Lincoln Park High School Principal Eric Steinmiller deleted the first two emails he got from "Wheel of Fortune" because he thought they were spam. Being on the long-running television game show had never been on his radar.The third email convinced him the offer to hop on a flight to Los Angeles and appear in an episode of the show was real. So he decided to go for it, although he insisted his decision wasn’t fueled by the desire to earn some cash or to meet Ryan Seacrest, the host of the show, in person.“It was to represent Lincoln Park High School,” Steinmiller said. Lincoln Park High School Principal Eric Steinmiller was one of three contestants on “Wheel of Fortune” on Thursday evening. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Lincoln Park High School Principal Eric Steinmiller addresses the crowd at a “Wheel of Fortune” watch party at the school on Thursday. He won $2,000.Manuel Martinez/WBEZ The "Wheel of Fortune" episode in which Steinmiller appeared aired Thursday night. To celebrate the occasion, he organized a watch party in the auditorium of his North Side high school, with about two dozen students, parents and teachers in attendance. Before the start of the show, some students gave their principal fist bumps, while others asked if they would be getting scholarships if he lucked out.Harmony Brooks, 16, estimated that Steinmiller would make at least $20,000 that night. Lincoln Park High School student Harmony Brooks watched her principal’s appearance on “Wheel of Fortune” at a Thursday evening watch party at the school. She was sure he would win more than $20,000.Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Her friend Neaylah Smith agreed.“I got faith in him,” Neaylah said.But Steinmiller walked away with only $2,000 in his pocket. Sitting in the auditorium, he laughed as he watched himself struggle to guess the right letters on screen as his two opponents scored big by figuring out unexpected phrases like “photo finish your vegetables.”Steinmiller said he was focused at the time on getting momentum on his wheel spins, which he practiced ahead of filming.“Maybe I was too focused on getting a good spin,” he said, which is why “it kept landing on bankrupt.”At one point, Steinmiller was on the verge of winning a trip to Switzerland. When the wheel landed on the ‘bankrupt’ space, he sank into his seat, covering his eyes with his palms as the rest of the auditorium shouted out in disappointment. Related Chicago med students celebrate finding their futures on Match Day: ‘I couldn’t be happier’ Racist dating video at Lincoln Park High School sparks difficult conversations among students After the show ended, Harmony said she had a good time trying to guess the words on screen.“I was yelling at the back of my head, like, ‘That’s the word,’ but then when I got the word wrong, it’s like, ‘Oh, I see his pain.’”“At least he walked away with some money,” she said. Devin Tailer said he was proud watching his principal talk up his students on national TV.Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Devin Trailer, 17, thinks his principal “could have won a lot more.”“That last one, ‘The power of love’ one, I ain’t gonna lie. He should have had that one for sure.”Still, Devin said he was proud watching his principal talk up his students on national TV.“We really love him, and it was really cool to see our [school] name being shown on a show that I used to watch when I was a kid.”Anna Savchenko is a reporter for WBEZ. You can reach her at asavchenko@wbez.org. ...read more read less