The star winner of “Celebrity Jeopardy” has changed.
Actor Ike Barinholtz was crowned the show’s 2023 champion after defeating rivals Patton Oswalt and Wil Wheaton in the season finale on Thursday.
Barinholtz won the ultimate prize of $1 million, with the proceeds going to the Hollygrove Program at Pacific Clinic.
The “The Mindy Project” star edged Oswalt by $1 in the thrilling Final Jeopardy! Round. Following numerous daily doubles throughout the game, Oswalt and Barinholtz were both able to double their totals.
Oswalt received a grant of $250,000 to help Alice’s Kids, and Wheaton received a budget of $100,000 to perform for the National Women’s Law Center.
In the first of three semifinal matches in October 2022, Barinholtz defeated the comedian Iliza Shlesinger and Simu Liu from the film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” to advance to the title.
In the second semifinal round aired in November 2022, Wheaton faced off against actors John Michael Higgins and Joel Kim Booster.
In the third semifinal round last month, actor and comedian Patton Oswalt faced off against “Ted Lasso” star Brendan Hunt and actor Michael Cera.
Ike Barinholtz @ikebarinholtz Fashion
Ike wore grey & blue combos in his first 2 appearances. I actually LOVE Ike’s cozy sweater tonight! You can’t see in this photo but he has the sleeves cuffed to show the grid pattern on his dress shirt, it looks sharp!#CelebrityJeopardy pic.twitter.com/76CH4hEz0H— Lilly (@OneEclecticMom) February 3, 2023
After trailing Cera and Hunt for the game, Oswalt answered the Final Jeopardy! Clue correctly. This unexpected victory qualified Oswalt to compete in Thursday’s championship.
Following the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2020, Bialik and “Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings was named the program’s permanent co-host. For the flagship “Jeopardy” program, Jennings and Bialik alternate hosting duties, with Bialik serving as the sole host for the “Celebrity Jeopardy” competition.