Severna Park’s Currie Twins Win Big On “Wheel Of Fortune”

R, S, T, L, N and E gave twin sisters Katie and Christina Currie a decent start, but they had to work together to fill in the rest of the bonus round puzzle on a recent episode of “Wheel of Fortune.”

After calling H as one of their consonants, the twins had just 10 seconds to solve “H _ _ S E _ _ E S T.”

“HOUSEGUEST!” Katie blurted out as the two raced to figure out the one-word puzzle from the category of “person.”

“Wheel of Fortune” host Ryan Seacrest enthusiastically asked the Curries, “Are you ready?” before revealing that their correct bonus round solve had earned them a cool $50,000 cash prize.

Earlier in the episode, Katie and Christina had already collaborated to solve five other puzzles, giving them a leading total of $38,248 in cash and trips that sent them to the bonus round.

Their approach was simple and pure, and it turned out to be a good one. “Christina and I decided our strategy was (that) we were going to take turns on everything and just trust each other,” Katie shared.

Working together was nothing new for the 22-year-old identical twins, who have done nearly everything together over the years – including graduating from Severna Park High School in 2021 and watching a lot of “Wheel.”

“We’ve always grown up watching ‘Wheel of Fortune’ for as long as I can remember,” Christina said. “We’ve always had it on at home, in the evenings while we’re doing homework (and) dinner’s getting ready, so we’ve really grown up around it, and I think because of that, Katie and I both developed a love for word games.”

Watching from home had prepared the Curries to try to avoid the dreaded “bankrupt” wedge on the game show’s iconic wheel. It had not prepared them for just how heavy the wheel is – Katie shared that she left with a sore arm – or how nerve-wracking standing under bright lights before a live audience would be.

Katie first applied to be on the show in 2023, long before she and Christina learned that over 1 million hopeful people apply to be on “Wheel of Fortune” every year, though only 600 make it onto the show.

That year, she wasn’t selected, so she applied again early in the fall of 2024. Katie created a one-minute video showcasing her personality and interest in the show, did a brief first-round interview, and made it to a longer second-round interview in which she mentioned that she was an identical twin and would graduate from college in the spring.

One of the producers on the call shared that “Wheel of Fortune” would soon be recording a special week of episodes celebrating milestones, in recognition of the show’s 50th anniversary, and they were looking for pairs to be on the show. Additional correspondence and interviews led to both girls being selected to be on “Wheel.”

They flew out to Los Angeles, California, in November 2024 to tape their episode, accompanied by Christina’s boyfriend, Griffin. At the last minute, their parents were unable to join them, leaving Christina and Katie with the awkward task of hiding the results of the episode from their mom and dad until it aired on January 9, 2025.

Katie explained that “Wheel of Fortune” was resolute about contestants not spoiling the outcome of the show, and that it became funny keeping their big secret not only from their parents, but also from their older sister as well.

In January, their family and friends learned that they had won – and won big – walking away with $88,248 in cash and prizes that include trips to Hawaii and Portugal. The twins are looking forward to taking these vacations in May and October of this year.

Christina and Katie agreed that their entire “once-in-a-lifetime” experience competing on “Wheel of Fortune” was wonderful. From meeting Vanna White while having their hair and makeup done, to chatting briefly with Seacrest during taping, to making friends with their fellow contestants, the Curries created memories they consider very special.

Because “Wheel” tapes several episodes at a time, Katie and Christina spent a long morning preparing to go onstage not only with the other two pairs from their episode – who were celebrating the milestones of becoming first-time grandparents and being longtime best friends – but also with contestants from other episodes.

“Everyone was rooting for each other and everyone was cheering for each other, and it was just such an awesome experience to have so many people so genuinely happy for everyone else,” Christina recalled of the camaraderie among contestants as the episodes were taped.

After all, as one of the producers had told them, they weren’t competing against each other; they were competing against the wheel.

With the milestone of college graduation that they celebrated on “Wheel of Fortune” approaching, Katie and Christina already have plans to begin their respective careers. A supply chain management and finance double-major at the University of Pittsburgh, Katie has a job lined up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Christina is majoring in accounting at the University of Richmond, and she will return to the Baltimore area for a job.

Unsure just yet of what they will do with their winnings – they can now afford to buy 353 vowels, among other things – the sisters have memories to save up for a lifetime. “Getting to see what happens on TV in real life and … going through hair and makeup, and feeling what the lights are actually like onstage, and knowing what the wheel feels like to spin” are things Katie won’t soon forget.

“I think my favorite experience was … being able to do it together with Katie,” Christina said, trying to select a top highlight from among so many of being on “Wheel of Fortune.” Noting that they’ve always been best friends, she added, “Getting to share this special experience that not many people get to have, and going through the process, meeting so many nice people, getting to spin the wheel, getting to call out letters, to solve the puzzles, to meet Ryan Seacrest – all things that I don’t think we’ll ever get the opportunity to do again – that we can share this memory, I feel, is just so special.”