‘Jeopardy!’: LeVar Burton Earned Six-Figures for Special Cause

LeVar Burton’s time as the guest host of Jeopardy concluded on Friday. During his time on the program, Jeopardy donated money to the charity of his choice, Reading is Fundamental. Jeopardy has been in the process of donating the same amount of winnings earned during a host’s respective guest stint to their chosen charity. Burton’s charity, in particular, earned a great deal thanks in large part to the current Jeopardy champion, Matt Amodio, who has already won over $200,000 on the quiz show program.

Burton’s charity garnered $204,800, as the official Jeopardy Twitter account noted. That amount will be donated to the charity of the guest host’s choice, Reading is Fundamental, an organization close to his heart. His charity was able to earn that much money due to the impressive streaking from the reigning champion, Amodio. Entertainment Weekly reported that after Amodio won $74,000 on Thursday’s episode, he is now in the top 10 highest-winning Jeopardy contestants of all time. The current champion sits at No. 9 on the list at the moment between Seth Wilson and Arthur Chu. Currently, Amodio has won $268,800.

Burton’s guest-hosting stint was highly anticipated, as many viewers want him to be named as the permanent host of the program following Alex Trebek’s death in November. Fans definitely loved seeing the actor behind the lectern during his time on the program. In fact, following the very first episode, there were Jeopardy fans who were already saying that Burton should have the full-time gig. According to Burton himself, he believes that he’s the best person suited for the job. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he stressed just how much he believes that he should be the permanent Jeopardy host.

“I’ve thought and thought and thought — I’ve asked friends and family to help me identify someone out there who’s more qualified for the job than I am,” Burton explained. “I don’t believe there is anyone out there who is better suited for this job than me. And I will go to my grave believing that… I think my whole career is an advertisement for being the host of Jeopardy.”