Kids & Family

CL Couple Appear on Wheel of Fortune; She's Spanish Teacher at Cary-Grove

Cary-Grove Spanish teacher, Linda Matthias, appeared on Wheel of Fortune game show with her husband, Brent. The taped segment will be aired this Thursday.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

Linda and Brent Matthias, of Crystal Lake, were enjoying a vacation in Las Vegas this past July to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Linda is a spanish teacher at Cary-Grove High School in Cary. 

"We were staying at the Palazzo where the Wheel of Fortune was taping shows," Linda said. "I was involved in a slot tournament, and they announced that they needed three volunteers to audition. My husband is really good at solving puzzles and so I volunteered him!"

Brent proceeded to the audition, and as soon as Linda's tournament ended she hustled down to the audition room and, even though the doors were closed with a sign reading 'auditions in progress,' she opened the door and crept in.

"They handed me a clipboard with an application and started taking head shots, so I just went with it," Linda said. 

The audition lasted about an hour with about 40 people trying out for the show, she said.

Two weeks later, the couple received a letter saying they'd been chosen and would be called within 18 months (but only given 14 days notice to get to Los Angeles to tape).

However, they received that call sooner than expected: in October they were notified to head to L.A.

"I went right to my principal and he said, 'You have to do this!' And I said, 'I know!'  So, we booked our tickets and went out," Linda said. 

Linda is not permitted to reveal the outcome of the show. But their episode is scheduled to air at 6:30 p.m. on ABC-7 this Thursday, Dec. 12.

"I am not supposed to reveal the outcome so I can't say any more, even though I am absolutely dying to tell you! My students at Cary Grove are very excited to see this," she said. 

Cary-Grove High School Principal Jay Sargeant booked the Metro Bowl, 77 Brink St., in Crystal Lake for family and friends to watch the show. The Metro will have all TVs tuned into Channel 7 for everyone to see how the Matthiases fared. 



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