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

Wheel of fortune got a makeover for its 42nd season — and the show’s production designer brings all the details behind the modern refresh!

While fans warmly welcomed Ryan Seacrest when he took over from longtime host Pat Sajak on Sept. 9, some were hesitant to embrace the set’s updated look as the classic game show enters its new era.

PEOPLE spoke with production designer James Pearse Connelly about the new look — from the inspiration behind the design to his reaction to it dividing his fan base.

“Everyone is reluctant to change. It’s completely normal,” Connelly tells PEOPLE. “You kind of prepare for it, and when I was told it was going to happen and the fan base is so loyal to the show — it’s natural.”

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Eric McCandless/Sony Pictures Television

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

“My reaction was ‘of course it will be, and then we will earn their trust.’ And if it’s good, and of course it will be, it will feel like home,” says Connelly, who also designed the sets for Voice, The Masked Singer and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Connelly adds that he and his team have worked hard to preserve the nostalgia evoked by previous sets while still making sure they can adapt in the coming seasons.

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

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Referring to the commission as a “bucket list thing,” Connelly says it feels even better to get the nod from Seacrest himself.

“I think he was really moved when he saw it at the beginning, and I think he was really impressed,” he says, adding that american idol host was full of “nothing but compliments” during the special reveal.

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Connelly compares the new set to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, as the design is borrowed from every schedule the show has seen since its 1975 premiere.

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

He adds that the new sign was actually inspired by a specific memory from when he was a child growing up in New Jersey.

James Pearse Connelly with a new letter board.

JPConnelly.com Inc

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“What I remember as a child is that I had a board game and you had to take out pieces of cardboard and attach them to the board. And those two big wheels that hooked up were gold and you had a green letter board – that was really iconic. I selfishly wanted to go back to that era and still feel part of the new millennium of the 2000s.”

He continues: “I mixed them all up and really looked back at what I thought was the golden age. I also wanted a sneaky nod to the 1970s premiere version with the little bezel around the record.”

Vanna White with an old letter.

Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty

Connelly notes that the “intellectual challenge” for him as a designer was to ensure that each piece was technologically driven and could be adapted as the series continued to air for decades to come.

“There are so many possibilities in this set that have never been there before because we thought about different themed weeks, different possibilities for lighting and more video technology. It’s really exciting,” he explains.

Besides that Wheel of fortunethe acclaimed designer and his team at JPConnelly, the design firm he founded in 2009, are currently working to create the perfect environment for The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 reunion, as well as some super secret Christmas installations coming this holiday season.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education