A “Jeopardy!” contestant has lost her husband unexpectedly just three weeks after giving him a “huge shoutout” on a recent episode.
Maria Lauro, a contract specialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made her game show debut on December 20, going up against Joe Asaminew, an ER physician from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Laura Faddah, a manager from Memphis, Tennessee.
The widow said that despite her show moment being a “dream come true,” watching the debut of her episode was “bittersweet” after her husband died.
The host, Ken Jennings, conducted his daily interview segment, walking over to each contestant’s podium and giving them a moment to share a little about themselves.
“I’m told you want to shoutout your family. Your husband and your son,” the 50-year-old said to 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 explained. “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!”
Following the episode, Maria wrote online that her husband died between the time of filming and her episode airing.
“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,” she expressed in a heartbreaking message, per The Sun.
“And, as you’ll see when you watch, I gave him a huge shout-out in my interview, which I was keeping a secret.
“But 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,” Maria concluded. “But god, this is hard.”
Despite the tragedy, Maria called her time on “Jeopardy!” one of “the best experiences” of her life.
According to the online obituary, Maria’s husband, Leo, died on Friday, November 29, at the age of 61.
The two were high school sweethearts and met on Maria’s 17th birthday after joining a group of friends for a movie at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
“After graduating from high school, they began dating and Leo’s mother remembered Maria’s mother.
“Their relationship blossomed into a strong marriage that lasted over 30 years. In all pursuits, Leo was Maria’s biggest cheerleader.
“For many years, he encouraged her to try out for Jeopardy! She finally did in 2023 and after she got the call to be on the show last August, he excitedly coached Maria to prepare for her taping in October.
“Unfortunately, he did not get to see her appearance, which is on December 20,” the obituary read.
Leo is survived by Maria and their son, Leo Jr.
During the game, Maria had a lot of accurate answers and quick buzzer play but ended the game in third place with $799.
Laura won her second game, finishing with a prize pot of $5,800, while Joe came in second with $5,000.