Two seniors play poker together in their Deptford 55+ community. Now, both are Wheel of Fortune alumni.
Curt Ostrow and Pete Lukach appeared on Wheel of Fortune less than a year apart while both living at Northgate at Heritage, a 55+ community in Deptford Township.
Curt Ostrow and Pete Lukach have a few things in common. They both live at Northgate at Heritage, a 55+ community in Deptford Township with about 400 homes. They play poker together at the clubhouse there.
And on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on 6abc, Lukach will become, like Ostrow, a Wheel of Fortune alumnus.
Last November, Ostrow, 67, hosted a watch party at their shared Deptford community in Gloucester County to celebrate his appearance on the hit game show.
Ostrow, who differentiated himself on the program as a playing card magician, made it to the final round but lost out on a Toyota Highlander. He left with $6,500, a free trip to Antigua, and a watch gifted to him by host Ryan Seacrest.
“There were 100 people at the clubhouse like a football game,” said Ostrow, who just returned from his Antigua trip with his wife. “Every time I solved the puzzle, the place was going crazy.”
Ostrow’s performance inspired Lukach, a longtime game show watcher and retired educator from North Jersey, to apply as a contestant himself. He once appeared on the syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and won $12,500.
Lukach, 77, filmed his episode nine months after Ostrow appeared on the show.
Lukach said he had two weeks in August to prepare before he had to be in front of the camera. He played handheld versions of Wheel of Fortune, read online tips, and watched a lot of past episodes.
“I didn’t do as well as Curt, but I did okay,” Lukach said. “They consistently tell you, ‘Listen, this isn’t heart surgery. This is fun. You’ve gotten to the place where millions of people have applied to.’”
Unlike Ostrow, Lukach doesn’t want to host a watch party at the clubhouse. Instead, he’ll gather with his grandchildren, sons, and daughters-in-law to see the show Monday night.
Ostrow, who is currently being treated for two cancers, will be in the hospital preparing for a T-cell transplant when his neighbor’s episode debuts. But he said he plans to put the show on there.
“Pete said I was a motivator for him to do it. Next thing I know, he called me. He’s going to be on,” Ostrow said. “There will be chemo in me around 6:30 or 7. But I’m going to put the TV on, and I’ll do my best to watch it.”
Inquirer South Jersey
