“Jeopardy!” contestant Sam Kavanaugh scored a major victory on Friday.
The show’s Tournament of Champions ended with Kavanaugh, a substitute teacher, taking home the grand prize of $250,000 after he beat out contestant Jennifer Quail, a wine tasting consultant, and Veronica Vichit-Vadakan, a librarian.
The three contestants had been in competition for 10 days. However, the runner-ups don’t go empty handed. Quail got to take home $100,000 while Vichit-Vadakan won $50,000.
Former “Jeopardy!” champion Buzzy Cohen served as guest host.
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“Jeopardy!” will match Kavanaugh’s prize and it will be donated to the Hope of the Valley Trebek Center for the Homeless in honor of the late longtime host Alex Trebek, who died in November after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jean Trebek, Alex’s wife, reacted to the donation in his honor.
“The show’s generosity continues to reflect Alex’s desire to assist underrepresented communities,” she said in a statement. She called the gift “wonderful.”
Since Trebek’s death, “Jeopardy!” has been rotating interim guest hosts until Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, finds a permanent host.
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“Our goal has been to present a wide variety of guest hosts with different skill sets and backgrounds on our path to finding a permanent host,” executive producer Mike Richards recently said in a press release.
“Our passionate fans are telling us what they like, and we are listening. All of the guest hosts have brought individualism, energy and an authentic love of our show to each of their episodes. We look forward to sharing the rest of the season with our viewers.”
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Actor Alex Trebek (R) and wife Jean Currivan Trebek arrive at the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 19, 2011. Alex Trebek died in November at the age of 80 after battling pancreatic cancer.
(ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
As a part of each guest host’s appearance, a donation will be made to a charity of their choice. The amount donated will equal the cumulative winnings of the contestants that compete during the week they serve as guest host.
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“Alex was a legend, revered by all of us,” said Richards. “I want to thank our guest hosts, who will not only help all of us celebrate his great legacy, but also bring their own touch to the show.”
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.