A “Jeopardy!” The contestant has unexpectedly lost her husband just three weeks after giving him “huge praise” in a recent episode.
Maria Lauro, a contract specialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made her game show debut on December 20 against ER physician Joe Assamineau of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and manager Laura Faddah of Memphis, Tennessee.
The widow said that despite her moment on the show being a “dream come true”, watching her episode debut after her husband’s death was “bittersweet”.
The host, Ken Jennings, conducted his daily interview segment, visiting each contestant on stage and giving them time to share something about themselves.
“I’m told you want to yell at your family. Your husband and your son,” the 50-year-old man told Maria.
“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 said. “This is my first time attempting. In fact, before I even got the call he said, ‘Is it time for you to reapply?’ He is my coach.”
“And because the show is airing during the holidays, it’s a Christmas gift for them. Darling, you were right!”
After the episode, Maria wrote online that her husband died between the filming and the airing of her episode.
“Today is probably the most bitter day of my life. Thanks to my husband’s encouragement, I tried and actually made it to the Alex Trebek stage,” she expressed in a heartbreaking message, Sun,
“And, as you’ll see when you watch, I yelled at him pretty loudly in my interview, which I was keeping secret.
“But he will never get to see it because he died unexpectedly three weeks ago. (He knew how I did.)
“There are a lot of people I meet at a local bar that plays a show every night. I know he would want me to enjoy my 15 minutes of fame,” Maria concluded. “But God, it’s hard.”
Despite the tragedy, Mariah called her time on “Jeopardy!” One of the “best experiences” of her life.
according to online obituaryMaria’s husband Leo died on Friday, November 29, at the age of 61.
The two were high school sweethearts and met on Mariah’s 17th birthday after joining a group of friends for a movie at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
“After they graduated from high school, they started dating and Leo’s mom remembered Maria’s mom.
“Their relationship grew into a strong marriage that lasted more than 30 years. In all activities, Leo was Maria’s biggest cheerleader.
“For several years, he encouraged her to try out for Jeopardy! She finally did in 2023 and after getting the call to appear on the show last August, she excitedly trained Maria in preparation for her taping in October.
The obituary reads, “Unfortunately, he did not get to see his appearance, which is on December 20.”
Leo is survived by Maria and his son Leo Jr.
During the game, Maria gave a lot of correct answers and hit the quick buzzer, but ended the game in third place with $799.
Laura won her second game, taking home a $5,800 prize, while Joe came in second place with $5,000.
(TagstoTranslate)TV(T)Entertainment(T)Death(T)Game Show(T)Jeopardy
