Mina Kimes has proved time and time again that she’s not just a hot-take personality but also the smartest person in the room. And it’s not just about her analyst role on NFL Live at ESPN. Even before entering the NFL media, the veteran sports analyst came from a research-heavy investigative journalism background, which earned her recognition.

And in more ways than one, her recent appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars reflected exactly that. Per reports, Kimes correctly answered the game-deciding trivia question to win the show’s $1 million top prize for her charity. She competed against actor-comedians Ike Barinholtz and Steven Weber.

“….well that happened @Jeopardy,” Kimes posted on her official X handle after winning the tournament.

The last episode, which aired Friday night, eventually came down to Final Jeopardy! At that stage, Kimes held $12,500, Weber followed with $10,500, and Barinholtz sat at $5,100. The clue under the category “Name’s the Same” read: “It’s the name of an 1873 novel subtitled ‘A Tale of Today,’ a period of U.S. history & a TV drama that debuted in 2022.”

Barinholtz answered correctly with “The Gilded Age.” There’s no denying that. But Kimes had already gained a lead to win the tournament and the $1 million prize for L.A.’s SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition. Meanwhile, Barinholtz won $200,000 for the Noonan Syndrome Foundation, while Weber earned $200,000 for New Directions for Veterans.

For Kimes, though, the moment also carried significant weight, considering her English degree from Yale University quietly showed up during the final trivia round.

Following her graduation with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Kimes served at Fortune and Bloomberg. During that stretch, she earned awards from both the New York Press Club and the National Press Club. The 40-year-old earned wider recognition through her 2012 investigation “Bad to the Bone.” Her investigation exposed dangerous medical practices tied to bone cement procedures and later earned her the Henry R. Luce Award.

However, her ESPN journey kicked off when she wrote a Tumblr essay about the bond she shared with her father through the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN offered her a position back in 2014, and since then, Kimes has remained one of the network’s recognizable NFL analysts.

And after winning the tournament as a contestant, Kimes is now heading into another one. Only this time, she will not be behind the podium answering questions.

What’s next for Mina Kimes?

Kimes will now host the 101-year-old Scripps National Spelling Bee. In doing so, the ESPN analyst will become the first celebrity host to lead the tournament since LeVar Burton in 2022, the same year Scripps took over the broadcast rights from ESPN and shifted the event to ION Television and Bounce TV.

“My goal in this is to give it the big-game feel,” Kimes told the Associated Press. “Any event that requires skill and knowledge and preparation can have that feel if it’s presented with enough care and pride on television…It honestly does feel a little bit like watching game tape because I really think these kids are elite competitors, not just in terms of being the best of the best, but you can see all of the work that they so clearly put in.”

“The way they get to the right answer is fascinating to me and the more you watch, the more you see the way their brains work. I see a lot of similarities to what I do with football, and I’m so pumped to be a part of this,” she added.

The tournament is from May 26 through May 28 at its new venue, Constitution Hall in downtown Washington, with 247 contestants competing for a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. Along with bringing in Kimes as host, Scripps is also introducing a new production team led by Michael Davies, who currently serves as executive producer of Jeopardy!