In 2023, Sam called out the game show when he was discluded from Masters

JEOPARDY! champ Sam Kavanaugh has been waiting in the wings to be invited back to the game show and on Thursday’s episode, his patience paid off.

The 2021 Tournament of Champions winner defeated the legendary Chuck Forrest and Monica Thieu with a savvy Final Jeopardy move.

Sam (left) was in second place in a wildly close Final Jeopardy showdown
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Sam (left) was in second place in a wildly close Final Jeopardy showdownCredit: Jeopardy!

With a small wager on a triple-stumper, he 'squeaked out a win' and now has his shot at Jeopardy! Masters
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With a small wager on a triple-stumper, he ‘squeaked out a win’ and now has his shot at Jeopardy! MastersCredit: Jeopardy!
The now-airing JIT sees 27 all-time greats from across the game show’s history back for $100,000 and a slot in May’s Masters special.

The quarterfinal match saw the return of Chuck, 62, – one of the most influential players in history.

The five-day champion won the 2nd ToC in 1985 and was the first player to bounce around the board, sniffing out Daily Doubles instead of playing top-down.

The now-en-vogue style of play that James Holzhauer later “Mastered” is known today as the “Forrest Bounce” after him.

Ken Jennings had to bow down during his interview, thanking him for his indelible stamp on the show and requesting he “try out that famous bounce.”

But Chuck’s momentous return comes as Sam has quietly been mounting his own comeback, prepping for over a year to get a shot at the coveted Masters event.

After the Jeopardy! round, Sam had just $200, Chuck $2,600, and Monica $8,200.

In Double Jeopardy!, Sam quickly capitalized on both Daily Doubles but didn’t have enough money to make bank on them.

Monica maintained a lead at every break, leading into Final Jeopardy with $15,800, while Sam had $12,000 and Chuck $11,000.

Final Jeopardy! under 20th CENTURY BOOKS read, “TIME mentioned ‘cruelty & enforced conformity’ when summing up this novel with a ‘stonily silent narrator.'”

No one correctly responded with “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” but Sam made a small wager, and he emerged with $1 more than Monica with $7600.

‘SKIN OF HIS TEETH!’

“Sam squeaked out a win by the skin of his teeth!” one Reddit user wrote. “Felt bad for Monica – she looked really disappointed.”

Another wrote, “Monica played a great game hopefully she gets a future JIT invite. Final wagering ended up being crucial today.”

A third remarked, “Sam really is the kinda guy that seems to always find a way to win, LOL.

“Regardless of how off his performance he is or the competition he’s up against, he nearly always manages to pull through somehow.”

“I think he’ll certainly be very vulnerable in the semis, but given Sam’s ability to be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat there’s certainly no way of knowing for certain!”

Additional fans remarked that Final Jeopardy was “really tough” as others sweetly wrote, “Congrats Sam”

The winner wrote on Reddit, “It is WILD to be in a game and realize that Chuck Forrest is Forrest Bouncing against you. I imagine it’s like getting punched by Muhammad Ali: it hurts and is a little disorienting, but you’re still weirdly grateful for the experience.”

‘STING OF DISAPPOINTMENT’

Sam’s win and shot at Masters Season 2 comes after he took to X (formerly Twitter), upset he was not invited to the first Masters special last May.

When the lineup for its inaugural six-champ spectacle was announced, Sam posted that he had been training for it and had been blindsided.

“Well, seeing the news today that I am not invited to the Jeopardy Masters was a bit of a gut punch,” he wrote.

“Nothing is ever guaranteed so I wasn’t planning on it, but because every other ToC winner in history was invited to a subsequent tourney, I was planning *for* it.”

“It’s hard to hang up the hat especially after working so hard over the past months to reach my full Jeopardy potential (I think I was about 80% of the way there in my ToC).

“I think that I can beat any one of these contestants, & hope there’s still a chance to do so in the future.

“With that sting of disappointment, will I be watching J Masters? Absolutely I will. These 6 are great players & great people, & they will put on a good show.”

One fan replied at the time, “You’re better off playing in the next one, won’t have to face James Holzhauer hopefully.”

But Sam responded he didn’t feel that way: “That’s reasonable, but If I want to be the best I have to play the best.”

Many fans agreed that Sam deserved a Masters spot, given that he won the most previous ToC after Amy Schneider, even if his name doesn’t carry as much buzz.

No contestant has publicly expressed wanting a return ticket so vocally and fans rallied behind him (and Brad Rutter) before JIT was announced.

WHAT IS: THE JIT?

The JIT is a brand-new tournament airing from March 20 until early April.

Unlike other tournaments this season, JIT opens the floodgates to iconic older champions who fans haven’t seen in decades.

The three-week JIT sees past greats – some recent ones, and yes, contestants-turned-Chasers – back at the buzzer.

There will be nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals, and a best-of-four final.

This means the legendary player who notches two final games wins the title.

The now-annual throwdown will decide one of the six spots in Masters, with the first three going to last season’s finalists – Matt Amodio, winner James, and Mattea Roach.

The other Master’s slots go to Yogesh Raut for winning the 2024 Tournament of Champions and a still-unannounced Producer’s Pick.

After JIT, regular episodes resume for the first time this season either between April 8 and April 10.

LE-JIT LINEUP!

A murderer’s row of 27 trivia titans are returning

Sam Buttrey – finalist in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and sixth place in Masters Season 1
Amy Schneider- winner of the 2022 Tournament of Champions and fifth place in Masters Season 1
Andrew He – runnerup in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and fourth place in Masters Season 1
Brandon Blackwell – Chaser on The Chase and Teen Tournament semifinalist
Colby Burnett – winner of the 2013 Tournament of Champions and third-place in the team-based 2019 All-Star Games
Lily Chin – winner of the 2017 College Championship and 2017 ToC semifinalist
Leonard Cooper- winner of the 2013 Teen Tournament and All-Stars Games player
Celeste DiNucci – 2007 Tournament of Champions winner
Chuck Forrest – Season 2 five-day champ from 1985 and 1986 Tournament of Champions winner
Dhruv Gaur – 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist
Ben Ingram – eight-day champion and winner of the 2014 Tournament of Champions
Alex Jacob – 2015 Tournament of Champions winner
Mackenzie Jones – eight-day champion and 2015 ToC quarterfinalist
Sam Kavanaugh – winner of the 2021 Tournament of Champions
Larissa Kelly – six-day champion and 2019 All-Star Games winner
Alan Lin – six-day champion and 2009 ToC runner-up
David Madden – 19-day champion in 2005, the second-longest streak holder next to Ken for decades, and All-Star Games winner
Pam Mueller – 2001 ToC semifinalist and third place in 2019 All-Star Games
Austin Rogers – 13-game champion and 2017 ToC runner-up
Monica Theiu – 2012 College Championship winner
Jason Zuffranieri – 19-day champion
Arthur Chu – 11-day winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions runner-up
Victoria Groce – Chaser on The Chase
Matt Jackson – 13-day champion and 2015 ToC runner-up
Terry O’Shea – 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist
Dan Pawson – nine-day champion and 2009 Tournament of Champions winner
Jennifer Quail – eight-day champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions runner-up

WHO IS: WINNING SO FAR?

Here are the contestants who have won their first matches and are now semifinalists:

Andrew He won the premiere after getting knocked out of Masters Season 1.

Larissa Kelly, who won last Friday’s match and previously won the 2019 All-Star Games and was the 2009 ToC runner-up.

Matt Jackson, who returned for a big win after winning 13 games in 2015.

Amy Schneider who had a big runaway win on Monday night after also getting knocked out of Masters Season 1.

David Madden after a hotly-contested Daily Double cost Arthur Chu the game.

Jennifer Quail after her stunning come-from-behind victory on Wednesday in which her opponents did not clap.

Jeopardy! airs at 7 pm ET on ABC, where fans can catch all the JIT action.

Sam, who called his omission from Masters last May a 'gut punch,' got his redemption moment
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Sam, who called his omission from Masters last May a ‘gut punch,’ got his redemption momentCredit: Jeopardy!

Ken Jennings hosts the JIT with 27 power players coming out of the woodwork until mid-April
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Ken Jennings hosts the JIT with 27 power players coming out of the woodwork until mid-AprilCredit: Jeopardy!

Fans were thrilled to see the legendary Chuck Forrest of the Forrest Bounce technique, who played brilliantly 40 years later
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Fans were thrilled to see the legendary Chuck Forrest of the Forrest Bounce technique, who played brilliantly 40 years laterCredit: Jeopardy!