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(NewsNation<\/a>) \u2014 A Connecticut woman became the biggest winner in \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d<\/a> history Tuesday, taking home more than $1 million in prizes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Christina Derevjanik chose the category \u201cLiving Things\u201d and correctly solved the puzzle<\/a> with the phrase \u201cPACK OF COYOTES,\u201d and host Ryan Seacrest showed her the $1 million envelope.<\/p>\n Derevajanik won a total of $1,035,155, becoming th<\/span>e fifth contestant ever to land the show\u2019s $1 million grand prize, and the first since\u00a0Ryan Seacrest\u00a0took over as host last year. Her prizes included $35,155 in cash and prizes, including trips to Montana and Tokyo, before advancing to the bonus round.<\/p>\n \u2018Reading Rainbow\u2019 returning after nearly 20 years; new host announced <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI just completely went into another world,\u201d\u00a0Derevjanik shared in a post-show interview<\/a>. \u201cI was like \u2018Oh my God! I can\u2019t even believe that I can now pay things off [and] put stresses aside.\u2019 This is amazing, I\u2019m so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n During the game show, Derevjanik teased that if she won a lot of money, she might quit her job, but told Good Morning America on Wednesday that she hadn\u2019t actually given her two weeks\u2019 notice after all. She added that she plans to use the money to pay off student loans.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last 15 years I\u2019ve been out of college, I\u2019ve just been like, \u2018How am I ever going to pay this off?\u2019 And now, it is just going to be such a relief and then hopefully, invest in a home in the next couple of years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Only four other contestants have ever won more than $1 million since the prized wedge was introduced to the franchise in 2008,\u00a0according to TV Insider.<\/a><\/p>\n The first such prize was awarded to Michelle Loewenstein in 2008 \u2014 the same season the $1 million \u201cwedge\u201d made its debut on the show. Lowenstein, then 24, correctly guessed\u00a0the bonus puzzle<\/a>\u00a0and walked away with a total of\u00a0$1,026,080 in cash and prizes.<\/a><\/p>\n Watch: Indiana animal control officers save husky from tree <\/a><\/p>\n Five years later in 2013, Autumn Erhard won the second $1 million prize after solving an especially challenging bonus puzzle. Together with her winnings from earlier in the show, Erhard took home\u00a0$1,030,340 in cash and prizes<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the largest ever awarded to a single contestant on \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d to date, according to an official ranking shared with Nexstar by Sony Pictures Entertainment.<\/p>\n A teacher named Sarah Manchester became the\u00a0third winner of the $1 million prize<\/a>\u00a0in 2014 after racking up $17,490 during earlier gameplay.<\/p>\n But the most recent and perhaps most memorable winner of the $1 million prize was \u201cSabrina the Teenage Witch\u201d and \u201cClarissa Explains It All\u201d actress\u00a0Melissa Joan Hart<\/a>\u00a0during an episode of \u201cCelebrity Wheel of Fortune\u201d in 2021. Hart made it to the final round with a million-dollar wedge and correctly solved the bonus puzzle, winning a total of $1,027,800 for the Youth Villages charity.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n