Contestants have won big on ABC’s game show, Wheel of Fortune, whether it’s grand prizes from cars to vacations to cash winnings. But has anyone won a million dollars on Wheel of Fortune? Keep reading to find out the answer.
Wheel of Fortune is ABC’s American game show, created by Merv Griffin, that has aired continuously since January 1975. In the competition, contestants have three options: They can spin the giant carnival wheel and call a consonant, buy a vowel for $250, or solve the puzzle. Each contestant is worth the cash value of what the wheel lands on. They can continue spinning the wheel until they miss a letter, spin a bankrupt or lose a turn. Unlike other game shows like Jeopardy!, contestants are not eligible to compete if they’ve participated in any version of the game show before. The million-dollar grand prize wedge was added to the wheel in 2008, allowing contestants the opportunity to become millionaires.
The show is hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White, who have anchored the nighttime version since its debut in 1983. However, Sajak hinted that he might exit as host at the end of Season 40. “Years go by fast. We’re getting near the end. It’s been a long [time]. We’re not going to do this for another 40 years. The end is near,” he told Entertainment Tonight in September 2022. Meanwhile, White said that it’s “depressing” to think about leaving the show, and she can’t imagine it without herself or Sajak. “I just visualize us just being there. I can’t think beyond that… I can’t imagine. Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know?” she shared with People in December 2022. “We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”
In January 2021, ABC premiered Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, a spin-off just for celebrities. The show is also hosted by Sajak and White, but the contestants are public figures who are playing for charity. Celebrities who have appeared in the competition include Tony Hawk, Raven-Symoné, Jeff Garlin, Chandra Wilson, Tori Spelling, Laverne Cox and more.
Wondering if anyone has won a million dollars on Wheel of Fortune? Read on to learn who’s taken home the largest earnings on the show — and the sole celebrity contestant that won $1 million for charity.
Has anyone won a million dollars on Wheel of Fortune? The answer is yes! The first million-dollar win was in 2008.
How many Wheel of Fortune million-dollar winners are there? There have been three regular winners, as well as one celebrity contestant, who have won $1 million or more. Check out how they won and how they spent their big winnings, below.
Michelle Loewenstein Moore
Winnings: $1,026,080
In 2008, Michelle Loewenstein Moore made history when she became the first Wheel of Fortune contestant to win the $1 million prize. She claimed victory when she solved the word puzzle for “Leaky Faucet.” Moore, a floral designer who’s from New Jersey, was the first to win the jackpot for the “One Million Dollar Bonus Round.”
“I have been a fan of the show since I was a kid and now watch every night with my husband,” Moore said in the release, according to NJ.com. At the time, she did not reveal how she would spend her new fortune.
Autumn Erhard
Winnings: $1,030,340
In May 2013, contestant Autumn Erhard took home the $1 million grand prize after guessing the final bonus-round phrase. The 30-year-old California resident dominated the game and earned more than $30,000 on top of lavish prizes, including trips to Belize and Arizona. Erhard, a sales rep for animal pharmaceuticals, described the moment that she guessed the remaining consonant in the phrase, “Tough Workout.” “I looked at the letter board for a quick second, and within seconds it just popped into my head,” she told The Orange County Register in June 2013.
She also explained to the news site that she wanted to use the money to help pay for her upcoming wedding and student loans from UC San Diego. She also planned to donate some to animal organizations, including the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Sarah Manchester
Winnings: $1,017,490
In September 2014, a middle school math teacher from Maryland became the third person to win the $1 million grand prize on Wheel of Fortune. She solved the winning puzzle, “Loud Laughter,” during Teacher’s Week. She also won a trip to the Dominican Republic. After the teacher solved the bonus puzzle, co-host Pat Sajak took a peek inside the envelope and asked her, “Can you use a million dollars?” Her husband, two children and father ran to congratulate Manchester while confetti filled the room.
“My biggest goal was I wanted to get to the bonus round and win something because I wanted to give them that chance to run out and hug and everyone dance like you see on the show,” she said on Good Morning America in September 2014. “I wasn’t thinking about a certain amount of money. I was thinking, ‘It’d be great if they could all be on TV with me,'” she added. Following the show, her family was still deciding on how to spend the gracious earnings. “I’m working on that… We have a lot of ideas. A lot of plans in our family,” Manchester responded.
Melissa Joan Hart
Winnings: $1,039,800
In October 2017, actress Mellissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), became the first Celebrity Wheel of Fortune $1 million winner. “Vanna White’s face turned white,” Hart told USA Today at the time. “Vanna looked at me and was like, ‘You got it! You got it!’ I hit the roof. She hit the roof.”
The actress was competing against Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actor Tituss Burgess and the All My Children and Party of Five actress Lacey Chabert. Hart called the experience “super exciting” and “pretty nerve-wracking,” adding that she “rarely win game shows.” Before she claimed the prize, she had to solve the bonus round puzzle phrase, “Bran Muffin.” She was awarded $1,039,800 for Youth Villages, a private nonprofit charity that helps emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families live successfully.
Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
For more on primetime shows, check out our photo gallery on the best nighttime soaps ranked.
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