Who won Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 finale? Million dollar champion, Final Jeopardy question, and more

Wil Wheaton, Patton Oswalt, and Ike Barinholtz from Celebrity Jeopardy! season 1 finale
Wil Wheaton, Patton Oswalt, and Ike Barinholtz from Celebrity Jeopardy! season 1 finale (Image via Tyler Golden/ABC)

ABC started the first season of Celebrity Jeopardy! last year, and today the champion was announced.

Ike Barinholtz won Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 finale after defeating two finalists — Patton Oswalt and Wil Wheaton. As per the format of the celebrity version of Jeopardy!, three TV/movie stars play the game for their respective charities.

In Episode 13, the charities of the celebrity players included:

  • Ike Barinholtz, an actor from The Mindy Project and The Afterparty, played for Pacific Clinics.
  • Patton Oswalt, an actor from The King of Queens and a comedian, played for Alice’s Kids.
  • Wil Wheaton, an actor from Stand by Me and Star Trek: The Next Generation, played for the National Women’s Law Center.

While winner Ike received a million-dollar cash prize for his charity, the remaining two players didn’t leave empty-handed. They received huge amounts for their respective charities as well.


Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 champion is Ike Barinholtz

The finale of Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 was intense as well as fun. All three players were competitive but also didn’t leave a chance to add comic elements throughout Episode 13.

In the first round, the categories were “Ike & Patton, Easy Money, Hop On The Homophone, Formidable Fantasy, Transportation, Wil(l), Willem Or William.”

All three players started off really well but Ike Barinholtz took the lead after winning the first Daily Double. With 14 correct answers, he banked $6,000. Wil Wheaton ranked second after correctly answering eight questions and scoring $2,800. Patton Oswalt was not far behind Wil as he scored $2,100 after delivering seven correct answers in the first round.

The categories for the second round included “Thought You’D Like To Know, It’s Also A Greek Letter, From A “D” To An “F”, Composers Are Quirky, Going Underground, All About Disney.”

The Double Jeopardy round was a treat to watch. Wil and Ike mostly went for the highest-valued questions. Ike was initially leading the game with Wil in second place.

But things changed after Patton found two Daily Doubles back-to-back. Both times he wagered all his money and won, which gave him the lead in the second round. The scores of all three going into the third round were Patton at $20,000, Ike at $12,200, and Wil at $7,600.

Unlike regular Jeopardy!, the celebrity version includes a third Jeopardy round. In the Season 1 finale, the categories for the third round included “Getting Close to Something, Notable Names, There Will Be Blood, Lakes & Rivers, Singin’ In The Rain, Taking A Gamble With James Holzhauer.”

Ike and Patton played an intense match in the third round, which came with three Daily Doubles. Patton and Ike found the Daily Doubles, respectively, and wagered huge amounts.

Fortunately, they won them all, resulting in Ike ranking first on the scoreboard, followed by Patton. Wil Wheaton was seen less enthusiastic in the third round as he didn’t attempt many questions. While his score going into the final round was $11,500, the remaining two players earned big. Patton scored $36,000 and Ike banked $50,000.

The final Jeopardy round was nerve-wracking and all three gave the correct answer to the final clue. Wil landed in third place, while the difference between Patton and Ike’s score was just $1.

With minimal difference, Ike Barinholtz won Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1.

Ike Barinholtz won Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 (Image via Tyler Golden/ABC)
Ike Barinholtz won Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 (Image via Tyler Golden/ABC)

Final Jeopardy clue, solution, and result

In the finale of Celebrity Jeopardy! season 1, the category for the final round was “Artists.” The clue read:

“Despite how he’s known, he was probably actually born in Anchiano, near Florence.”

The correct answer to the final question was “Leonardo da Vinci."

All three celebrity players gave the correct response on the ABC show. Take a look at the final results of Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1 finale:

Ike Barinholtz: $50,000 + $22,001 = $72,001 (Who is Da Vinci?) ($1,000,000)

Patton Oswalt: $36,000 + $36,000 = $72,000 (Who was Leonardo da Vinci?) ($250,000)

Wil Wheaton: $11,500 + $11,500 = $23,000 (Who is Leonardo da Vinci? Hi Anne) ($100,000)

While Ike won a million-dollar cash prize and a Celebrity Jeopardy! trophy, Patton ranked second and received $250,000 for his charity. Wil, who came third in the finale, received $100,000 for his charity.

Hosted by Mayim Bialik, Celebrity Jeopardy! ended its first season on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

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