Ike Barinholtz Eliminated from “Jeopardy!” “Tournament of Champions” During Semifinals

'The Mindy Project' alum wagered his entire earnings on the Final Jeopardy question during Thursday's episode

Ike Barinholtz won’t go any further on Jeopardy!.

The Mindy Project alum made it to the Tournament of Champions semifinals and ended the competition in third place.

Though Barinholtz, 47, didn’t win it all, he did make history by becoming the first Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant to enter the Tournament of Champions. Not to mention, he beat out previous Jeopardy! winners Melissa Klapper and Ray Lalonde to secure a spot in the semifinals.

Related: Ike Barinholtz Wows Jeopardy! Fans by Advancing to Tournament of Champions' Semifinals

Barinholtz almost won the semifinals round, too, but it was the “Final Jeopardy” category that sealed his fate. He wagered his total earnings from the episode and lost it all, leaving him at $0 as the episode concluded. Philosophy professor Ben Chan won the matchup with a total of $9,599.

Barinholtz could have had a shot at first place if he hadn't made such an all-or-nothing wager.

The Afterparty actor first appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy!, where he won $1,000,000 for charity. His excitement to return to the series — and advance so far as the semifinals — was palpable as he spoke to Vulture. “I’m very, very happy to talk about it,” Barinholtz says of his Tournament of Champions successes. “I’m telling strangers on the street. I still can’t believe this happened.”

Related: Jeopardy! EP Breaks Silence on Hosting Shake-Up, from Mayim Bialik's Firing to How Ken Jennings 'Won the Job'

Barinholtz grew up in a house that watched Jeopardy! daily, meaning he’s seen “thousands and thousands of episodes.” He used those past episodes to inspire his way of playing the game, pulling from the dos and don’ts of game show greats.

“My one rule, which I really tried to abide by, and I failed a couple of times, was I was only going to ring in if I was 95 percent sure I knew the answer,” he said. “I don’t quite trust my guesses enough. I missed two in a category for five-syllable words. I tried the [James] Holzhauer method, but right away I was like, ‘No, I’m guessing, this isn’t a category that is benefiting me in any way, stop it, you’re losing money.’”

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Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions continues weeknights on ABC (check local listings).

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