CELEBRITY Jeopardy! turned into a bloodthirsty buzzer battle on Tuesday’s semifinals episode with a comeback no one saw coming.
Parent Trap star Lisa Ann Walter soared from last to first place in a ferocious third round, beating Mira Sorvino and Utkarsh Ambudkar.
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Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 2 returned after a brief holiday hiatus on a new year and a new night.
But the first of its three heated semifinal matches seemed like it was Mira’s game.
Sorvino, who won her initial match just a day after her devastating DWTS elimination aired, was pulling ahead.
By the end of Double Jeopardy!, she had $11,200, Utkarsh $4,500, and Lisa Ann just $4,400.
Ken Jennings, 49, even admitted it seemed like she’d win: “Mira’s got a big lead!” he remarked.
However, the Parent Trap star caught fire in the new Triple Jeopardy! round, and a series of correct responses gave her an edge out of nowhere.
“You’re making a run at Mira’s lead,” Ken remarked when a big $3000 Daily Double put Lisa in first. The pair continued trading the lead, and it was quite a spectacle.
Going into Final Jeopardy, Lisa Ann suddenly had $17,000, Mira $16,100, and Utkarsh $8,400.
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Fans were floored as one wrote on X: “I have to say that the Triple Jeopardy round has been a grudge match between @LisaAnnWalter and @MiraSorvino. This is going to be an interesting final.”
The deciding clue under “Award-Winning Actresses” read: “Her 2019 Oscar win & 2021 Emmy win were both for portraying a British queen.”
Utkarsh nailed it with “Olivia Colman,” doubling up. Unfortunately, Mira guessed it was “Helen Mirren,” dropping all of her earnings.
Lisa sealed the deal by also being correct with a huge $15,201 wager, leaving her with $32,201 and a finalist.
“Lisa Ann Walter!!!! She’s so great!!! #jeopardy,” wrote one surprised fan on X.
“@LisaAnnWalter just watched you on Jeopardy. I’m so impressed with you. Not only are you absolutely gorgeous, but you have an incredibly intelligent mind,” an additional fan gushed.
“Congrats on being a finalist!!!!” wrote a third.
Lisa was left speechless; she’ll enter the finale on January 23 worth $1 million (for charity), while her opponents each got $50,000 for their charities.
The next two rounds will take place on January 9 and 16. The winners of these two games will go on to compete against Lisa Ann in the finals.
KEN’S TAKE ON CELEBRITY JEOPARDY!
Last year, Mayim Bialik hosted the entirety of the special – which returned for the first time since 2015 and without the late host Alex Trebek.
Former champ Ken took over for Season 2 and saw ratings soar without her – she was fired from the syndicated (or nightly) show in December.
Her exit very likely means she will not host Celebrity Jeopardy! again either.
After her firing, Ken told The Hollywood Reporter he was “caught off guard,” adding he’ll “miss her.”
He also explained how he keeps the show rolling on the celebrity spinoff.
“Sometimes I have to be the mean substitute teacher who’s like, ‘Hey, like, stop talking over there, we need to play Jeopardy!’
“And then I’m willing to be the bad guy who plays cop at some point and says, ‘All right, knock it off you two, let’s let’s get back to the board.’’
Celebrity Jeopardy! moved from Wednesday nights to Tuesday nights for the remainder of Season 2.
The show airs Tuesdays at 8 pm on ABC. Fans can also watch the show on FuboTV here and Hulu Live here.
Last year, actor Ike Barenholtz won, and in a first, he’ll also be in the next Tournament of Champions.
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