Floyd teacher tries to 'Beat Shazam'

Approximately 17 months after her victory on the Wheel of Fortune, Vanessa Verni, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at William Paca Middle School, is back on the game show circuit but this time with an appearance on Fox’s season three premiere of “Beat Shazam,” an interactive show in which teams of two race to identify songs by sound in hopes of battling Shazam for a $1 million prize. Verni teamed up with Nicole Costanza, a college friend and fellow teacher currently working at Walt Whitman High School, for this appearance.

Sending the application in on a whim, Verni and Costanza didn’t expect to be chosen, but after a call back and multiple Skype auditions, they were selected. They flew out to Los Angeles in January to record the show. Verni said that she prepared by listening to her radio in the car, going from station to station, and by practicing with Costanza on the “Song Pop” phone app.

Verni, who is keeping her eyes peeled for a third game show opportunity, joked that her family has dubbed her the full-time teacher/part-time game show contestant.

Verni’s episode is scheduled to air on Fox 5 NY on Monday, May 20 at 8 pm.