JEOPARDY! contestant Juveria Zaheer clinched victory on Friday’s episode with such big numbers that even host Ken Jennings couldn’t stay impartial.
The Season 39 Second Chance finals showcased a rising star, drawing comparisons to last year’s Second Chance sensation, Rowan Ward.
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Juveria had already demonstrated her prowess in a thrilling match two games earlier, setting the stage for a face-off against fellow finalists Iris Masucci and Jason Carpenter.
Season 40 has been a dicey one for Jeopardy!, as, after months of recycled contestants and questions – a byproduct of the now-resolved WGA strike – postponed Season 39 tournaments have finally begun.
Thirty-six players who didn’t win initially but showed producers that they’re capable, if given a second chance, have entered starting this week.
Spread across four weeks until mid-January, the Second Chance Competition will include four winners.
Each bags $35,000 and entry into another Champions Wildcard Competition, where two coveted spots in February’s Tournament of Champions await.
But after Friday’s episode, it was hard to imagine Juveria not winning, or not making a dent in the upcoming TOC.
BACK-TO-BACK AMBUSH
In the second round, the psychiatrist from Whitby, Ontario had $8,800, Jason $2,600, and Iris $4,400, when she made her back-to-back attack.
Juveria found a Daily Double early under “BIOLOGY,” deciding to wager $10,000 of her $12,800.
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“Wow,” Ken, 49, remarked; she got it correct.
Soon after, she found the remaining Daily Double under “CONTEMPORARIES,” opting for $10,000 again, impressing Ken and acing it – again.
By Final Jeopardy!, Juveria had left her foes in the dust with a super-champion-level $45,600.
Ken gently shaded while looking at the scores: “Jason, Iris, not so bad until you look at Juveria’s score. Wow!”
Under “THE 20th CENTURY,” the clue read: “On July 19, 1940 Hitler called this man a warmonger & wrongly predicted he would flee to Canada.”
Juveria and Jason were correct with “Churchill,” with Juveria adding $5,600 to carry a massive advantage into the deciding game on Monday with $51,200.
FANS REACT: ‘NEW JEOPARDY! STAR!’
Fans erupted in excitement over Juveria’s dominating performance, as it’s not every day someone crosses $50,000.
One Reddit user exclaimed: “Interesting, still anybody’s game after the first Jeopardy round and- HERE COMES JUVERIA WITH A STEEL CHAIR.”
A second fan joked: “Juveria did okay, I guess.”
A third post read: “JUVERIA! How did she lose in her original appearance?? Must’ve run into a superchamp?”
To which a fourth explained: “She ran into eight-game champion Hannah Wilson,” and argued she’s clearly “improved a lot” since.
A fifth predicted: “Wow! If Juveria keeps this up, she has to be an early favorite for Champions Wildcard, and if she gets into the ToC watch out, I would not want to play her.”
A sixth agreed: “She’s the exact kind of player the ToC needs, honestly.
Yet another fan wrote: “Juveria’s dominance reminds me of Rowan Ward in last year’s SCC.
“I’m glad she got another shot at playing since she’s so good, and she could go deep into these post-season competitions!”
One more fan wrote: “I loved Ken’s optimistic ‘It’s not over yet’. Yeah, it kinda is lol.”
An eighth wrote: “Yeah, I’m gonna say it once again, I’m pretty sure Juveria is getting a TOC spot.”
Rowan won Second Chance last year, and they became a fan favorite due to their similarly dominating display.
If Juveria wins Monday and proceeds to win Wildcard (for standout one and two-game winners from Season 39) she’ll face the likes of Hannah, Ben Chan, and Cris Pannullo come February.
The winner of the ToC nabs $250,000, joins a short list that includes Amy Schneider and James Holzhauer and gets an invite to the next Jeopardy Masters, so fortune and perhaps even TV fame are at stake.
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BYE-ALIK
On Friday, the Jeopardy!-verse got a major shakeup: Mayim Bialik was let go, leaving former champ Ken as the sole host.
The Big Bang Theory alum, 48, dropped the bombshell that she was let go personally in a statement on Instagram.
She heavily implied leaving was not her decision, but did not explain her exit.
Mayim has since removed “co-host @jeopardy” from her Instagram bio.
An hour after her statement, the official Jeopardy! account confirmed the news.
In 2021, (and after a slew of guest hosts with disgraced EP Mike Richards naming himself host), Mayim and Ken were tapped to host the game show through the calendar year.
The following summer, Mayim and Ken were made the permanent hosts.
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DECISION AXE-PLAINED
Jeopardy!’s monumental Season 40 premiered in September, which saw Ken host alone despite the pair supposed to share the role formerly held by Alex Trebek.
Mayim hadn’t actually worked on Jeopardy! since last May.
When the WGA went on strike, the former game show host walked out of the studio – later citing solidarity for her union.
Ken has handled all episodes since, including all episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy! that Mayim has hosted alone in the past.
Sources have claimed Mayim’s monthlong hiatus while still under contract was a reason behind her firing.
A report from Puck News claimed: “Bialik’s actions during the strike were at least a contributing factor, according to three sources close to the show.”
The report went on to reveal that the executive producers were “furious” when she walked out.
The report also highlights two additional factors influencing the decision.
First, Bialik’s reception on set was less than favorable, and second, Sony had adjusted shooting schedules last season to accommodate her since-canceled Fox sitcom.
With Hollywood’s strikes in the rearview, Jeopardy!’s parent company allegedly planned to let her go at the start of Season 41.
“Sony recently informed her that her services won’t be needed next season.
“She was offered the chance to stay on for the rest of this season, but she said no thanks,” the report claimed.
Mayim was also offered to still host primetime specials, as in Celebrity Jeopardy!.
However, according to TMZ, Mayim allegedly pushed back, insisting on an “all or nothing” approach.
In essence, she didn’t want to be confined to only hosting Celebrity Jeopardy! and not the nightly show.
But Sony said no, and in response: “Mayim released her statement Friday without consulting Sony.”
At this point, it would seem unlikely she will return to the show in any capacity.
It’s also no secret that Mayim also faced backlash across the board for her hosting chops from fans compared to the 74-time-champ-turned-presenter.
There were criticisms of Mayim’s “pauses” before ruling on questions, and a producer also shared they asked her to change her behavior while hosting.
The actress even confessed to getting insults in person: “Sometimes I get ‘We don’t prefer you to Ken,'” she shared on her Bialik Breakdown podcast.
According to Puck News, the Big Bang Theory alum was pulling in an annual salary of $4 million.
Puck News also noted that Ken is also making $4 million a year, although that number is expected to increase now.
The late Alex Trebek reportedly made $10M a year as host.
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