Jeopardy’s Tournament of Champions is getting more cutthroat by the episode, with the people we expect the least losing their place in the high-stakes competition.
Juveria Zaheer’s time on the game show concluded on Thursday. She was knocked out of the match despite starting the episode with an early lead on competitors Kevin Belle and Luigi de Guzman.
The lead included the psychiatrist racking up an impressive $11,400 after answering 15 clues correctly.
To put it in perspective, Belle had $2,200, and Guzman had $1,600 at the same point, so where did it all go wrong for Zaheer?
Things got dicey when Guzman found both Daily Doubles and doubled up on them to take the lead, but it was still very close.
Zaheer took the lead back heading into Final Jeopardy! with a pretty $23,400, compared to Guzman’s $22,000 and Belle’s $5,800.
The final answer ruined Juveria Zaheer’s chances of winning
The final clue represented a massive tipping point for the episode – and the tournament – as Guzman answered and got his total to $43,999.
The beauty of Jeopardy! is that the power can shift when you least expect it, and Zaheer was a dominant force throughout this latest Tournament of Champions, but sadly, she couldn’t finish it.
Fans were understandably cut up about her departure after such an impressive run on the show and took to social media to air their thoughts on the matter.
One fan called Zaheer “a brilliant player and a class act” in the comments section of her post about her time on the show on X (formerly known as social media).
A Jeopardy! alum chimes in
Jeopardy! alum Bryan White shared a GIF and said he’s forever Team Juveria.
Another fan said in the comments that they would miss Zaheer on the show, calling her “inspiring.”
The fan closed the message by saying they “hope to see” Zaheer again.
Jeopardy! has a knack for bringing popular players back, and given the countless primetime iterations on the air right now, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
The fan noted Zaheer is “leaving here having won two tournaments.”
Juveria Zaheer speaks out about her time on Jeopardy!
Zaheer said on X that every moment of this experience “has been the most unexpected gift of my life.”
She said that she is “grateful to everyone” on the Jeopardy! team.
Jeopardy! is one of the most popular shows on the small screen, and ABC has been expanding it with primetime editions.
There’s always a chance for beloved players to stage comebacks.
Ken Jennings went from a player to a co-host and was recently made the franchise’s sole host after Mayim Bialik’s firing.
We are reaching the end of the Tournament of Champions, and before we know it, we’ll have many new faces on the show again.
Another celebrity could also be in the mix to appear soon.