‘Jeopardy’ Contestant’s “Quirky” Expressions Win Over Fans: “She Makes the Game Fun”

No matter how tricky a question may be, most Jeopardy contestants like to keep a cool, confident demeanor on the game show. But one contestant has broken from tradition and earned plenty of fans for it. Julia Markham Cameron, an attorney from Brooklyn, New York, who first competed on last night’s episode, earned plenty of praise for her signature facial expressions in response to both host Mayim Bialik‘s clues and sometimes even her own responses, Yahoo Entertainment reports.

Cameron, who ended up winning last night — and apparently surprising herself — made the game an especially entertaining watch for fans, who were admittedly cracking up over her quirky reactions to every question posed on the show. And when Bialik revealed that Cameron had won $16,450 and was moving on to the next show, she was in disbelief. “Shut up,” she said, covering her face with her hands. “This is crazy!”

Her on-air antics quickly made her a favorite among fans, who rooted for the “endearing” contestant after her win. One fan even called Cameron “the best contestant in the history of Jeopardy,” while another tweeted that Julia “made my day!”

While not everyone was taken by Cameron’s persona, her fans jumped to her defense, calling her “relatable” and “a delight.” One shut down the debate with the simple fact that Cameron won. “It looks like a lot of shit was talked on the #Jeopardy hashtag about Julia’s mannerisms this half-hour, but she whooped everyone’s ass, so: SCOREBOARD,” they wrote.

Luckily for fans of Cameron, they’ll be seeing more of her tonight when she returns as champion to face off against two new competitors: Susie Ogorman, a homemaker from Mobile, Alabama; and Whitney Sorensen, a content strategist from Draper, Utah. Bialik will be back as host — her time at the lectern isn’t up until June 11.

Jeopardy airs weeknights at 7/6c on ABC.

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