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Wheel of Fortune fans may have expressed some serious concerns over the new set, but production designer James Pearse Connelly is ready to “Shake It Off.”
“Everybody’s reluctant to change. That’s just normal,” Connelly told People in an interview shared on Thursday, September 19. “You kind of prepare for that in a way, and when it was brought up to me that this would happen, and that the fan base is so loyal to the show — that’s natural.”
The designer compared the new set to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, sharing, “The show has been through so many eras, literally like Taylor Swift. So when I approached this design, I wanted to capture all of them.”
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift arrives to attend the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. Around a week later, the production designer compared the new set for…
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift arrives to attend the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. Around a week later, the production designer compared the new set for ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Swift’s ‘Eras Tour.’
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The three-time Emmy winner — who has also designed sets for The Voice, The Masked Singer, and The Kelly Clarkson Show — said fans will be hesitant at first, but “then we’ll earn their trust.” He seemed confident that fans will eventually “feel right at home.”
Connelly — who called the job a “bucket list item” — told the publication that all the new changes were “for the best,” as they wanted to update and fix any problems that the old set had presented.
He also noted that an “intellectual challenge” in the redesign was making sure all of the design elements also featured technology that could be changed for special theme weeks, etc.
Maggie Sajak highlighted such changes — like an LED floor — in the video tour she gave of the new set on Wednesday, September 18. Many took to the comments to share frustrations — as Connelly thought they might — about the “antiseptic tech theme,” the design being too “busy,” and the colors being “too bold and bright.”
However, he did receive a stamp of approval from new host Ryan Seacrest. “I think he was really touched to see it at first, and I think that he was really impressed,” Connelly said.
Seacrest was not the only one, as some fans did take to the comments to praise the changes. “Love the set! I love the new base on the Wheel too!❤️🙌,” one person commented.
New episodes of Wheel of Fortune air weeknights at 7:30p.m.
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Publish date : 2024-09-20 09:43:00
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