A Connecticut woman made “Wheel of Fortune” history by winning a record $1,035,155 in a single show.
Christina Derevjanik, of Stamford, cashed in on Tuesday when she collected $35,155 in cash and prizes, including a trip to Tokyo, but she wasn’t finished just yet. In the show’s Bonus Round, she took a final spin that landed on the wheel’s $1 million wedge. The puzzle she solved to secure her the prize spelled out the phrase “pack of coyotes.”
Derevjanik appeared on “Good Morning America” Wednesday to talk about becoming an overnight millionaire.
“The first thing that I am spending that on is getting rid of all my student loans,” she said, noting she’d been chipping away at that debt for about 15 years.
Derevjanik said she brought her boss to both the taping of “Wheel” and “GMA,” where they joked about her putting in her two weeks notice. But Derevjanik, who works as a marketing manager for Con Edison, according to LinkedIn, assured her boss she wouldn’t be quitting as a result of her lucky spin.
“Wheel” host Ryan Seacrest reacted to Derevjanik’s good fortune as if he too had won something big.
“Ecstatic doesn’t even cover it, my first million-dollar win just set a new Wheel record!” the 50-year-old emcee posted on Instagram. “Biggest win ever. Biggest grin ever. I’ll never forget this moment.”
