Missouri National Guard Capt. Rachael Stark joined the military to continue her family’s legacy of service. She never anticipated the training she received would translate to a once-in-a-lifetime experience as a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune.”
“I did not think that I’d be preparing for a game show high-pressure situation, but a lot of my job at the battalion level is planning — slowing down, big picture thinking,” said Stark, who appeared on a February episode of the historic game show, “and I feel like that really prepared me for taking a deep breath, looking at this game show strategically, and being more open minded.”
Competing on the show was a “starstruck moment,” according to Stark, who commissioned into the National Guard in May 2018. But her experience didn’t quite start the way she hoped.
“I spun once and I got bankrupt. Again, bankrupt. Again, lose a turn. And I literally — I walked off and there was a break, and I was like, ‘I’m not having fun,’” Stark jokingly recalled. “I was having fun but, like, the wheel was not cooperating. And then I was able to come back from that and solve a couple puzzles.”
‘I grew up on Vanna White’
“Wheel of Fortune” has sentimental value for Stark because she watched the show with her family as a child. Now, she watches with her husband who joined her at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California, to record her episode.
“I grew up on ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” she said. “I grew up on Vanna White.”
Her passion for game shows and love of trying new things (she took up violin lessons just because) contributed to her decision to spin the figurative wheel for the first time about three years ago. She has applied once a year, every year, since then.
First round interviews were with a casting director, but those who advanced to the second round played puzzles with other “Wheel of Fortune” hopefuls.
“I did that literally for like two or three years and then in August of 2025, I got an email saying come to California, here’s your tape date,” Stark said. “And my first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh, the tape date’s on a Thursday, and I have drill that weekend.’”
Taping the episode
Stark said she was shocked when she learned she was selected to appear on the show.
“It was kind of out of left field,” she said. “It was a random day during the week that I got that email, and then they’re like, ‘Oh, by the way, you’ve got 24 hours to respond to this.’”
So she flew to California and arrived at the studio for her 6 a.m. call time. They shot six episodes in one day, and Stark was slotted for the last taping.
When other other episodes were filming, Stark said fellow contestants sat in the audience.
“We got to see all these people that we’d been hanging out with also doing it, which was so cool because you bond with these people,” she said. “You just met them, and they’re all going through this crazy experience with you. So you want to root for everybody.”
Guard support
Stark recorded her episode Sept. 3, but because it didn’t air until February, she said she couldn’t talk about it until about a week before it aired. When she finally shared the news with her Guard unit, she said she was met with the most positive response. Her section leader even announced it during a commander update brief that Stark wasn’t even at.
“To know that they were so supportive and so proud of me was the biggest takeaway I have from this,” Stark said, “because their validation means everything to me, and to be met with such a positive reaction is just another reason that I stay in the Guard — for the soldiers and people like this.”
The Guard, according to Stark, is a “perfect balance” of serving her community and serving in the military. She also is a reserve police officer in Ballwin, Missouri, and works on policy and accreditation for the St. Louis County (Missouri) Police Department.
“I want women and even young women to see that I’ve done things in military that transfer to these cool opportunities,” she said. “The military is going to change how you see the world and the Guard has allowed me to develop as a leader while serving my community. And that’s the most meaningful part of all.”
Stark’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune” is available on Hulu and Peacock.
