Elfrida von Nardroff dies at 96: 1950s Twenty-One contestant pleaded guilty after cheating to win more than $2 million in today's dollars

The New York Times

Von Nardroff, who died Nov. 11 in a hospice, charmed viewers on her way to winning $220,500 ($2.1 million in today’s dollars) on Twenty-One over several months in 1958. Her winnings dwarfed the show’s most famous contestant, Charles Van Doren, who was at the center of the 1950s quiz show scandals. Von Nardroff later pleaded guilty to lying to a grand jury in Manhattan about receiving questions and answers in advance. She was one of 14 contestants who were arrested and charged. She and nine other contestants, including Van Doren, pleaded guilty in early 1962 and received suspended sentences.