GUILDERLAND — Bryan Geary, a second-grade teacher at Lynnwood Elementary School, describes his experience competing on the television game show “Wheel of Fortune” during Teacher Week as “cool and surreal.” Geary’s episode airs Sept. 13.

Geary said that he attended a “Wheel Mobile” audition at the Saratoga Racino with his fiancée and her family and was asked to return for a tryout. A few days later, he said, he got an invitation to fly out to the Sony Studios in Los Angeles — his first trip to California — to tape an episode.

Watching at home doesn’t really prepare you for the real thing, Geary said. Things are much calmer at home, he said, and it’s always your turn. When taping, time passes faster than usual, he said, as you try to sort through the many thoughts running through your head.

“It was a lot of fun and overall a really cool experience,” said Geary, who noted that he enjoyed meeting other contestants — all teachers — from all over the country.

Sworn to secrecy, he was unable to tell anyone, before the episode aired, how he did.