Another Naperville native is heading to the Jeopardy! stage. This time around it’s WNBA legend Candace Parker, who is appearing on Celebrity Jeopardy! Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. on ABC.
Parker’s Celebrity Jeopardy! competition
The Chicago Sky star and Naperville Central alum will face off against stand-up comedian, actor and writer Patton Oswalt and actress and former model Torrey DeVitto, in tonight’s quarterfinals.
The three are vying for a spot in the semifinals. Actor Michael Cera has already scored the first semifinal spot. Tonight’s game will determine the second. And on January 19, actors B.J. Novak, Brendan Hunt and broadcaster Cari Champion will compete for the third slot.
The winner of that semifinal will then take on previous semifinal winners, actor and comedian Ike Barinholtz and actor Wil Wheaton.
All are ultimately hoping to take home the grand prize of $1 million for their charity.
Playing for charity
Parker is playing on behalf of The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit created in memory of Kobe and Gianna “Gigi” Bryant to help make a positive impact on underserved athletes and give equal opportunities to boys and girls in sports.
Experience a “dream come true”
Parker told Insider her experience on the show was a “dream come true,” commenting that she used to watch the show with her grandmother “like every day” when she was a kid growing up in Naperville.
Another Naperville native heading to Jeopardy!
Naperville native James Holzhauer will also be taking the Jeopardy! stage, but in a new iteration of the game called Jeopardy! Masters. He’ll be competing against five other recent all-star Jeopardy! players.
Holzhauer earned the moniker “Jeopardy James” back in 2019, when he racked up more than $2 million on the program, winning 32 consecutive games. He returned to the game for Tournament of Champions in November 2019, winning the $250,000 top prize. He then came back for the prime-time Jeopardy! The Greatest of all Time in 2020, where he was bested by Ken Jennings, coming in second.
No premiere date or air time for Jeopardy! Masters has been announced.
Naperville News 17’s Kim Pirc reports.
photo courtesy: Facebook, via @Jeopardy, ABC
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