Ryan Seacrest was seen falling hard on the set of Wheel of Fortune after a contestant knocked him to the ground.
The game show presenter grimaced in pain after stumbling, causing panic in the gamer who repeatedly checked in to make sure the beloved TV character was okay.
8
8
8
On Tuesday's episode of Wheel of Fortune, Daniel Thomas of San Marcos, California made his first appearance on the game show.
Daniel, who discussed his love of coastal road trips with his father, played against rivals Amaryllis and Dina.
Despite strong play by all three players, Daniel came out on top with a total of $31,950.
In addition to the prize winnings, he also won a luxury trip to Alaska to see the Northern Lights worth more than $11,000.
Read more about Wheel of Fortune
He moved on to the final round hoping to add more money to his prize pool with the final puzzle.
Daniel chose the 'living things' category and was given consonants to help him.
However, of the seven-letter puzzle, only the last two squares, “E” and “S”, were dealt.
Daniel then made a series of guesses for the letters and when two letters “P” appeared – a light bulb seemed to go off.
8
8
“Guppies,” he shouted at the last minute, which Ryan, 50, revealed was the correct answer.
The accurate guess added $40,000 to his prize pool, giving him a total of $71,950 plus his Alaska adventure.
In shock and elated at his victory, Daniel began jumping up and down to celebrate the victory.
While Ryan celebrated with him and shouted “I won!”, Daniel hugged the host tightly and appeared to be trying to jump into his arms.
The move caused Ryan to fall completely to the ground, as the host could be seen on his back with his hair flying in the air.
Once Daniel realized what happened, he helped Ryan up and asked him, “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine, no you're fine. I'm fine,” Ryan confirmed before turning his attention to the prize card he was holding that revealed an additional $40,000.
Daniel's family came out to celebrate with him and while they were all hugging, the American Idol host could be seen holding his back and looking uncomfortable after falling.
When one of Daniel's family comes over to hug Ryan, the TV icon hides behind the podium and jokes about the fall he just took.
At another point, Ryan bends over and looks pained as he holds his side and quips to co-host Vanna White: “Vanna, you're going to have to take over now!”
When Ryan asked how he pulled off the move in the end, Daniel quipped: “Which one? Winning or getting pushed?”
Once Ryan confirmed to the contestant that he was asking about the exact solution to the puzzle, Daniel excitedly responded: “I don't know, I was just looking at the message board and saw the letter 'P.'
“It just popped into my head. But again I'm so sorry,” he added, rubbing Ryan's arm.
Ryan was a good sport about this, telling Daniel over and over, “It's okay, don't worry! I loved it!”
Fans flocked online to express their concern for Ryan, with one saying: “We must protect Ryan Seacrest at all costs!!! Please be nice to my man!”
“My advice to future #WheelofFortune contestants: Don't knock Ryan to the ground during the bonus round,” another advised.
Another viewer wrote: “Man body slammed Ryan.”
“Please don't hurt Ryan. We need him,” another pleaded.
8
8
8
