Local teacher wins contest, co-hosts Live! With Kelly on 6abc
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- He won!
Souderton High School teacher Richard Curtis got his wish: He co-hosted Live! With Kelly Friday morning on 6abc.
On Friday morning at 9 a.m., Curtis walked out onto the set live in front of a national audience and began co-hosting the popular show with Kelly Ripa.
Back at Souderton High School, students, faculty and staff watched on a large projection TV in the high school gymnasium.
Their reaction was heartfelt and priceless.
In the Live! With Kelly And You contest, Curtis, a technology education teacher, initially beat out thousands of people, auditioning against pitch videos sent from across the country.
He had made a clever audition tape with the help of his students.
Twenty contestants were then picked to come on the show, with elimination rounds held each day.
As part of the challenge on Wednesday, Curtis had to read a tongue-twister while eating peanut butter and dodging confetti.
The contestants had been whittled down to two finalists on Thursday.
Curtis' Souderton High family had no idea until the show aired live Friday morning that he had won.
It had been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least.
"Almost every day between 9 and 10 a.m. there hasn't been a lot going on except about whether or not Mr. Curtis will make it on Kelly Live!" said Assistant Principal Matt Haines.
So everyone was excited the country finally got a glimpse of their favorite teacher.
And the assistant principal had a request for Ripa.
"Alright, Kelly," said Haines. "Here's the deal: You got Richard for a day. I want to invite you back to Souderton to broadcast live from our gymnasium!"
It turns out Curtis is no stranger to TV. He directs his students through a live broadcast for the school.
The students told us they are counting on Curtis to return home by Saturday, because he is the designated DJ for Souderton's annual Homecoming Dance.
