‘Jeopardy!’: Minnesota Substitute Teacher Sam Kavanaugh Triumphs At 2021 Tournament Of Champions

Alexandra Del Rosario
·1 min read
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Sam Kavanaugh, a substitute teacher from Carlton, Minnesota, emerged triumphant at the 2021 Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions on Friday night.

The annual Jeopardy! event saw Kavanaugh best fellow contestants Jennifer Quail and Veronica Vichit-Vadakan and win a $250,000 grand prize. Quail came in second with $100,000 in winning snad Vichit-Vadakan with $50,000. Jeopardy! all-star Buzzy Cohen hosted the 10-day trivia tournament.

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Kavanaugh joins previous winners James Holzhauer, Buzzy Cohen, Alex Jacob, Ben Ingram, Colby Burnett, Roger Craig, Vijay Balse and more as Tournamnet Of Champions victors.

Jeopardy! will match Kavanaugh’s winnings and donate $250,000 to the Hope of the Valley Trebek Center for the Homeless, in honor of Alex Trebek.

“It’s so wonderful that JEOPARDY! is supporting Hope of the Valley’s – The Trebek Center in Northridge, CA,” Jean Trebek, the former host’s widow, said of the donation. “The show’s generosity continues to reflect Alex’s desire to assist underrepresented communities.”

Following Tournament Of Champions, Jeopardy! will return Monday, May 31st with Call Me Kat star Mayim Bialik taking a turn behind the lectern. One of the many guest judges who have filled the host spot since Alex Trebek’s death in November, Bialik has chosen the National Alliance on Mental Illness to receive a donation equal to the winnings of each of the contestants.

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