Wheel of Fortune is introducing a new rapid-fire game, "Fortune Frenzy," for its upcoming 44th season, co-hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White announced Tuesday. The change comes just days after the show terminated its announcer, Jim Thornton, following allegations of involvement in an online pedophilia chatroom.
Seacrest and White revealed the new game segment during an appearance on "Good Morning America." "Fortune Frenzy" will take place at the beginning of each episode, offering contestants an opportunity to solve puzzles for a chance to win $1,000. Seacrest described the game as a way to "squeeze more gameplay in at the top of the show" and suggested its fast pace could help contestants overcome initial nerves.
"The adrenaline is pumping and rushing, and they’ve got to focus right into playing the game," Seacrest said. White agreed, noting that the quick nature of the game means players "have nothing else on their mind but solving."
Season 44 of Wheel of Fortune is scheduled to premiere on Monday, September 14. Representatives for the show did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Thornton's dismissal followed reports that a fellow passenger on an American Airlines flight in May photographed him allegedly participating in an online chatroom. A spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television Studios confirmed Thornton's termination, stating it was effective immediately and followed a "thorough investigation."
News of Thornton's suspension broke on September 1, several months after the alleged incident. At the time, Sony Pictures Television stated, "He has been suspended from 'Wheel of Fortune,' and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation."
Lawyer Allison Hart, representing Thornton, issued a statement asserting that her client "did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested and has not been charged with any crime." She claimed that law enforcement spoke to Thornton for less than five minutes after the complaint was made and determined that no wrongdoing had occurred.
Hart further elaborated that Thornton had been directed to lifeline.chat, a site she claimed he mistook for 988lifeline.org, a suicide prevention resource. She stated that Thornton "did not know that the website lifeline.chat claims to offer mental health support to individuals with pedophilic thoughts" and left the page upon realizing its nature. Hart maintained that lifeline.chat is not unlawful and contains no illegal child pornography or pedophilic content, and that Thornton "has never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography."
Despite these claims, TMZ subsequently published photos reportedly showing Thornton engaging in the chatroom for nearly an hour. The messages attributed to a user named "NicholasB77," allegedly Thornton, included comments about children. The outlet also published images showing Thornton searching Google for "panic" after being asked to close his laptop by a flight attendant, with an AI response discussing the difficulty of linking online activity to a user's identity.
Following the reports, TMZ also reported that Thornton had shut down his Facebook page and that the show had removed him from its social media accounts. Thornton, who has not publicly addressed his termination and faces no criminal charges, shares a son with his wife, Sue Thornton.