When it comes to television game shows, there is only a handful that has stood the test of time, and Wheel of Fortune just so happens to be one of those shows. The show, which was originally hosted by Chuck Woolery up until 1981, is now in the hands of the legendary duo, Pat Sajak and Vanna White.
This makes the game show one of the longest-running television programs in history, alongside The Price Is Right, and Jeopardy! Since the shows start back in 1975, there have been some lucky winners, however, there are some luckier than most!
Jeopardy! remains the game show with the highest-earning winners, however, the word puzzle game show definitely comes in second! While fans know who the top-earning Jeopardy winners are, who comes out on top when it comes to Wheel of Fortune?
9 Michelle Loewenstein - $1,026,080
Michelle Loewenstein was the first-ever Wheel of Fortune winner to have taken home a prize greater than $1 million! She appeared on the show back in 2008 and managed to win the coveted prize just after returning home from her honeymoon. Talk about timing!
Michelle went ahead and put most of the cash into savings and investments, however, she did splurge a little! The contestant revealed that did spoil herself with a brand new car, and of course, shared the love with her family, too.
8 Autumn Ehard - $1,030,340
Autumn Erhard made Wheel of Fortune history when she became the player to take home the largest prize in a single game! While she wasn't the first to win $1 million, as Michelle Loewenstein holds that record, she managed to take home a whopping $1,030,340 off of her filming round alone!
This all happened back in 2013, meaning the show had a 5-year gap between million-dollar prizes! In addition to her seven-figure win, Autumn also took home $30,000 that she won in prizes, making her win all that more special.
7 Sarah Manchester - $1,017,490
While the show had to wait 5 years before another $1 million prize was claimed, it appears as if the wait was much shorter the third time around. Only one year after Erhard took home her $1 million prize, Sarah Manchester, a Maryland-based maths teacher, claimed the prize herself!
She went on to win the prize during the Wheel of Fortune's esteemed, Teacher's Week, which consisted of the first five episodes of season 32. The teacher, who now gets recognized in her hometown of Silver Spring, managed to win it $1,017,490 by guessing "loud laughter", which is apparently described as a "thing."
6 Matt DeSanto - $91,000
Wheel of Fortune is always full of surprises, and that was the case for contestant, Matt DeSanto. The star appeared on the show back in 2014 and managed to take home a whopping $91,000 in winnings.
While his impressive win puts him in the top 5, it didn't come easy. DeSanto had only one letter given to him in order to solve the final puzzle. Despite the tiny hint, Matt managed to solve it and won the final prize of $80,000, which was later added to his $11,000 in winnings that he collected over the course of his episode.
5 Sheri Bank - $77,100
We love a Wheel of Fortune success story, especially when the prizes are well deserved! This was the case for 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade English teacher Sheri Bank, who appeared on the show back in 2015.
Sheri went on to become the second-biggest main game-winner of all-time for snagging that $18,000 solve of the final puzzle answer, Brussels, Belgium. This put her winnings up to $77,100 in cash and prizes, a figure she most certainly deserved every bit of!
4 Dave Andrade - $71,890
David Andrade falls below the previous winner, Sheri Bank as the third most successful main game player of all-time! The contestant made his appearance on Wheel of Fortune back on April 8, 2020, where he took home a total of $71,890 in winnings, falling behind Bank by only $6,000.
In addition to his stellar prize money, David also walked away with a brand new car, which certainly helped gain his status as one of the top 3 Wheel of Fortune contestants.
3 Leanna McLaughlin - $69,300
Leanne McLaughlin has managed to become attached to Wheel of Fortune for being in the top 5 of the game shows highest main-game winners. Leanne appeared on the show back in 2012 where viewers were able to witness her successful $69,300 win after having guessed "I'll be in my dressing room," which scored her that final prize of $36,000.
Leanne, who is a financial auditor, was able to celebrate on the Wheel of Fortune stage alongside her husband and brother, who were supporting Leanne from the audience.
2 Lauren Kaufman - $66,350
Lauren Kaufman made her first appearance on Wheel of Fortune back in 2012 where she managed to walk away with a total prize of $66,350, making her a name to remember when it comes to the show's historic winners.
As if her cash prize wasn't enough, Kaufman also took home a brand new car, or so she thought! While she got her cash, the car was unfortunately lost during her final round, however, Lauren didn't seem to phased as she was still getting quite the check!
1 Andy Kravis - $50,550
Andy Kravis is no stranger to reality game shows! Kravis has appeared on an array of programs including Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Million Second Quiz.
While Andy may have only collected $50,550 during his time on Wheel of Fortune, which was made possible due to his $25,000 final puzzle winnings, he made history when he took home another stellar prize. Although it may not have been on Wheel of Fortune, Kravis is most recognized for his $2.6 million win on Million Second Quiz!