Melissa Joan Hart became the first-ever celebrity contestant to win $1 million on the popular game show, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
You may remember Melissa Joan Hart from her starring role on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. That in itself has got everybody wondering if Hart used some kind of witchcraft to win the $1 million. It can’t just be a coincidence that her big win came as she was celebrating the 25th anniversary of her breakout appearance on ABC’s Sabrina in 1996. Can it?
“I would like to say witchcraft was involved,” Hart joked after her victory. “But to be honest, I prayed a lot more than any kind of sorcery. I literally prayed every round, especially that winning round. I’d close my eyes and say, ‘God, give me focus and calm and let me just read these letters.”
Hart was able to win by beating out fellow contestants Tituss Burgess and Lace Chabert. She won’t be keeping all of the money for herself, though. As a matter of fact, Hart will donate her winnings to Youth Villages — an organization that helps behaviorally troubled children and their families. And even though she is donating the money, she will be taking home the $1 million winner card — signed by both Pat Sajak and Vanna White — as a souvenir.
The official Wheel of Fortune Twitter account tweeted news of the occasion on Sunday evening.
“@MelissaJoanHart is going to the Bonus Round with the magical million dollar wedge! #CelebrityWheelOfFortune”
Melissa Joan Hart Knew the Exact Moment She Won on ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’
Most of the time, people don’t know they’ve won a big prize or puzzle until they hear the words come out of the host’s mouth. But that was not the case on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Sunday evening. Melissa Joan Hart knew that she had accomplished something pretty special when she saw Vanna White’s face turn white.
“Vanna White’s face turned white,” Hart told USA Today. “Vanna looked at me and was like, ‘You got it! You got it!” I hit the roof. She hit the roof.”
It’s obviously not every day that someone hits the Million Dollar Wedge. In fact, there have only been three people to do so since it was introduced on the show back in 2008. As for Hart, not only did she land on the Million Dollar Wedge twice, she also correctly solved two puzzles.
“It was super exciting and pretty nerve-wracking. I rarely win game shows,” she said. And that’s the truth. We did some digging and it turns out that Hart lost a match of Celebrity Jeopardy! back in 1998.
The next episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune will air on Thursday, October 21.
