight’s #WheelOfFortune?? I love football, but it’s the premiere episode of Pat’s last season & my inner boomer is not happy i can’t watch it right now!!"
Vanna White and Pat Sajak have been hosting "Wheel of Fortune" together for decades. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
Another wrote, "Was excited for football and the new season of #WheelOfFortune tonight. But then I became bummed when I found out Wheel is preempted by the pregame show. Wheel of Fortune will be on at 3:05AM in Chicago. Set your DVR."
"Wheel of Fortune" airs on different networks in different areas in the country. Viewers who tune in to ABC to watch the show learned last night that football took precedence – the beloved game show was preempted in favor of the Monday Night Football pre-game show.
This season of "Wheel of Fortune" will be Pat Sajak's last before Ryan Seacrest takes over next year. (Getty images)
For some, this meant they could only watch the landmark episode in the middle of the night. Others did not get a chance to watch the episode at all.
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"Um I'm a Patriots fan, so I hope both these clown teams lose," one person wrote about last night's Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets game. "I still can't find Wheel Of Fortune on any channel nor a re-run to record, OR on-demand. It's Pat Sajak's last 1st episode. This blows."
"Sorry, but football does not need a half hour pre show…especially when the season premiere of @WheelofFortune is supposed to be on," another fan lamented.
Pat Sajak revealed his disappointment that some episodes of the game show wouldn't be available for select fans. (Getty Images)
Sajak himself logged onto social media to alert fans about the issue, writing, "Because of football and squabbles between stations and carriers, a lot of you won’t be able to see some episodes of Wheel this season. We’re as sorry as you are, but we are powerless to do anything about it."
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"Missed you tonight (darn football)," one of his followers replied. "Every show counts given we only have one more year with you."
Another wrote, "The shortsightedness of both the carriers and stations is unbelievable. By negotiating with their respective profits being all that matters they are shivving their customers in back. You’re exiting this wacky business at the right time"
"Wheel of Fortune" fans are sad to see Pat Sajak leave the show. (Christopher Willard)
Although "Wheel of Fortune" fans seem to be considering last night's premiere a monumental episode due to Sajak's impending retirement, the show went on as usual with only one reference to the popular host's exit.
"Another year!" he announced while walking onto the set with Vanna White. When she noted it was their 41st year of hosting the show together, he joked, "But who's counting?
Emily Trainham is an entertainment editor for Fox News Digital.
