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During Tuesday’s episode of the beloved game show, contestant Christina Derevjanik from Stamford, Conn. took home a cash prize of $1,035,155, the largest prize in the show’s history. On Tuesday, September 30, Wheel of Fortune awarded Christina Derevjanik $1,035,155 in prize money. That total was calculated by her $35,155 in cash and prizes—including her trips to Montana and Tokyo—as well as her “bonus round” puzzle prize, the highly sought after $1 million. She won after she correctly guessed “Pack of Coyotes” as the answer to the puzzle. The $1 million wedge was incorporated into the game show in 2008 at the beginning of Season 26.
It was only a matter of time before the Ryan Seacrest era of Wheel of Fortune would have its first million-dollar winner. As the calendar changes from September to October, Wheel of Fortune contestant Christina Derevjanik isn’t falling into a pile of leaves — she’s falling into a pile of cash. She’s not just a million-dollar winner; she is the biggest winner in the history of the show with a cash prize of $1,035,155. For most contestants, that kind of payday might once have meant dreams of sports cars or luxury vacations.
Joining her in the studio was her boss, whom she just so happened to tell the Wheel host that she might put in her two-week notice if she won a million dollars. The joke landed, but it also says something about work-life reality for millennials and Gen Z — when financial relief feels like the only ticket to freedom from the grind. According to a disclaimer from earlier broadcasts, winners of the $1 million prize may opt to receive it in $50,000 installments over 20 years or as a lump sum of $660,000. She hugged longtime co-host Vanna White, who told her, “I’m so happy for you.” Seacrest added, “I’m in tears.” After Sajak’s final episode aired, Seacrest took to social media to bid the longtime host farewell. “I love giving away the money. I get so excited when people win the money, and they win a lot of money. I’m hoping to give away a million dollars in 2025.”
Wheel of Fortune is an exciting word and luck game where you spin the wheel and solve puzzles for prizes. The game show crowned its biggest winner ever after Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, Connecticut, won $1,035,155 during the Tuesday, September 30, episode. She scored the win after securing trips to Montana and Tokyo and earning $35,155 in cash and prizes.
Since 1986, the syndicated version has been adapted into various video games spanning numerous hardware generations. Most versions released in the 20th century were published by GameTek, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1998. This is only the fourth time someone has received the million-dollar prize since its addition in 2008.
Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, a marketing manager, collected a total of $1,035,155 in cash and prizes, the New York Post reported. A Connecticut woman became the highest-earning contestant in “Wheel of Fortune” history on Tuesday, securing more than $1 million in winnings during the game show’s bonus round. This win broke an 11-year streak that fans were patiently waiting for. Since the million-dollar wedge was introduced into the game, only four other contestants have walked away as millionaires, in both the syndicated and celebrity editions of the game.
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It’s also the first time host Ryan Seacrest has seen it happen. Derevjanik later told “Good Morning America” she didn’t quit her marketing job for a utilities company and will also buy a home with her winnings in addition to paying off her debt. But in 2025, for a generation buried under student loans and rising housing costs, a million dollars hits differently nowadays. There is less fantasy spending, more survival milestones. But Derevjanik wasn’t just lucky during her spot on the show.
Other Spin Wheels
- Spin the wheel, choose letters, and try to solve the puzzle to win points and prizes.
- The contestant has worked in marketing for 10 years, according to her LinkedIn.
- With each correct answer, bask in the satisfaction of a puzzle master in the making.
- While Derevjanik is the fourth “Wheel of Fortune” contestant who has earned the million-dollar grand prize, she became the first since Seacrest took over hosting duties for Pat Sajak.
No, you can spin the wheel as many times as you want—unlimited spins are allowed. Seacrest revealed she was the show’s first $1 million-plus winner since he became host. The Connecticut contestant, who had obtained the $1 million wedge during regular play, joked before the bonus round that she might put in her two weeks’ notice at work if she won all of it.
In 1988, Mattel created a Wheel of Fortune game that allowed playing along with the TV show. At that time, the show would include encoded data at the beginning of each round, seen as flickering in the TV picture, that the Mattel machine could “download” to receive the puzzle and timing information for when letters were revealed in the puzzle. The game allowed players to aviator game spin and guess letters in the puzzle, buy vowels, and solve the puzzle.
Challenge yourself to solve a series of puzzles spanning various categories, from “Movie Titles” to “Famous Landmarks,” each more tantalizing than the last. With each correct answer, bask in the satisfaction of a puzzle master in the making. She added that she plans to buy a home with part of her winnings and looks forward to the international and domestic trips she earned during play. During an interview with Fox News Digital, the longtime television host, who took over Sajak’s hosting duties in September 2024, opened up about his hopes for his upcoming episodes. “Ecstatic doesn’t even cover it, my first million-dollar win just set a new Wheel record!” Seacrest wrote on Instagram.
Wheel of Fortune history has been made with a prize of more than $1 million. One of the most successful game shows ever made, Wheel of Fortune is a very popular TV program that catapulted Vanna White to stardom as one of the most recognizable TV celebrities. Yes or No Picker Wheel for games, parties decision making. No, the Wheel of Fortune requires an internet connection to function as it runs entirely online. No, the Wheel of Fortune tool does not collect or store personal user data.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983.
Additional design customization features may be added in future. Woman’s World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. She screamed in glee at winning the round but then erupted in a volcano of happiness when Seacrest revealed the $1 million marker. Host Ryan Seacrest started the 10-second clock, but Derevjanik took a mere instant to guess.
On November 7, 2017, Ubisoft released versions based on Wheel of Fortune for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, using the Unity engine.30 The game comes in digital download as well as a bundle retail version with Jeopardy!. This version of Wheel of Fortune features Classic and Quick modes, as well as online multiplayer options like leaderboards and voice chat. It includes over 4,000 puzzles and a leveling system that enables players to unlock 250 new customization items that can be used on contestants or the studio set.
The top prize of $100,000 is replaced with $1 million if a contestant lands on the wedge, solves the puzzle, and never hits a Bankrupt after landing on it. Wheel of Fortune contestant Christina Derevjanik, of Stamford, Connecticut, became the first contestant to win $1 million since Ryan Seacrest started hosting the game show in 2024. Step into the virtual studio and experience the excitement of the beloved TV game show “Wheel of Fortune” right from your own device!
In Wheel of Fortune, your goal is to guess the correct letters and complete the phrase before your competitors do. Get a daily look at the top news in music, movies, television and more in the entertainment industry. “Pat, congratulations on an incredible run with Wheel of Fortune! Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself, Sajak and White. “I was hoping for confetti, but I never thought it would actually happen,” she continued. After the episode, Derevjanik confessed to production that she was “trying to manifest” her win.
If a contestant on the TV show solved the puzzle before a person playing the Mattel machine solved it, the machine would reveal the puzzle and terminate the round. Sony Pictures Digital and Game Show Network’s interactive division released a free Wheel of Fortune game on Facebook. Neither game features Sajak nor White, and both games support only one player.
This version was later released for Nintendo Switch a year later. However, all 3 console versions didn’t feature Pat Sajak and Vanna White, and instead were replaced by a generic host and hostess. Jim Thornton still appears as the announcer during the show’s opening titles.
In her spare time, Derevjanik loves doing puzzles, watching Hallmark movies, or spending time outdoors hiking with her dog, Hazel. She is also an avid runner who has raced in 11 half marathons and one full marathon. The contestant has worked in marketing for 10 years, according to her LinkedIn. Derevjanik’s win also marked Seacrest’s first million-dollar winner since he became the host of Wheel of Fortune in September 2024. He celebrated the achievement with a post on Instagram after the episode, sharing photos of the moment Derevjanik scored her prize. Derevjanik is the game show’s fourth contestant to win the million-dollar prize, breaking the record previously set by Sarah Manchester with $1,017,490 in 2014.