While fans of “American Idol” are anxiously anticipating the arrival of the 25th season in January, Ryan Seacrest is still hard at work on his other gig, hosting “Wheel of Fortune” alongside Vanna White.
While taping an episode of “Wheel,” Seacrest’s Q&A with audience members took him on an unexpected trip down Memory Lane when a fan remembered a long-ago television show that just happened to be Seacrest’s first-ever TV hosting gig.
Blast From the Past
The moment — which was shared on the “Wheel of Fortune” Instagram page — featured a fan displaying some artwork created for Seacrest, referencing that long-ago TV show.
“This was supposed to be you when you hosted ‘Click’ in the late ’90s,” the fan told Seacrest while holding up the drawing, in which Seacrest is seen giving a contestant a high-five.
“Oh my Gosh. Wow! The fact that you know that is incredible,” Seacrest said, clearly surprised to be reminded of a job he’d held more than a quarter-century earlier.
“I was hired by Merv Griffin for a kids’ game show that aired on Saturday morning,” Seacrest continued, referencing the late talk show host who was also renowned for creating such game shows as “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”
“I was terrified as a host because I had yet not done much of it before, but we made it through,” Seacrest added. “Thank you for making that. That’s super nice of you.”
“You got it, Ryan,” the audience member replied.
Remembering ‘Click’
As Seacrest recalled, “Click” made its debut in 1997, with teams of young people quizzed on their knowledge of various topics. Seacrest was joined by an announcer/co-host, with that role filled Amber Bonasso in the first season, and then by Amber Willenborg.
“I was more nervous about Ryan than I was about meeting Merv,” Willenborg, who was just 19 when she landed the job via an open casting call, explained in a 1998 inteview with the Seattle Times.
The series lasted just two seasons, airing in syndication. However, reruns aired for several years after that on the Game Show Network, while “Click” was also the final game show that Griffin created.
Fans who watched the exchange via Instagram chimed in with their comments about Seacrest’s reminscences of “Click.”
“Watched it at 12:30 on Saturdays on KICU in San Jose. Does Ryan still talk to either of the two Ambers he had as co-hosts?” asked one fan.
“I loved Click. My Dad called it the poor man’s Jeopardy without the form of a question lol,” read another comment.
“I remember Click! What a throwback,” recalled a comment.
“Click, for its time, shoulda lasted a bit longer than it did,” wrote a social media user, while another added, “I didn’t realize @ryanseacrest used to host a game show before he went to American Idol and Wheel! It’s just amazing to see how popular he has been since the radio days.”
One fan commented on Seacrest’s hairstyle during his “Click” days, remembering the host’s frosted tips. “Oh yes! @ryanseacrest had amazing frosted flow back then. Great stuff,” the fan wrote.
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Ryan Seacrest Gets Nostalgic Recalling His Long-Forgotten Pre-‘Idol’ TV Hosting Gig