Stamford Woman Christina Wins Wheel of Fortune Million Prize

Christina Derevjanik, a marketing manager from Stamford, Connecticut, won the largest single prize in Wheel of Fortune history on the Tuesday, Sept. 30 episode, taking home a total of $1,035,155. The seven-figure payout followed a run of correct spins and solves that culminated in a successful Bonus Round appearance and a reveal by host Ryan Seacrest.

Derevjanik secured the show’s One Million Dollars wedge earlier in the episode and accumulated $35,155 in cash plus trips to Montana and Tokyo during the main game. In the Bonus Round she chose the category Living Things and correctly solved the puzzle PACK OF COYOTES. Seacrest opened the prize envelope and announced the million-dollar award as confetti fell and cohost Vanna White embraced the winner. Seacrest also noted that Derevjanik was his first million-dollar winner since he became host last fall, and he described the moment as emotional.

Her boss was seated in the studio audience, and Derevjanik had joked earlier on stage that she would put in a two-week notice if she won. After the revelation, she celebrated on stage and told the hosts she planned to use the money to pay off student loans. In a post-show interview on the...