She set a record! 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.
Derevjanik became Wheel of Fortune‘s biggest ever winner after landing a jackpot prize of $1,035,155 on the Tuesday, September 30, episode of the show. She is now only the fourth person in Wheel‘s history to win the $1 million prize during the Bonus Round, after landing on the wedge during the game.
The $1 million wedge was incorporated into the game show in 2008 at the beginning of Season 26. 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.
Over the course of the show, Derevjanik, a marketing manager at Con Edison, won trips to Montana and Tokyo, amassing $35,155 in cash and prizes before the Bonus Round. During the Bonus Round, she chose the category “Living Things.” Derevjanik correctly guessed “Pack of Coyotes.”
Host Ryan Seacrest opened the envelope to reveal the $1 million, confetti flew, and the celebration began. Vanna White joined in on the celebration and hugged the contestant, saying, “I’m so happy for you!”
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“Congratulations, you’re my first million-dollar winner. I have a tear in my eye,” Seacrest said at the end of the show.
After he let the contestant know that she was the biggest winner ever on the show, she told him, “I have no words!”
When asked how much she wanted to win, Derevjanik said, “I was trying to manifest this. I was hoping for confetti, but I never thought it would actually happen.”
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 earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Siena University and a master’s degree in mass communication from Sacred Heart University.
The first one-million-dollar grand prize was won by Michelle Lowenstein in October 2008. The second was by Autumn Erhard in May 2013. The most recent was by Sarah Manchester in September 2014. Now, Derevjanik joins the ranks of those women.
If you missed Derevjanik’s big win tonight, you can watch it on Peacock and Hulu tomorrow.
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings