
Sometimes, Wheel of Fortune contestants let their emotions get the best of them on stage.
An exciting win may cause players to get physical, and host Ryan Seacrest is often in the line of fire.
That was the case during the January 21 episode of Wheel of Fortune when Ryan became the brunt of a very physical celebration.
A contestant named Daniel Thomas from San Marcos, California made his way to the Bonus Round following a successful performance.
Daniel chose the “Living Things” category, and with just one second to spare, he came up with the correct solution: “Guppies.”
Daniel immediately began celebrating his win, jumping up and down and squealing with excitement.
Ryan gets knocked to the stage
Daniel continued his celebration, heading toward Ryan. He began with an innocent hug, but Daniel’s elation overcame him, and his force knocked Ryan to the ground.
Ryan was a good sport about it, however, and, with Daniel’s help, got right back up to reveal that Daniel had won a whopping $40,000.
Announcer Jim Thornton got in on the fun, telling Daniel, “Daniel, easy on our host, but celebrate with $40,000!”
The unforgettable moment was shared on social media, both YouTube and Instagram.
In the clips, Ryan proved he was a good sport, admitting that the on-stage mishap didn’t bother him at all.
“Pick me up, throw me over, tackle me… I’m totally fine with it,” Ryan joked after the episode alongside his sidekick, Vanna White.
Ryan and Wheel of Fortune uploaded the humorous clip to an Instagram Reel, which was captioned, “Bookmarking this video for when we see an influx of people tackling Ryan in the show… 🤣 #wheeloffortune #funnyvid.”
The YouTube video featuring the same clip included a caption, “Emotions were high and suddenly Ryan Seacrest was on the floor.. Never know just what to expect in the Bonus Round!”
Wheel of Fortune fans react to Ryan’s fall
In the comments of the YouTube video, Wheel watchers congratulated Daniel on his buzzer-beating victory and showed concern for Ryan after he took a spill on stage.
One viewer called Daniel’s solve “amazing,” adding that his post-win antics were the “funniest thing” they’d seen all day.
Several concerned Wheel of Fortune fans asked Ryan whether he was okay after his fall.

Another commenter joked that Daniel’s tackle was “worth a lot of money.”
YouTube user @anthonywalker1044 warned Daniel to “take it easy” on Ryan.
Wheel of Fortune producers found Ryan’s moment humorous
In the comments section of the Instagram Reel, Ryan received a message from another popular weeknight game show, Jeopardy!
“We’re glad Ryan is okay 😆💙,” Jeopardy!’s producers wrote.

In response, Wheel of Fortune’s production team concurred but still found Ryan’s incident humorous.
“Same but also 😭🤣😂,” the comment read.
Better be like Steve and getaway fast!