Wheel of FortuneDesigner Knew Fans Would Be ‘Reluctant’ About New Set: 'We'll Earn Their Trust' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

New ‘Wheel of Fortune’ set design.Photo:JPConnelly.com Inc

JPConnelly.com Inc

Wheel of Fortunegot a makeover for its 42nd season — and the show’s production designer is spilling all the details behind the modern refresh!

While fans gave a warm welcome toRyan Seacrestwhen he took over for longtime hostPat Sajakon Sept. 9, some were hesitant to embrace the updated look of the set as the classic game show moves into its next era.

PEOPLE chatted with production designerJames Pearse Connellyall about the fresh layout — from the inspiration behind the design to his reaction to it dividing the fanbase.

“Everybody’s reluctant to change. That’s just normal,” Connelly tells PEOPLE. “You kind of prepare for that in a way, and when it was brought up to me that this would happen, and that the fanbase is so loyal to the show — that’s natural.”

Eric McCandless/Sony Pictures Television

The three-time Emmy Award winner notes that while fans may have been skeptical at first, he believes they will learn to love the new setup as much as he does.

“My reaction was, ‘of course it’s going to be like that, and then we’ll earn their trust.’ And if it’s good, and of course it will be, they’ll feel right at home,” says Connelly, who has also designed sets forThe Voice, The Masked SingerandThe Kelly Clarkson Show.

Connelly adds that he and his team worked hard to preserve the nostalgia that the previous sets evoked while still making sure it would be able to adapt in future seasons to come.

“Yes, we made changes, we updated it — but it’s ultimately for the best,” he says. “It’s about setting up a new space that fixes problems, prepares for the future and makes people feel comfortable.”

Referring to the commission as a “bucket list item” for him, Connelly says it was an even greater feeling to get a nod of approval from Seacrest himself.

“I think he was really touched to see it at first, and I think that he was really impressed,” he says, adding that theAmerican Idolhost was filled with “nothing but compliments” during a special reveal.

Connelly compares the new set to Taylor Swift’sEras Tour, as the design borrows from each layout the show has seen since its premiere in 1975.

“The show has been through so many eras, literally like Taylor Swift,” he jokes. “So when I approached this design, I wanted to capture all of them.”

James Pearse Connelly with the new letterboard.JPConnelly.com Inc

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“What I remember as a kid was I had the board game, and you had to take the cardboard pieces out and clip it onto the letterboard. And those two big wheels that clipped on were gold and you had the green letterboard — it really was iconic. Selfishly, I wanted to throw back to that era and still feel a part of the new millennium in the 2000s.”

He continues, “So I blended them all together and I really sort of looked back at what I thought the golden era was. And I also wanted to do a secret nod to the premiere 1970s version of it with a little bit of a frame around the letterboard."

Vanna White with the old letterboard.Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty

Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty

Connelly notes that an “intellectual challenge” for him as a designer was to make sure that each piece was technology-driven and could adapt as the show continues to air for decades to come.

“There are so many capabilities in this set that it’s never had before because we thought about different theme weeks, different capabilities for lighting and more video technology. It’s really exciting,” he explains.

In addition toWheel of Fortune, the acclaimed designer and his team atJPConnelly, the design firm he founded in 2009, are currently working on crafting the perfect setting forThe Real Housewives of Orange Countyseason 18 reunion,as well as some top-secret Christmas installations coming up this holiday season.

source: people.com