WAYNESBORO, Pa. – A man who said he has “a knack for announcing” is making a run to win the 2026 Top Host competition with Ryan Seacrest.
If successful, Jeffrey Wheeler of Waynesboro will be the special guest on the morning radio show hosted by Seacrest available on the iHHeartRadio app and where people listen to podcasts. The champion also will host (solo) a six-episode podcast and earn $25,000.
Seacrest, a prominent media personality, television host, and producer, is best known for hosting American Idol since 2002, as well as On Air with Ryan Seacrest, American Top 40, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and Wheel of Fortune.
Wheeler said he has been in the top 10 since the start of the contest Oct 5, “above the thousands of contestants. You can vote for free, once a day, everyday,” he added, at:
Tophost.org/2026/jeffrey-wheeler
Looking back, Wheeler said he didn’t remember his earliest foray into broadcasting until recently, when a cousin sent him videos from 1999 “where I had the video camera at family events and was commenting/interviewing everyone.”
Wheeler, who worked in public safety for over 25 years, including service in the U.S.Marine Corps for 4 and a half years, started announcing at baseball games as one of the parent “duties” of a ball player for PenMar baseball and softball. “It progressed to announcing for the Waynesboro (Area Senior) High School baseball jayvee/varsity teams and then for the American Legion League this past summer. While doing that, it was often commented after the games that I should do this for a living. So, I am taking my shot.”
In addition to entering the Top Host competition, Wheeler, known as EmcE JD, also said he has started narrating for audiobooks and hopes to start doing voice acting in the near future.
“There are a few more phases,” according to Wheeler. “Thursday night (Oct. 29) started competition for the top five and that ends Nov. 5. After the top five, it goes to finals and that ends Nov. 12.
“There is a wild card round for two days for second place competitors and then the quarter finals – all the original winners plus whoever won the wild card round – go back in and that ends Nov. 25,” he added. “Semi-finals end Dec. 3 and finals end Dec. 10. The winner is set to be announced on or by Jan. 15.”
