JEOPARDY! fans were stunned as Uber driver Ryan Long drove to his 11th straight win.
But an "alarming" and "weird" detail scored some attention before his HUGE comeback.
Mayim, 46, is hosting Jeopardy! for a third week in a row, returning after alum Ken Jennings' prior three weeks at the helm and announcement he'd be out for "months."
“I'm handing the keys back to the talented actor-producer-writer-director (!) Mayim Bialik for a few months," the fan-favorite surprisingly tweeted, adding, “We are lucky to have her! I'll be back before the end of the season.”
The permanent hosting slot is still on the board and will be decided by the end of Season 38 in July 2022.
But tonight Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native Ryan nabbed his eleventh straight win with $209K total earnings with a huge bet - and there was something quite large on-screen first.
Ryan went into Final Jeopardy in second place to right podium Aaron Gulyas, as Mayim noted "It's anybody's game."
One fan tweeted, "What a battle between Ryan and Aaron" as it appeared it could be game over for the rising star.
Aaron had $14K to the champ's $13K when the show returned from commercial, Mayim stating: "My heart is beating fast."
However, Ryan responded to Final Jeopardy, on "Sports and Entertainment" with "Peyton Manning" correctly - and his wager was surely his touchdown dance.
He wagered a massive $12,999, all but $1.
With $25,999K total the driver cruised ahead in an amazing finish, as fans went wild - since the bet was what clinched it.
Aaron, unfortunately, didn't know it and wrote "Nature Boy Rick Flair," but wagered $0.
If Ryan hadn't wagered so boldly he wouldn't have won.
BIG WAGER & BIGGER SIGNATURE
"Nail biter! #Jeopardy" one fan tweeted on the sight to see.
"#Ryan went for broke #Jeopardy," wrote another
"Wowwww!" wrote a third.
"I cheered from the sofa when Ryan Long won again!" wrote a fourth.
"YES RYAN!!! @Jeopardy LETS GOOOOOOOOO! Had me sweating," wrote a fifth.
However, other fans couldn't help but notice Aaron's signature was in all-caps and simply enormous during the game.
"Tell Aaron's signature to stop shouting at me. #jeopardy," one fan tweeted.
"LOUD NOISES!" wrote another.
"We have a game. AARON is going for the ‘Single Jeopardy’ jugular," tweeted yet another fan earlier in the game, emphasizing the all-caps element - before Ryan's hail Mary bet that saved the day.
RYAN GOES LONG
He has now hit the $200K mark along with Matt Amodio, Amy Schneider’s 40-game streak, Canadian tutor Mattea Roach and Jonathan Fisher during Season 38.
Fans are loving Ryan's big personality, big bets, and sincerely humble presence since arriving last Friday.
During his first Q&A, the contestant pumped out an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.
Since then, he's shared he grew up watching the storied show with his mom, who thought "Alex Trebek was so handsome."
He also shared he once worked on an "Amish farm," then noting, "People are gonna think I’m weird with all these stories."
The broad-shouldered bet-maker also sweetly recanted he once fostered "four baby kittens" and "bottle-fed them" before his mom adopted them - he also has an eight-year-old son who made his bead necklace.
Ryan has indeed made some bold bets, he's bet a huge $8000 on Daily Doubles multiple games last week as one fan on Twitter praised his gameplay, "8k Daily Double again. Nice bet Ryan."
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