March 13, 2024
Provided Image/Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
The inaugural 'Jeopardy!' Invitational Tournament will feature Philly resident Celeste DiNucci, who won the show's Tournament of Champions in 2007.
A new "Jeopardy!" competition will bring back past fan-favorite champions, and there's a local contestant on the roster.
Celeste DiNucci, an art director from Philadelphia, is one of 27 players set to compete in the first "Jeopardy!" Invitational Tournament. The winner of the new tournament will receive $100,000 and a spot in the upcoming "Jeopardy! Masters" prime-time event.
RELATED: 'Jeopardy!' legend Cris Pannullo falls in first round of Tournament of Champions
DiNucci works as director of strategy and development at Ars Nova Workshop, a presenter of jazz, experimental and new classical music in Philadelphia. Before that, she worked with the Painted Bride Art Center and Settlement Music School. She earned her Ph.D. in English and performance theory from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009.
She originally decided to go on "Jeopardy!" in 2006 to “redeem the family name,” since her older brother previously competed on the show and lost in his first appearance.
DiNucci went on to become a five-game champion during Season 22, earning $83,601 in regular-season winnings. She then won the show's 2007 Tournament of Champions and was invited to participate in the 2014 Battle of the Decades, a special tournament that celebrated 30 years of "Jeopardy!" She was also a contestant on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in 2016.
In the Invitational Tournament, DiNucci could face top "Jeopardy!" competitors from as far back as 2000. Also in the tournament are Andrew He, Amy Schneider and Sam Buttrey, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the 2023 "Jeopardy! Masters" tournament. Players will compete across nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals and a best-of-four finals series to determine the first "Jeopardy!" Invitational Tournament champion. "Jeopardy!" has not yet revealed the schedule for the competition.
The invitational will begin airing at the completion of the "Jeopardy!" Tournament of Champions, which is in its final round with just three competitors remaining in a best-of-seven series. The Tournament of Champions could finish up as early as Thursday, March 14, or as late as Wednesday, March 20.
Ocean City resident Cris Pannullo, who won 21 games in a row in 2022 and is among the top "Jeopardy!" players of all time, was shockingly knocked out of the Tournament of Champions in the first round. Melissa Klapper, a Rowan University professor and Merion Station resident, also dropped her first game in the quarterfinal round of that tournament.
"Jeopardy!" airs weeknights at 7 p.m. on ABC.
Follow Franki & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @wordsbyfranki
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
