Jeopardy! contestant Mira Hayward may be regretting her celebratory dance move on the NBC game show after she accidentally made an X-rated gesture with her hands.
The podcast host from Portland, Oregon, defeated contestants Kate Campolieta and Jesse Chin in the first quarterfinal of the Winter 2024 Champions Wildcard Competition that aired on Monday.
Hayward, 28, took home $16,400 and landed a spot in the semifinals, but it was her NSFW move — not her triumphant win — that had people talking.
The viral moment was spawned by Monday's Final Jeopardy category, World Flags, which did not incite confidence in the contestants.
Jeopardy! champion Mira Hayward defeated contestants Kate Campolieta and Jesse Chin in the first quarterfinal of the show's Winter 2024 Champions Wildcard Competition on Monday
The podcast host from Portland, Oregon, went viral after she made a '0' shape with her hands and shook them in the direction of her fellow contestants
Hayward was likely referencing their $0 bets with the gesture, but viewers were quick to point out that it looked like she was miming a sex act
All three of them wagered $0 before seeing the clue: 'The flag of this Asian nation features part of a World Heritage Site built in the 12th century.'
Chin, who was in third place with $1,800, didn't even attempt to answer the question. Instead, he wrote 'Congratulations Mira' on his board.
Campolieta was in second place with $8,000 when she correctly answered 'What is Cambodia?' But her decision not to bet any money cost her.
Hayward remained the leader with $16,400 after she also got the question right with nothing wagered.
After winning the quarterfinal, she made a '0' shape with her hands and shook them in the direction of her fellow contestants.
Hayward was likely referencing their $0 bets with the gesture, but viewers were quick to point out that it looked like she was miming a sex act.
Jeopardy! fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to playfully mock her for the unfortunate motion she made with her hands.
Dogecoin co-founder and comedian Billy Markus, who is known as Shibetoshi Nakamoto online, posted a six-second clip of Hayward's gesture during Final Jeopardy.
Jeopardy! fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to playfully mock her for the unfortunate motion she made with her hands
'Jeopardy’s winner last night made a "0" sign with her hands to her competitors after winning, as they both bet $0 during final jeopardy and uhhhhhh,' he wrote.
The post has been viewed more than 580,000 times.
'Looks more like the Daily Double,' one person joked.
'OnlyFans, Jeopardy style,' someone else added.
Ben Porter also went viral when he shared the clip on the platform, writing, 'Surely this Jeopardy! moment won’t be memed.'
His video has earned a whopping 2.3 million views.
Several people noted that the Jeopardy! winner had no idea she was making a lewd gesture, while others admitted they didn't pick up on it at first
'I really want to know what gesture she thought she was doing... Because it's 1000% not the one we all saw,' one X user asked.
'Haha, I can't stop laughing at this Jeopardy! moment. Pure gold!' someone else responded.
'I just finished watching this and screamed out loud "oh no!!"' another added.
Several people noted that the Jeopardy! winner had no idea she was making a lewd gesture, while others admitted they didn't pick up on it at first.
Hayward has yet to respond to the jokes about her hand motions, but she did acknowledge her win on X after the show aired.
'Thank you everyone for the well wishes!' she wrote. 'And thank you most of all to @JeopardyJesseC and @campolka, who are just as brilliant, hilarious, and kind as they look on TV. Couldn’t have had more fun on the Alex Trebek Stage than I did with those two. Semifinals up next!'
Hayward will return to Jeopardy! to compete in the semifinals, which begin airing on February 16.
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