Local teacher wins $50,000 on 'Wheel of Fortune'

Taking home $53,500 after a night of spinning and spelling?

Win.

Rachel Gordon, 26, who teaches first grade at Stetson Hills Elementary School, was out celebrating Thursday night at the Fox and Hound after the episode of Wheel of Fortune aired in which she won the hefty sum. The show was taped at the end of November, and Gordon kept the results from her colleagues and students until it aired.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, especially with the people I work with. They were trying to trick me and get it out of me after I got back from filming,” she said Thursday while out celebrating with friends and family.

Gordon got to be on the show in Los Angeles by winning a tryout in Cripple Creek and then another in Colorado Springs. After the show was taped, she said playing the game in front of a television audience was almost as easy as playing it at home in front of the TV.

“I thought it would be harder with the pressure, but by the time I went on, they made you feel at home, and it’s a small set, so it wasn’t overwhelming.”

What was a little intimidating was the final puzzle, which Gordon had to solve in order to make it to the bonus round.

To solve the phrase “I appreciate the offer,” she picked P, M, C and O.

“It was very awkward to see myself on TV. It was fun to go out on a limb and try something new.”