Where Are All of the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ $1M Winners Now?

Michelle Loewenstein

Loewenstein made history in 2008 when she became Wheel of Fortune’s first million-dollar winner, taking home $1,026,800.

At the time, the Edison, N.J., native had recently gotten married and working as a floral designer.

“What an incredible wedding present … we just arrived home from our honeymoon a few days ago,” she said just after the taping, according to a press release. “I still can’t believe I won $1 million, but I had a feeling something good was going to happen today.”

In October 2008, Loewenstein told The Malibu Times that she and her husband would likely buy a new home with the winnings.

“We’ll probably buy a house, and I will help out my family,” she said. “The experience far exceeded my expectations. There aren’t any words to describe it. It’s so surreal, but a little overwhelming at the same time.”

Since then, Loewenstein has stayed out of the spotlight and leads a private life.

Autumn Erhard

Erhard became the second million-dollar winner on Wheel of Fortune in 2013, when she took home a cash prize of $1,030,340.

Erhard was wedding planning with her then-fiancé Joey at the time, and told Good Morning America that there was “a lot less stress” given her victory, per ABC News. “We definitely want to travel a bit and just kind of prepare for life and kids.”

Per her LinkedIn, Erhard appears to have since gotten married and left her role as a sales representative for Animal Health International, Inc. in October 2014.

Sarah Manchester

In September 2014, Manchester — a math teacher from Silver Spring, Md. — became the third person to win the $1 million grand prize, per ABC News.

She walked away with $1,017,490, telling Good Morning America she was “astonished.”

At the time, Manchester said she was “working” on figuring out how to spend her winnings, but had “a lot of ideas” and “a lot of plans” in her family, which includes her husband and children, per the outlet.

As of the summer of 2021, Manchester has continued her role as an eighth grade geometry teacher at Takoma Park Middle School, where she began working in 1996, per the school’s Magnet Foundation.

Christina Derevjanik

In September 2025, Derevjanik took home a cash prize of $1,035,155, the biggest in the show’s history.

Following her win, the Stamford, Conn., native told production that she “never thought it would actually happen.”

Derevjanik wrote in a blog post that the money is “completely life-changing,” adding that she was “thrilled to have the ability to pay off my student loans and still have remaining funds to invest in my future home.”

“It’s just such a relief to know I have this new sense of financial freedom, all thanks to this incredible game show,” she continued. “Looking ahead, I cannot wait to make memories from the amazing trips that I won and just let the reality of my new life sink in!”

In October 2025, she told TV Insider that her “main priority” for the money was to invest in a home in the next couple of years, and noted she was looking forward to “enjoying the financial freedom that this now offers me.”

According to her LinkedIn, Derevjanik continues to work for energy company Con Edison as a marketing manager, a role she began in May 2024.