Only five people have won the $1 million grand prize on Wheel of Fortune — four on the syndicated version and one on the celebrity edition. How did those five winners spend their earnings? Read on to find out.
Although Wheel of Fortune premiered in January 1975, the $1 million prize wasn’t introduced until 2008. Typically, the highest prize in the Bonus Round is $100,000. But if a contestant lands on the $1 million wedge during the game, solves that puzzle, doesn’t land on any Bankrupts, and wins the game, the $100,000 envelope is replaced with the $1 million envelope.
It is not a guarantee, as contestants have to not only correctly solve the puzzle, but also land on the $1 million envelope on the wheel.
So, what did those winners do with their earnings? Find out below.
Michelle Loewenstein
Michelle Loewenstein, from Santa Monica, California, was the first contestant ever to win the $1 million prize on Wheel of Fortune. It happened in 2008, just weeks after the prize was first announced.
At the time, Loewenstein had just gotten married and already taken her honeymoon. However, she was able to take a second one when she landed on the $1 million wedge during the prize puzzle, earning a trip to Hawaii.
After winning $26,800, she advanced to the Bonus Round, where she picked the “W” in “Win.” She solved “Leaky Faucet” and won the $1 million prize, giving her $1,026,800.
Although that money reimbursed her for her wedding, she told The Malibu Times that she would probably “buy a house” and “help out the family” with her winnings. She lives a private life, so not much is known about her now.
Autumn Erhard
Autumn Erhard, from Laguna Niguel, California, took home $1,030,340 in 2013 after solving the Bonus Round puzzle — “Tough Workout.” During the game, Erhard obtained the Wild Card, which gave her an extra letter in the Bonus Round. This helped her because the only letter that appeared was the extra one that she guessed, a “G.”
“What?!” then host Pat Sajak yelled after she solved it with only four letters. “How did you solve that puzzle?” The $1 million was revealed to be in the envelope, and confetti rained down on her.
During her win, Erhard was engaged, so there is no doubt that she used that money for her wedding. She also told ABC News, “We definitely want to travel a bit and just kind of prepare for life and kids.”
In 2014, she told The Hollywood Reporter, “As much as a million is, it still doesn’t last forever, so we’re trying to save as much as possible and make it grow. I don’t want to end up on one of those shows about how the lottery ruined my life. We’ve taken a couple of trips but we are not going out fine dining every night. We’re planning our wedding and trying to keep to the budget that we had before.” She had a destination wedding that July. “It is still life-changing, though!”
Sarah Manchester
One year later, Sarah Manchester was the third person to take home the $1 million on Wheel of Fortune. The math teacher from Silver Springs, Maryland, walked away with $1,017,490. She also won a trip to the Dominican Republic.
With only three letters left to guess, Manchester solved “Loud Laughter” within one second. She screamed and put her hands up to her face when Sajak revealed the $1 million.
After her win, Manchester told ABC News that they had “a lot of plans” for her winnings. “I’m working on that,” Manchester said. Working as a teacher with three children, the money was sure to come in handy.
Manchester told her local ABC affiliate that she was going to use the money for her two children’s education and on trips with her family.
Melissa Joan Hart
In 2021, actress Melissa Joan Hart became the first and only celebrity contestant to win the $1 million. She played against Tituss Burgess and Lacey Chabert.
On Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, the money won goes to the charity of the celebrity’s choosing. Hart chose Youth Villages, which is a nonprofit organization that helps children across America who struggle with emotional, mental, and behavioral problems.
Hart chose “Food and Drink” for her category. After getting the letters she needed to solve the puzzle, the actress solved “Bran Muffins” and took home the grand prize.
Christina Derevjanik
The fifth contestant to win $1 million on the game show is Christina Derevjanik. She became the highest-winning contestant to date when she took home $1,035,155 in September 2025.
Derevjanik landed on the One Million Wedge during the first puzzle and somehow managed not to lose it. She picked “Living Things” for her Bonus Round category and quickly solved “Pack of Coyotes.”
The first winner during Ryan Seacrest‘s time hosting told TV Insider that she planned to “invest in a home in the next couple of years. I really think that’s my main priority. I also have a couple of trips coming up that I won from the show — Montana and Tokyo — so I’m looking forward to just taking a couple of great trips and enjoying the financial freedom that this now offers me.” Derevjanik, a marketing manager from Connecticut, did return to work shortly after her win.
Who will be the sixth $1 million winner on Wheel of Fortune? Only time will tell.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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