Cynthia Nixon blows Celebrity Jeopardy! lead on ‘easiest final question ever’ (2024)

CYNTHIA Nixon has fumbled the bag on the latest Celebrity Jeopardy! episode by missing a near-giveaway final question from first place.

Wednesday's installmentsaw stand-up comic Heather McMahan win against the And Just Like That star and the iconic Cedric The Entertainer.

Ken Jennings, 49, donned a flashy pink shirt for the second-to-last quarterfinal game of the tournament-based weekly special.

Going into the new Triple Jeopardy! round, Cynthia led with $7,100, Heather $6,600, and Cedric - who complimented Ken by saying his initial 74-time contestant run was how he became a fan - a paltry $3,200.

The game between Cynthia and Heather became significantly close, but the actress got the last Daily Double (despite stumbling over it a bit), adding $2000.

By Final Jeopardy!, Cynthia seemed prepared to put the game away with $19,700, Cedric $4,000, and Heather $15,600.

'OH NO...'

The clue under "Unique Buildings" read: “Despite 17.5 miles of hallways, you can walk anywhere in this Virginia building within about 5 minutes, due to its concentric layout.”

Cedric correctly wrote “The Pentagon,” doubling his score.

Heather was also correct; she wagered $5000, giving her $20,600.

Ken announced: “It all depends on Cynthia’s response. Did she come up with the Pentagon?”

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Cynthia revealed that she scribbled something that looked like “VA Hospital” and tossed up her hands.

“Oh no,” Ken lamented as Cynthia dropped $11,500, making Heather the winner from second place as she was left ecstatic.

FANS REACT: 'HOW?'

Fans were stunned and took to X (formerly Twitter) after the twist ending.

One comment read: “How did #cynthianixon just answer the easiest final #jeopardy question in history incorrectly? #celebrityjeopardy."

Another fan posted: “It blows my mind how dumb celebrities on Celebrity Jeopardy are."

A third wrote they even: “Just got the Celebrity Jeopardy final question correct before even hearing the question."

A fourth agreed: "I knew it was the Pentagon right away!"

The Celebrity Jeopardy! format involves a tournament style where weekly winners advance, leading to a one-episode final faceoff with a $1 million prize for charity.

The show airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu.

KEN OUTPLAYS MAYIM IN RATINGS

Ken co-hosts Jeopardy! with Mayim Bialik, who hosted all of Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 1.

But she wasreplacedby the winningest champion for Season 2.

Interestingly enough, Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 2onABChas set new season rating records, according to fresh reports this week.

November 29's episodefeaturing actor Macaulay Culkin, SNL star Rachel Dratch, and WWE proBecky Lynch (who had a record-setting bad performance)pulled in 4.66 million viewers,The Wrapreported.

Ken, the current host, is now outpacing Mayim's previous season ratings, averaging more viewers than she did at this point in the special last year.

Last season, she averaged about 3.9 million viewers per episode, according to Neilson data.

Only five episodes she hosted broke the 4 million viewership mark - including the premiere.

BIALIK BREAKS FROM JEOPARDY!

Mayim exitedJeopardy!after May's Writers Guild of America strikes, citing her support for the union.

As a SAG member, she hasn't been on-screen since then, even as the strikes are over, and her return to the show remains uncertain.

"It’s not for me to personally judge anyone else’s decision [but] I am a union supporter," Mayim told Vanity Fair in September in herfirst and only public statement.

"There’s a lot of complexity to this, but my general statement is always that I come from a union family."

FANS PREFER KEN!

Fans are never shy to express a preference for Ken's hosting style, but they're finding even Celebrity Jeopardy! more seamless and "less clunky" than last season.

Some appreciate Ken's serious approach, contrasting it with Mayim's more humorous style.

The general sentiment is that Ken provides a welcome separation between host and contestants, allowing the players to take the spotlight.

One fan recently wrote onX: "I appreciate that the #CelebrityJeopardy introduction is far less clunky than they were last season. Far more seamless."

Another wrote: "Ken should be the only host! He does make it feel like the show is about the contestants. Can’t say the same about Mayim."

On a Jeopardy!Redditpage, a third wrote: "Nothing against Mayim, but I prefer Ken's serious style.

"He's hosting the show and not taking part in the attempts at humor."

Others have said Ken more closely channels how Alex Trebek hosted, spawning the famed SNL parodies.