Every year, thousands of hopeful contestants — from teachers and computer programmers to military veterans and celebrities — vie for prizes and bragging rights on national game shows and reality TV. One Spider beat the odds a few months ago and joined the less than 1 percent chosen from the millions who apply to appear on these competitive shows.

"Wheel of Fortune" is a family affair for Christina Currie. She grew up watching the show with her parents and grandparents, but it was her twin sister Katie, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, who applied to be on the show.

During her Zoom audition in October, Katie mentioned that she had a sister who would love to appear with her on an episode. As soon as Katie hung up with the casting department, the sisters received an email requesting a joint interview for the next day. Subsequently, they were invited to a puzzle-solving audition.

“We weren’t really expecting anything because so many people apply and audition every year,” Currie said. “But a couple weeks later, we heard we were picked for a taping day.”

In November, the Currie sisters traveled to Los Angeles. They had been practicing on the "Wheel of Fortune" app and strategizing about their letter choices.

“We decided that if we made it to the bonus round, one of us would pick two consonants and the other would choose a consonant and a vowel,” Currie said.

Their strategy paid off. After winning trips to Maui and Portugal, they made it to the bonus round, where they were faced with another puzzle.

H– –SE– –EST.

“Houseguest,” Kate correctly guessed, adding $50,000 to their winnings for a grand total of $88,248.

The episode aired in January, just days before Richmond’s spring semester started. Currie had plenty of Spiders rooting for her.

Joe Boehman, the dean of Richmond College where Currie is a senior student assistant, said she kept the dean’s office informed about her appearance — but not the outcome. “We had no idea that she and her sister did so well until we watched on TV,” he said. “It was amazing to watch one of our students on a national TV show.”

Currie said the experience was a perfect cap to her college experience. The accounting major interned at Deloitte last summer and received an offer to return as a full-time employee. She plans to work in auditing at the Baltimore office.

“It was special to celebrate this big milestone with my sister. We are so far away from each other and have commitments that keep us tied up,” Currie says. “It was such an incredible experience that few people get to have.”