Family gathers for reveal of 'Wheel' win

A local woman is spinning with excitement after winning big on national television last week. Jan Morton, of Warner Robins, and her friend Jan Leary, of Atlanta, competed as a team on "Wheel of Fortune" and split $54,700 worth of cash and prizes.

The pair and Morton's husband, Gary, flew to Culver City, California, for filming Jan. 8. Jan Morton said it was a long journey to the wheel. Leary started submitting applications to be on the game show in the early 1990s, and Morton had been trying for 10 years. They finally secured a filming slot for January 2014, but their flight from Atlanta was canceled because of a snowstorm. The producers kept them in mind and made sure they got another chance, Morton said.

The Mortons stayed tight-lipped on the show's outcome for a month, and their friends and family learned the results with the rest of the country when the show aired Feb. 10.

"I'm not good at keeping happy secrets," Jan Morton said. "That's the biggest miracle, that I didn't tell (anyone I won). That's bigger than me winning. It was so much fun. I'm so glad I finally get to talk about it."

About 15 guests viewed the episode with the Mortons at the home of their son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Erin Morton in Bonaire. The house was marked with a colorful banner that read "America's Game ... Our Jan," and the inside was filled with festive posters and decor.

Jan Morton wore her official "Wheel of Fortune" name tag and watched the show on a love seat with two of her grandchildren, Jackson, 5, and Emery, 3. The rest of her friends and family gathered around her on couches, chairs and the floor.

The group waved hand-held decorations with Morton's picture atop a colorful wheel. They cheered as "Team Jan" picked the right letters and solved puzzles and as other teams landed on the "Bankrupt" space on the wheel. They enjoyed food catered by Moe's Southwestern Grill and a "Wheel of Fortune" decorated cake.

The episode was one of five "Girlfriend Getaways" themed shows, all featuring female teams. Morton and Leary competed against best friends from Hawaii and Washington state. Gary Morton was shown on TV in the studio audience and on stage with the two Jans at the end of the program.

The word puzzles Jan Morton and Leary solved were "MY MAIN SQUEEZE," "JUDE LAW OF AVERAGES," "AN IDEAL LOCATION" and "DRAWER ORGANIZER" in the toss-up round. They shook with happiness when they realized they knew the bonus round's answer, "IN GOOD COMPANY."

As the group finished watching the episode in Bonaire, Morton threw her hands in the air and screamed, "I can finally say it! I won! I won! I won!" "Team Jan" scored $9,500 from puzzles and $33,000 in the bonus round, along with each getting a trip for two to Belize. Morton said she had the confidence to win, but she didn't dream that it would actually happen.

"I think I'll remember all the positives, all the good from (this experience). Of course, I'll remember winning," Morton said. "I'm pretty competitive. I wanted to win, but I never really thought about the money. To me, it's about the game, about winning. I was there to win."

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Family gathers for reveal of 'Wheel' win ."