See "Wheel of Fortune" crown biggest winner in show's history Ryan ColemanOctober 1, 2025 at 4:09 AM 0 Christina Derevjanik and Ryan Seacrest on 'Wheel of Fortune' Wheel of Fortune has a new grand champion — and a record breaker at that. Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, Conn.
- - See "Wheel of Fortune" crown biggest winner in show's history
Ryan ColemanOctober 1, 2025 at 4:09 AM
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Christina Derevjanik and Ryan Seacrest on 'Wheel of Fortune'
Wheel of Fortune has a new grand champion — and a record breaker at that.
Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, Conn., became the biggest winner in the game show's history on Tuesday when she took home $1,035,155.
"I can pay off my student loans!" Derevjanik shouted to host Ryan Seacrest over the audience's cheers after solving the Bonus Round clue of "Living Things." With just a few letters on the board, Derevjanik was able to decipher the correct answer of "pack of coyotes."
Seacrest looked shocked when he opened the envelope to reveal a million-dollar prize. Confetti canons shot out glittering rainbows, and Derevjanik began to dance around, shouting in glee. Seacrest and longtime Wheel cohost Vanna White rushed the newly-crowned champ to offer their congratulations.
Christina Derevjanik celebrates her million-dollar 'Wheel of Fortune' win in 2025
Just before Derevjanik sleuthed out the final puzzle, Seacrest asked her if she would continue working if she won the $1 million prize in the final round. She joked she "may be putting in my two weeks — but we won't be telling anyone that."
Over the course of the night's game, Derevjanik, who works for a utilities company, also won trips to Montana and Tokyo, racking up a total of $35,155 in cash and prizes.
"I was trying to manifest this. I was hoping for confetti, but I never thought it would actually happen," a stunned Derevjanik said at the show's close.
Though she's the highest-earning winner in Wheel's 50 years on the air, she isn't the first to win the million-dollar grand prize. Michelle Lowenstein, a florist from Santa Monica, Calif., was the first to nab it in 2008, the same year the wedge that unlocks the prize was added to the titular wheel.
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The most recent million-dollar winner was Sarah Manchester, a middle-school math teacher from Silver Spring, Md., who walked away from a 2021 episode of the series with a grand total of $1,017,490.
Wheel of Fortune airs in syndication weeknights on most stations at 7 p.m., and streams the next day on Hulu and Peacock.
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