'Jeopardy!' contestant Maria Lauro reveals 'bittersweet' debut as her husband dies before episode airs
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' contestant Maria Lauro revealed tragic news regarding her husband, Leo David Sweeney Jr, in a Reddit post hours before her debut on the trivia game show on Friday, December 20.
On the episode, Maria, a contract specialist from Pittsburgh, faced off against Joe Asaminew, an ER physician from Winnipeg, and the one-day champion Laura Faddah, a manager from Memphis, as per the Mirror US.
'Jeopardy!' contestant Maria Lauro reveals her husband died three weeks before her debut
On the r/Jeopardy subreddit, Maria Lauro wrote, "Today is probably the most bittersweet day of my life. Thanks to the encouragement of my husband, I tried out and actually made it to the Alex Trebek stage. And, as you’ll see when you watch, I gave him a huge shout out in my interview, which I was keeping a secret."
She continued, "And he’s never going to see it because he unexpectedly died three weeks ago. (He did know how I did.) I’ve got a bunch of people meeting me at a local bar that plays the show every night. I know he’d want me to enjoy my 15 minutes of fame. But god, this is hard."
"I’ll jump into the main thread to talk about how I did and my thinking during the game. It was one of the best experiences of my life," Maria said.
During the anecdote segment of the episode, Maria gave a special shoutout to her husband. She said in response to host Ken Jennings' statement about her wanting to give a shout out to her family, "I’m a quiz mom and a history mom. My husband has been trying to get me to apply for this show for years."
She added, per the outlet, "This is my first time trying out. In fact, before I got the call, he said 'is it time for you to reapply?' He’s my coach. And because this show is being aired during the holidays it’s a Christmas present for him. Honey, you were right!"
While she did not win, Maria was a strong contender throughout the episode and maintained a consistent lead. She had a narrow lead of $10,800 to Laura's $10,400 and Joe's $9,000 before Final Jeopardy which stumped her.
Interestingly, none of the contestants got the Final Jeopardy clue right. Maria made a big wager, dropping her to third with $799. Laura cinched a second-day victory with $5,800 as her final score.
Redditors react to 'Jeopardy!' contestant’s tragic story
Redditors send their condolences to 'Jeopardy!' contestant Maria Lauro after she shared the news of her husband's death ahead of the premiere of Friday's episode.
One wrote, "Sending you peace. I’m sure he’s looking down and was cheering you on! Enjoy your evening with your friends marking your achievement!"
Another said, "What a lovely way to honor him - telling millions of people what he means to you in a way that can be recorded! I’m sorry for your loss but so glad he got to know that you made it on that stage. Enjoy your moment - he’ll be with you tonight."
"Sorry for your loss. I’m not religious, but I do believe there’s something after, and if he can’t see it, he will feel your joy of watching the show," an individual expressed.
"I have no words, Maria. Thank you for sharing with us, and I'm glad that your husband was so loving that he encouraged you to have this wonderful experience. We'll be rooting for you!" read one comment.
One more wrote, "All my sympathies for your loss. All I can say is when I watch, I’ll know what a lovely tribute it is, and I’ll understand more how supportive he was. I’m sure anyone who reads this post will feel the same way. I’ll be cheering for you!"
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