Sarah Manchester, a Maryland Math teacher won the $ 1 million grand prize on "wheel of fortune" show. She is now the third in the world history to receive the show's million dollar grand prize. She won the prize on Wednesday's episode that was broadcasted on ABC.
During the episode, Manchester solved the show's puzzle known as "Loud Laughter". Pat Sajak peeped into the envelope after learning that Manchester had solved the puzzle correctly. Thereafter, he asked her if she could use a million dollars.
The Maryland math teacher was stunned by the news. She jumped up and down the stage, screaming in delight before her family joined her onstage from the audience. She excitedly said that winning was her lifetime achievement.
Winning $ 1,017,490 was not easy for Manchester. She had to undergo many prior tests. First, she had to answer the prize puzzle to win a trip to the Dominican Republic. She later had to solve a toss-up puzzle known as "The Pacific Ocean"
The $1,017,490 grand prize was first added to the Wheel of Fortune show in 2008 during its 29th season. A contestant begins by collecting the wedge and solving the puzzle. A contestant who makes it to the bonus round without being declared bankrupt replaces the $100,000 prize with $1 million dollars on the round wheel.
Michelle Lowenstein and Autumn Erhard were the first and second winners of the $1 million dollar prize respectively.
Manchester is not only a math teacher but also a math team coach at Takoma Park Middle School. It is believed that she attended the same middle school when she was a kid. She has over the years practiced solving "Wheel of Fortune". She also challenges her children with prizes when they solve puzzles. Manchester's father, husband and children joined her at the show's taping.
