Melissa Joan Hart Becomes First To Win $1 Million Prize On ‘Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune’

Melissa Joan Hart must have placed a spell on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune after becoming the first star to win the $1 million prize for her chosen charity,

The actress beat out Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Titus Burgess and Party of Five actress Lacey Chabert and won the big prize.

Hart’s victory makes her the fourth contestant in franchise history to win $1 million. The last time was in September 2014.

“I would like to say witchcraft was involved,” she joked to USA Today. “But to be honest, I prayed a lot more than any kind of sorcery. I literally prayed every round, especially the winning round. I’d close my eyes and say, “God, give me focus and calm and let me just read these letters.”

Her prayers were answered after spinning the wheel – it landed on the Million Dollar wedge twice. She solved both puzzles. Altogether, the Sabrina, The Teenage Witch star won $1,039,800 for Youth Villages, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families.

Hart’s last game show appearance was on an edition of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 1998, losing to The Wonder Years actor Fred Savage. She was determined to play better and practiced the game. Hart always had a fondness for Wheel of Fortune. “My mom used to watch the show every night before dinner,” she said.

She practiced on the Wheel of Fortune app every night after putting her youngest son Tucker to bed. “I wasn’t going to go in there blind; I’m a prepared person,” she said.

Hart shared her happiness over winning on Instagram with a clip of the surreal moment, she captioned it, “What an amazing feeling to know I was able to win the lucky jackpot for @YouthVillages tonight on @CelebrityWheelofFortune. Had so much fun with @officialvannawhite and #PatSajak @thereallacey and @instatituss. What a ride! Note to self: let Pat build suspense next time!”