JEOPARDY! standout Juveria Zaheer has stayed winning on Monday’s episode, leaving fans convinced the rising star is just getting warmed up.
Having dominated the Season 39 Second Chance finals, Juveria stands just one step away from the Tournament of Champions in February.
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The Whitby, Ontario psychiatrist gained instant buzz for her powerhouse performance in the event for non-winners from last season.
Her journey to the finals began with a standout episode last week, labeled by many as the “best episode ever,” where everyone surpassed $30,000.
In the first part of the Second Chance finals, Juveria sealed her star power with a demoralizing $51,200 against competitors Iris Masucci and Jason Carpenter.
Ken Jennings admitted while opening Monday’s decisive part two game on Christmas that Juveria’s opponents faced probable lumps of coal.
He remarked: “Juveria is certainly feeling the holiday spirit. Her score on Friday’s game was the highest we’ve seen all season!”
Despite Season 40’s challenges with recycled contestants and questions due to the resolved WGA strike, the postponed Season 39 tournaments (with all-new material) are finally underway.
The Second Chance Competition features 36 players who, given a second chance, aim to secure $35,000 and entry into a Wildcard competition in January.
There, two coveted spots in the Tournament of Champions are up for grabs.
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Considering Friday’s score would be factored in, it was hard to imagine Juveria not advancing – and that’s precisely what happened.
‘FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!’
While standup comic Jason nabbed a series of clues with pizzaz, Juveria aced a $5000 Daily Double in Double Jeopardy! and never looked back.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Juveria led with $19,600, Jason $15,800, and Iris $7,000.
Final Jeopardy! under “FAMOUS NAMES IN AMERICA” read: “The name of this animal that died in 1885 after being struck by a train that subsequently derailed lives on as an adjective.”
Only Jason was correct with “Jumbo,” giving him a solid two-day total of $42000.
But Juveria just couldn’t be caught, wagering $0, she finished the two games at a very impressive $70,800.
Her head collapsed on the podium, and she was speechless as she was declared the winner.
Fans went wild on Reddit over the show of force that’s come rolling in out of nowhere.
One fan wrote: “Congrats to Juveria on her big victory today. She could wreak havoc in the next wildcard round.
Another exclaimed: “That lady’s game is impressive!”
A third wrote: “Tbh I was kind of hoping she would bet everything in Final Jeopardy for fun, just so she could drop to $0 and still win.”
Iris wrote: “Hats waaayyy off to Juveria for her dominant performances. I’ll be rooting for you 100% going forward! And congrats also to Jason for his very strong play throughout. It was a pleasure!!”
A fourth fan wrote: “Fantastic gameplay from Juveria all around! I’ll 100% be rooting for her to win the Champions Wildcard. I think she could be a force to be reckoned with in the TOC.”
A fifth wrote: “Juveria has to be favored in any Champions Wildcard matchup, right?”
Juveria now proceeds to Wildcard (for standout one and two-game winners from Season 39).
If she wins, she’ll face the likes of Hannah WIlson (whom she initially lost to), 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
Last 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 fired 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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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.
But it’s also no secret that Mayim also faced relentless backlash for her hosting chops compared to the 74-time-champ-turned-presenter.
There were criticisms of Mayim’s “….that is correct” 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.
Mayim was also making a hefty salary while not involved with the show at all.
According to Puck News, the Big Bang Theory alum was pulling in an annual income of $4 million.
Puck News also noted that Ken is 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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