‘Jeopardy!’: Could Juveria Zaheer Win ‘TOC’? Fans Say ‘She’s on Another Level’
This… Is… Jeopardy!
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Jeopardy fans think (and hope) they might be watching a new long-running champion of the game following Juveria Zaheer’s dominating performance in the Wednesday, January 17, 2024 episode of the Champions Wildcard competition.
The returning player first appeared on the game show on May 8, 2023, losing to the impressive Hannah Wilson. Juveria didn’t waste her second chance at a Jeopardy title, as shown in her staggering improvement between rounds one and two.
By the end of the first round, the Canadian psychiatrist was leading with 5,600. Her competitors, Devin Lohman and Patti Palmer, followed with 1,600 and 3,800, respectively. By the end of the second round, Juveria had won 32,800, with Devin and Patti far behind at 6,400 and 7,000. A successful (and risky) true Daily Double bet helped her go from 11,600 to 23,200 in just one move, and the game was hers from that point on.
Juveria finished in first place with a final score of 40,800. Devin finished in second with 5,799, and Patti, who tried her best to catch up by betting all of her points, finished in last with 0 when answering the Final Jeopardy clue incorrectly. It was a true runaway game, ones that fans on the Jeopardy Reddit page will remember.
One fan is wondering if Juveria could be the player who goes from the Second Chance Competition to the Champions Wildcard and all the way to a victory in the Tournament of Champions.
“When the SCC > CWC > TOC pipeline was first introduced on the J! official podcast, I was wondering if we’d ever see someone run the gauntlet from beginning to end,” they wrote. “I don’t wanna jinx it, but we might be witnessing it right now with the way Juveria’s been performing.”
A reply to the comment says it’s good she won’t be facing fan-favorite Ryan Long. “It helps that Long won’t be facing her down the line. Those two going at it would be intense,” they wrote. Another fan wishes they could see Juveria and Emma Hill Kepron go head-to-head.
“Juveria already competed against Sam Claussen at SCC now she competed against the returning champion Devin who competed against Sam on his 2nd game that sealed his loss against Emma Hill Kepron,” they commented. “Unfortunately, Juveria will not compete against Emma because Emma is fielded in the second group of CWC … Both Sam and Devin were defeated by both women in the regular game and post-season games.”
One fan was just excited by the exciting game, saying, “Wow, this Champions Wildcard is already off to a great start with the first two games. I’m really excited for the rest of the post-season and JIT. I understand those feeling tournament fatigue, but this kind of competitive play is exhilarating!”
Other celebratory comments say, “I believe in Juveria supremacy,” “Wow! Like a steamroller!,” “Just dominance,” and “I was rooting for Devin, but no surprise that Juveria won. She’s on another level.”
Two commenters called her a queen. “Hail Queen Juveria!” one wrote. “Anyone who can cite the chemical name for aspirin, and have it roll off her tongue like she says it on a daily basis, is playing on a whole ‘nother level.” As the other comment reads, “Queen Juveria returns! And she crushed em again! She’s gunna take it all down.”
Time till tell how Juveria fares in the series, but she is certainly a player to watch.
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