[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Kevin Laskowski will always have the distinction of being a “Jeopardy!” champion, after winning three times on the quiz show in November, but on Jan. 31 he felt short of adding tournament champion to his resume.
Laskowski, the priest-in-charge at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Centreville, Virginia, appeared in the first round of the popular TV show’s Tournament of Champions. In this episode, Laskowski was playing catch-up from the start, as Mark Fitzpatrick, the eventual winner, built an early lead.
By the Final Jeopardy round, Laskowski’s $6,200 was far behind Fitzpatrick’s $16,400 and Allison Gross’ $10,000. None of the contestants guessed the final clue correctly, and Fitzpatrick advanced to the semi-finals easily.
This was the second straight year an Episcopal priest appeared in the Tournament of Champions. The church will have to wait another year to see if one of its own will have better luck in the 2026 tournament.
Full recaps of the Jan. 31 episode can be found on The Jeopardy! Fan website and The J! Archive.