Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Lisa Ann Walter says she’s ‘going to cry’ as game show blindsides her with major news

Meanwhile, fans were furious at ABC for “spoiling” the finale

ACTRESS Lisa Ann Walter has gotten a huge opportunity after winning Celebrity Jeopardy! that might make Emma Stone a bit envious.

On Monday’s official Inside Jeopardy! podcast, the Parent Trap and Abbott Elementary star recieved an invitation to the coveted Tournament of Champions.

Lisa Ann, 60, joined showrunner Michael Davies and longtime producer Sarah Foss for an interview after her $1 million Celebrity Jeopardy! win last week.

The higher-ups announced that Jeopardy! had one more prize in store for her.

“It is my honor, it is nonbinding, Lisa Ann, but you as a Celebrity [Jeopardy!] champion are cordially and respectfully invited to appear in our next Tournament of Champions,” Davies said.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lisa Ann exclaimed, “I’m going to cry!”

“No pressure, it’s not a requirement. We’re not going to hold back the check to your charity for it. But that’s how much we think about the people who win Celebrity Jeopardy,” Davies quickly added.

Grateful and excited, Lisa accepted, “You really made my day. I am terrified but I am going to say an immediate yes.

“It would be my honor to go on the Tournament of Champions – and lose immediately,” she quipped.

However, Lisa Ann won’t be joining the 2024 Tournament of Champions that’s airing in mere weeks.

Instead, she’s set to participate in the following one, as last year’s Celebrity Jeopardy! winner, Ike Barinholtz, will be in this February’s ToC (as the first non-regular contestant to cross over to the syndicated show).

Having the winner of the annual Celebrity tournament join the coveted tournament for Jeopardy!’s biggest regular-play winners is a new thing.

As producer Foss teased, referring to how badly Emma Stone wants to get on the nightly show: “If you’re listening, Emma Stone, there’s now a path to regular Jeopardy! from Celebrity Jeopardy!”

The two higher-ups then agreed that Emma Stone was probably not listening.

FINALE FURY

Meanwhile, Lisa Ann’s triumph on Celebrity Jeopardy! faced a bit of controversy as a promo for Jimmy Kimmel Live! seemingly spoiled the outcome.

According to eagle-eyed social media users, the accident occurred when ABC aired a promo stating that Lisa Ann would be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel right after.

Outraged viewers took to social media to express their frustration over the apparent spoiler.

“Since Lisa Ann Walter is on @jimmykimmel tonight, is it safe to say she won? I don’t want to assume or spoil anything,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Maybe it really is just a coincidence,” a second fan wrote.“But it feels pretty shi**y of ABC to promote that one of the contestants in ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ championship is going to be on Kimmel later that night. Definitely felt like a spoiler when I saw that.”

“Not cool,” tweeted a third fan. “Right at the beginning of the final there was a commercial scroll saying that champion Lisa Ann would be on Kimmel. Not cool.”

“Thanks for the spoiler on the Celebrity Jeopardy winner with the in-show pop-up ad for Jimmy Kimmel’s guest Lisa Ann Walter 20 seconds into the tournament final,” a fourth wrote.

Sadly, many of the show’s fans were correct in the assumption that Lisa Ann would beat journalist Mo Rocca and sports TV host Katie Nolan.

Despite the Kimmel spoiler, her win wasn’t still kept viewers in suspense.

She was the only player to correctly answer the Final Jeopardy clue, going from third place to the win.

In addition to the $1 million charity donation, Lisa Ann won a trophy that she jokingly described on Kimmel as “the heaviest plastic piece of c***” she’s ever held.

However, she’s put it in center stage of her home while she continues her years-long tradition of watching the game show nightly.

“This incredibly tacky item has been sitting right underneath my television, right in front of my little recliner where I can look at it every day that I watch Jeopardy,” she said. “Front and center.”