‘Jeopardy!’ Crowns Winner in First ‘Tournament of Champions’ Since Alex Trebek’s Death

Jeopardy! has a new champion after Friday night’s episode. Sam Kavanaugh, a substitute teacher from Carlton, Minnesota, became the 2021 Tournament of Champions winner, beating out Jennifer Quail, and Veronica Vicht-Vadakan. This was the first tournament since Alex Trebek‘s death in November 2020 and was hosted by Buzzy Cohen, a former Tournament of Champions winner himself.

Kavanaugh took home the $250,000 grand prize. Quil, a wine tasting consultant from Dowagiac, Michigan, came in second and won $100,000. Vicht-Vadakan, a reference and instruction librarian from Portland, Oregon, won $50,000 as the third-place finisher. The Jeopardy! producers previously announced a $250,000 donation to the Hope of the Valley Trebek Center for the Homeless in honor of Trebek.

The Final Jeopardy clue on Friday was on European Borders. “It’s still there, but none of the countries that bordered this country at the beginning of 1990 exist anymore. The correct response was “What is Poland.” Kavanaugh did not get the correct response, but he only wagered $12. He built a big lead over the other competitors during the game, so the loss was not enough to knock him down to second place. “It took a village, and I have so many people to thank,” Kavanaugh said at the end of the game, citing friends, family, and colleagues notes the StarTribune. “I hope I can pay them back.”

With the Tournament of Champions now over, regular Jeopardy! games will resume on Monday, May 31. The next guest host is The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik, who will be behind the podium until June 11. She is raising funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Jeopardy! will match winnings from each episode for the show’s donation.

Bialik, who already filmed her time on Jeopardy!, called the experience “literally not believable” in an interview with PopCulture. “It’s something I did with tremendous humility and respect for [Trebek] and just, I mean, I had an unbelievable time,” Bialik said. “My brain really works the way Jeopardy! brain needs to work.”

Today anchor Savannah Guthrie will host from June 14 to June 25, with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta following from June 28 to July 9. Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos will host from July 12 to July 16, before GMA‘s Robin Robers hosts from July 19 to July 23. Actor LeVar Burton, CNBC’s David Faber, and Fox Sports’ Joe Buck are the last three guest hosts for the season.