Christina Derevjanik of Connecticut has made Wheel of Fortune history.
During Tuesday night’s segment of the long-running game show, the Stamford-based marketing manager won an eye-watering sum of $1,035,155 — the show’s biggest-ever payday.
After advancing to the bonus round with $35,155 and trips to Japan and Montana already earned in the main game, Derevjanik joined host Ryan Seacrest to spin the smaller wheel.
Acknowledging that her boss was seated in the studio audience, Derevjanik joked that if she won a million dollars, she would be putting in her two-week notice.
As she held onto the “one million dollars” wedge she had secured earlier, Seacrest quipped that they had swapped the $100,000 envelope with the “$1 million retirement envelope.”
She then spun the smaller wheel, which landed on the “&” card. Walking over to the puzzle board with her chosen category, “Living Things,” Derevjanik quickly solved the puzzle with the phrase: “Pack of coyotes.”
Opening the envelope, Seacrest turned it around to show she had landed on the “one million” card.
In disbelief, Derevjanik screamed and jumped around the stage as confetti shot out.
“You won a million dollars!” Seacrest said before they embraced in a big hug.
Telling her to look into the camera, Seacrest asked her if there was anything she’d like to say to her boss.
“We’ll have a discussion once we get back to the office,” she laughed.
Congratulating her again, Seacrest noted that she was his first million-dollar winner since taking over from longtime host Pat Sajak, who retired from the role in June 2024.
Seacrest made his Wheel of Fortune debut that September. “I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and, of course, my good friend Vanna White,” he said as he opened the show. “Thank you for the very warm welcome.”
While Derevjanik isn’t Wheel of Fortune’s first million-dollar winner, she stands as its biggest earner with a grand total of $1,035,155.
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Michelle Lowenstein was the show’s first $1 million grand prize winner in October 2008, when Sajak was host. Lowenstein walked away with a total of $1,026,080.
Autumn Erhard was the second in May 2013, taking home a grand prize of $1,030,340, followed by Sarah Manchester in September 2014 with $1,017,490.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart was the game’s most recent million-dollar winner in 2021 on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Her grand total of $1,027,800 was given to charity.
