Drew Carey has been a consistent presence on our television screens for nearly 30 years.
And for most of that time, he’s occupied a succession of rather cozy niches:
Whether it was his long-running ABC sitcom, his beloved improv show, or his current role as host of the revered game show The Price Is Right, Carey has historically excelled at offering content that appeals to very specific sectors of the population.
In other words, he’s not the kind of celebrity whom you’re confronted with against your will when you scroll through your Facebook feed.
Unlike the Taylor Swifts and Travis Kelces of the world, Carey has to be sought out.
And the people who go searching for his brand of “aw, shucks” nerdy Midwestern charm usually know exactly what’s in store.
Due to the nature of his career, Carey is not the kind of star who typically makes headlines or elicits strong opinions one way or the other.
Which is what makes the events of this week so unusual.
Drew Carey’s Unwitting Rivalry With Ryan Seacrest
For all we know, Drew Carey has never even met Ryan Seacrest.
And yet, the names of the two hosts have been inextricably intertwined this week.
That’s because Seacrest made his debut as the host of Wheel of Fortune on Monday.
The Dawn of the Seacrest Era
Now, before we go any further, we should note game show audiences tend to be creatures of habit.
Most folks who spent 43 years tuning in to watch Pat Sajak every evening probably would’ve happily spent the next few decades doing the same.
But time marches on, and Sajak chose to step down from the Wheel gig last June.
Thus far, Seacrest has received more criticism than praise on social media. But that might have more to do with the novelty-averse audience than with his performance.
And what does all of this have to do with Drew Carey?
Well, it turns out we were mistaken in our assumption that no one strongly dislikes the Cleveland native.
In fact, it seems that when Carey took over for Bob Barker in 2007, he initially rubbed quite a few people the wrong way.
Now, however, the tables have turned, and Seacrest’s rocky first week has led the game show community to take a sunnier view of Carey’s tenure as host of The Price Is Right.
“I thought the worst gameshow host replacement was when Drew Carey took over for Bob Barker, then Wheel of Fortune said hold my beer,” wrote one disgruntled X (formerly Twitter) user this week.
The remark is indicative of the reaction to Seacrest’s performance thus far — which seems a little unfair, as the longtime TV personality hasn’t had much time to settle into his new role.
But the strangest part of this story might be that all the comparisons have made Drew’s name a trending topic!
Somewhere, Ken Jennings is breathing a sigh of relief that he’s been left out of this mess.
What do you think, TV fanatics? Does Seacrest have what it takes to fill Sajak’s shoes?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.