JEOPARDY! powerhouse Zaheer has admitted there's one super-champion - and fellow Canadian - she doesn't want to face if she keeps winning.
Thursday's Champions Wildcard final saw the Whitby, Ontario psychiatrist face Missouri analyst Michael Menkhus and San Diego professor Andy Tirrell.
5
5
The Wildcard final, decided by tonight and Friday's scores, is worth $100,000 and a spot in February's Tournament of Champions.
Juveria, who has become Season 40's biggest hit, confessed that if she makes it (which seems likely), she has one request.
She doesn't want to be matched up with Ray Lalonde, the 13-day winner from last season.
Juveria told Ken Jennings: "My goal is to stay as far away from Ray LaLonde as possible.
Read more on Jeopardy!
"He is a Toronto icon, and I love him. And I don't want to be weird around him."
She continued: "So I'm going to be awkward, but I'm going to try to be normal anyway."
Ken was left in stitches and said it was possible Ray had "seen this," to which Juveria begged: "I hope not. Don't tell him."
'THE RISK PAID OFF!'
After the Jeopardy! round, Michael led with 7,200, buoyed by a Daily Double, Andy had 3,800, and Juveria trailed with 2,400.
Most read in Entertainment
Then, in Double Jeopardy!, things went north for Juveria- proving that aside from LaLonde, she's fearless.
Within the first six clues of the round, she found both Daily Doubles and, on the second one, bet her entire $11,200.
Ken scoffed in shock as the audience fell dead silent; she aced it, leaping to $22,400 in a stunning turnaround.
"The risk paid off!" Ken said as the audience went wild and her competitors looked shaken.
Going into Final Jeopardy, Juveria led with 34,000, Michael with 16,400, and Andy with $7,400.
Final Jeopardy! under "Geography" read: "The first city in Australia with a municipal government, this state capital bears the name of a queen."
In the game's second major twist, Andy was the only one correct with "Adeliede," giving him a rollover score of 14,800.
Michael went all in incorrectly, writing "Alice Springs," essentially knocking him out of the tournament with 0.
Juveria also suffered a setback, dropping 14,000 with "Melbourne" to have 20,000.
That said, fans on Reddit were assured that she'd stick the landing tomorrow, win, and do some damage in the ToC.
'FAVORITE PLAYER'
One user gushed: "Juveria is my favorite player this season. She is calm, cool, and collected; she seems funny, nice to be around, and very confident.
She knows so many things! I hope that she wins and makes it to TOC. I think she can beat anybody."
Another fan wrote: "Going from $2,400 to $22,400 in just six clues is otherworldly. Andy and Michael are great players, but Juveria is a steamroller. If she gets the 26th TOC spot, I wouldn't put it past her to win it all."
A third wrote: "Even with a FJ miss, Juveria looks impressive. But I still think anyone could win."
REMEMBER RAY?
Ray Lalonde won 13 games last season and $386,400 total.
The TV set designer from Toronto - who worked on Hulu's Handmaid's Tale - won many of his episodes by the thinnest of margins, making for great TV.
Instead of "Daily Double" hunting like fellow ToC competitor Cris Pannullo, Ray went 12/14 in Final Jeopardy.
As a result, he won his 13th game by a scant $100 and another only when his rival was incorrect in the last round.
Ray said "please" when selecting clues, with many viewers loving his "sexy narrator voice."
During another recent win, Ray thanked the crew for accommodating him given his spinal issues, which saw him swaying on stage as he won big.
Ray's streak ended with him having one of the 16 longest streaks of all time and one of the best averages on Final Jeopardy ever.
February's faceoff also includes 21-day winner Pannullo, the pro poker player who amassed the fifth regular play earnings in history ($748K) last fall.
Then there's Ben Chan, the fan-favorite who won all nine of his victories in runaways until that controversial Benedict Final Jeopardy ruling.
There's also the beloved Hannah Wilson, whose run was ended by none other than Chan due to a co-returning-champions rarity match when the latter fell ill mid-streak.
Counting last year's Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Ike Barenholtz, there will be 27 competitors in total, the largest contestant field ever.
Regular non-tournament episodes of Jeopardy! return in April, a major break from the norm, which has divided fans.
Read More on The US Sun
Speaking of shakeups, former champ Ken is now the sole host after Mayim Bialik was fired from the syndicated series in December.
Jeopardy! airs weekdays at 7 p.m. ET. Check your local listings.
5
5
5
