The US has some truly incredible game shows in the annals of its history. The classic game show is a part of the fabric of American television culture, even in the age of streaming, and some of these game shows have been running longer than many of us have been alive! Grabbing a bowl of popcorn (and some M&Ms, because who has popcorn without M&Ms?), grabbing the family, and settling down on the couch together to try and guess the answers to all the questions before the players do is as fun as a weeknight can get, so it’s hardly surprising that the era of gameshows is far from coming to an end.
While we sit at home on the couch and often wish we could be on that stage ourselves, there are many people all across the country who got that opportunity and walked away with the big bucks. These are some of the luckiest winners in American gameshow history, what they took home, and how they did it.
Vanesa- The Price Is Right
The win: Over $240,000
The year: 2026
Our first winner is Vanesa from Virginia. According to reporting by BetMGM (an online casino platform known for its own big bucks jackpots), this retired veteran took home more than $240,000 in both cash and prizes when she played The Lion’s Share on The Price Is Right. This win represented the largest amount ever won in a single pricing game in the show’s entire history and was a milestone moment on the Mother’s Day episode released in May of this year.
Vanesa’s win came as part of the Lion’s Share segment of the show, which is actually presented in partnership with BetMGM (mentioned earlier). In this part of the game, the contestants must guess the prices of grocery items to earn as many as five balls, each of which reveals a prize amount. Once they see their prize amount, the contestants need to choose whether they’re taking what they’ve got and hit the bricks or to risk all their current winnings and keep going. Vanesa wasn’t there to play it small: she was there to go big or go home, and that’s just what she did! Not only did the vet take home cash, but also a trip for two to Morocco, on the game show.
John Carpenter- Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?
The win: $1,000,000
The Year: 1999
John’s win was another first, except this time it was on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. John Carpenter was the first contestant to ever win the top prize on the US version of the show. What made this win so remarkable wasn’t just the amount that he took home (substantial to be sure) but the level of cool and calm that he displayed as a player on such a high-pressure show. Carpenter answered every single question in the show correctly without using even a single lifeline (not even phone a friend!) on his way to that last $1 million question.
That last question was a doozy: which US president appeared on the TV comedy show Laugh-In? It was at this point that Carpenter did use his Phone a Friend lifeline, but not for what you’d think. He used it to call his dad and let him know that his son was about to win a million dollars. Can you believe it? He then answered “Richard Nixon,” and this moment went on to become an icon in American game show history.
Adam Rose- The Price Is Right
The win: Over $1.15 million
The year: 2008
Another Price Is Right winner, Adam Rose, took home another one of the show’s biggest prizes. After successfully making his way onto the show, Adam faced the challenge of guessing the value of an enormous collection of luxury prizes that included everything from vehicles to cash and vacation packages. His bid was accurate almost beyond belief and came well within the show’s bonus range, which is rare. This single moment increased the value of his winnings to more than 1.15 million USD.
Because contestants have to estimate the prices without exceeding their value in the Showcase, a combination of incredibly good luck and an accurate understanding of price is required, and Adam Rose was lucky enough to have both of those in his favour.
Michael Larson-Press Your Luck
The win: Over $110,000
The year: 1984
While this is an older one, Michael Larson’s appearance on Press Your Luck became a legend that has lasted until this day. Why? Larson spent months studying old episodes of the show frame by frame to learn more about the game board. Doing this, he realised that what looked random was actually a fixed sequence.
Larson used this knowledge to his advantage, allowing himself to avoid the dreaded “WHammy” and find safe stopping points to keep his winnings. While there was a brief moment where the producers investigated potential cheating, it was found that essentially Larson just did his homework. The game was redesigned to avoid future players doing the same.
Christina Derevjanik – Wheel of Fortune
The win: $1,035,155
The year: 2025
Our last winner is Christina Derevjanki, who took home a substantial win from Wheel of Fortune. To even have a chance of winning the $1 million bonus prize, a player has to land on the Million Dollar Wedge in the wheel, solve a puzzle, avoid landing on bankrupt for the remainder of the game, and then reach the Bonus Board.
Christina successfully completed every one of these steps and solved the puzzle with ease, making her one of the most successful game show winners in US history, but also on The Wheel of Fortune.
Good Luck!
We hope that the luck of these winners will rub off a little bit on you and bring you your own big win going forward. Don’t forget that you have to play to win!
Writer’s Checklist:
Please ensure you have adhered to the following before submitting content:
✔ Page title < 60 characters
✔ Meta description < 160 characters
✔ Correct language and region used
✔ Client links included in correct place and working correctly
✔ No competitor links included
✔ Copy proofed and spell-checked
✔Content is SEO friendly
✔Content has not been made with AI
✔Content abides by clients specifications and their criteria
✔Content has been written in accordance to E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)
