Ike Barinholtz to become first “Celebrity Jeopardy ”winner to compete in Tournament of Champions

The "Mindy Project" star will go head-to-head against contestants Melissa Klapper and Ray Lalonde in the quarterfinals next month.

Ike Barinholtz is making Jeopardy history. 

The Mindy Project actor is set to become the first-ever Celebrity Jeopardy winner to go head-to-head against some of the game show’s greatest minds in this year’s Tournament of Champions, Sony announced in a press release on Tuesday. He will compete against fellow contestants Melissa Klapper and Ray Lalonde in the seventh quarterfinals match on March 4. 

The highly-anticipated event, which kicks off on Friday, will feature the “biggest contestant field in ToC history," according to Sony. The 27 participants include not only Barinholtz, but also the winner of Jeopardy’s High School Reunion Tournament, plus contestants who previously competed in 2022’s Tournament of Champions, and six players who each advanced out of seasons 37, 38, and season 39’s Champions Wildcard Tournament.

If Barinholtz makes it through the quarterfinals, he will proceed to one of three semifinals and then a “best of seven” finals series, wherein the first champion to win three games receives a $250,000 grand prize and an invitation to participate in ABC’s upcoming Jeopardy! Masters event.

Barinholtz participated in the very first season of Celebrity Jeopardy and made it all the way to the series finale, where he competed against Wil Wheaton and Patton Oswalt. In the end, he emerged victorious and earned $1 million for Pacific Clinics’ Hollygrove Programs, which offer developmental services for children and their parents.

The first Tournament of Champions quarterfinal is scheduled to air on Friday, Feb. 23. Check your local listings for more information.

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