Money

'Jeopardy!’s AMAZIN' champ, Amy Schneider, has been dethroned after a 40-game winning streak, and she's walking away with a huge chunk of change – over 1 million bucks!

Schneider lost to Chicago librarian Rhone Talsma in the Final Jeopardy! category. Talsma nailed the final "Jeopardy!" clue -- Amy just drew a blank and wrote nothing.

The answer: "The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an "H." It's also one of the 10 most populous."

30 seconds, folks ...

WHAT IS BANGLADESH.

Here's the thing. Amy was leading 27,600 to 17,600 going into Final Jeopardy!, but the librarian was in striking distance -- something Amy wasn't used to.  Afterward, Amy said of Talsma, "I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good."

Don't feel too bad for Amy ... she walked away with $1,382,800!!!

Amy made more than her mark on the long-running show. She holds the second-longest consecutive winning streak, behind Ken Jennings. She's the winningest female contestant of all time. She has the 4th largest regular-season cash winnings of all time. And, she's now eligible for the Tourney of Champs this fall.

Amy is also the first openly transgender woman to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. She talked on 'GMA' about the positive impact she's had on the show for all to see ... a "smart, confident woman doing something super normal."

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson certainly aren't cooling off, now attending fancy dinner parties at the home of one of the richest men in the world -- Jeff Bezos.

The bicoastal couple was spotted arriving at Bezos' L.A. estate Tuesday night in Kim's car, where we're told they spent several hours with Jeff.

After the event, our sources say Kim and Pete were seen arriving together at Pete's hotel in Beverly Hills.

Of course, it would appear things are getting pretty serious between Kim and Pete ... they're spending more and more time together -- with Pete almost becoming a regular on the West Coast.

A source with direct knowledge tells us he's been working in L.A. recently, and appears to find any excuse to mix work and play in order to spend the most time with Kim as possible.

Unclear exactly what was discussed at dinner, but Bezos isn't the only heavyweight Kim's been with this week ... she was spotted at Hot & Cool Cafe with Chelsea and Hillary Clinton Monday.

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, was so blown away by the prices of NFC Championship game tickets ... she says she's personally buying a bunch of seats so she can give them away to Rams fans.

Kelly made the announcement on her social media page Wednesday ... encouraging any L.A. fans with good stories to reach out to her so she can start handing out the tix to Sunday's big game versus the 49ers ASAP.

"If you are a hard core rams fan, or just a regular rams fan, a veteran, active in the military, a public servant, etc.," Kelly said, "email me at staffgiveback@gmail.com and tell me your story with some photos attached!"

Kelly -- who married Matthew back in 2015 -- added that she's hoping to give away all the tickets by Thursday night.

It's an awesome gesture ... considering the tickets have reached crazy prices. Even SoFi Stadium nosebleed seats are going for over $500, and seats near the field are selling for thousands.

Kelly, though, is clearly down to help ease that financial burden -- especially because the last time the Niners came into town earlier this month, their fans took over the venue.

Erika just filed docs of her own saying she's totally innocent -- and had no idea where the money to buy the earrings came from 15 years ago. Out of good faith, Erika says she will give the earrings up to a third party to be held until a final order is made.

Erika's attorney, Evan C. Borges, tells TMZ, "Even based on the incomplete hearsay evidence filed with the motion, the trustee has no claim based on Erika innocently receiving a gift of earrings 15 years ago from her now-estranged and then-extraordinarily wealthy husband."

'RHOBH's Erika Jayne might have to surrender $750k worth o' bling -- a bankruptcy trustee is coming for her diamond earrings, claiming Erika's estranged hubby bought 'em with stolen client money.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ ... Tom Girardi bought the ultra-pricey and icy earrings back in 2007 from M&M Jewelers, using money that was in a client trust account at his old law firm Girardi & Keese.

We can't confirm these diamonds Erika was rocking back in 2019 are the ones in question, but they seem to fit the bill.

As for how they ended up in her ears ... the trustee in Girardi & Keese's bankruptcy case alleges Tom hid the transaction by describing the purpose of the check on G&K's Trust Account as a "cost" item paid to "M&M."

So, the trustee is now demanding Erika turn over the earrings to the bankruptcy estate.

As a matter of bankruptcy law, the trustee claims those high-priced diamonds are technically assets of the law firm's bankruptcy estate ... and the trustee can and should sell them to pay back creditors.

The judge hasn't ruled yet, but Erika might wanna box up those babies, just in case.

Cardi B is feeling super grateful to a lot of people now that her libel trial is wrapped up ... and she's also walking away with a lot of money, thanks to the jury.

Cardi spoke out as she was leaving federal court in Atlanta Tuesday ... after a hearing to determine punitive damages in her case against YouTuber Tasha K. As we reported, Cardi won big in the case yesterday -- the jury found Tasha liable for all 3 claims against her for telling several damaging lies about Cardi.

The rapper was flanked by her attorneys as she thanked the jurors for reaching a "fair" decision, and she even thanked the media for encouraging her through the trial. She said reporters helped keep her strong while dealing with the "emotional distress."

She also shouted out her attorneys for nearly 3 years of work on the case.

As we told you ... Cardi was awarded $1.25 mil yesterday, and today she got an additional $1.5 million in punitive damages, plus $1.3 million for her attorney's fees.

Antonio Brown celebrated the demise of Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers in style on Sunday -- partying hard at a Miami nightclub just hours after his former team was booted from the playoffs.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Bucs wideout watched his old squad lose to the Rams in Tampa -- and then he made his way down to Miami to celebrate.

We're told the 33-year-old hit XXIII Club ... and copped around $15,000-worth of bottles while there!!

Brown rocked a huge fur coat ... and was the life of the party at the packed venue -- which, at one point, played his new "Pit Not The Palace" song for the crowd.

Of course, Brown was in great spirits ... because, after all, the team that he says screwed him over earlier this month finally fell in heartbreaking fashion to L.A. earlier on Sunday.

In fact, Brown was so pleased with the result on the field, he trolled Tampa Bay on his social media page with an edited "Bucs eliminated" meme, and later tweeted that Arians was a "barbarian."

It seemed Brown had been moving on from his beef with the Bucs -- remember, he told us recently he and Tom Brady had hashed things out, and said just before that that his shirtless exit from the team was not very professional.

It's next to impossible for pet owners in Hong Kong to get their animals out of the country ... as a result, pet owners in large numbers are chartering private jets for their animals.

Here's the deal ... flights out of Hong Kong are packed to the brim and pet owners can't get dogs and other house pets on board.

Enter Top Stars Air, which has found a niche with group charters for pets.

The owner of the company says pet owners have chartered jets for dogs, cats, hamsters and rabbits. Forget businesspeople ... the target audience now has 4 legs.

A flight from Hong Kong to New York runs $22,000, but plenty of folks have plunked down that kind of loot for their beloved pets.

As for how many ... the owner of Top Stars says business is up 700% since the beginning of the pandemic.

Pet owners in Hong Kong may have reason to fear because the country has some of the most restrictive and in some cases drastic COVID restrictions in the world.

Authorities there have been euthanizing small animals by the thousands over COVID fears.

More than 2,500 hamsters and other small pets have been euthanized after authorities tested a hamster in a pet store that turned up a positive COVID read.

Crazy times.

Kat Von D is saying goodbye to all things California -- she just listed her L.A. mansion, which also happens to be a famous movie location ... TMZ has learned.

Long before Kat moved in, the huge home was featured in the 2003 movie "Cheaper By the Dozen" -- but take a look around this pad ... ain't a damn thing cheap about it!!!

The 3-story, gorgeous crib is 12,565 sq feet with 13 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

Kat paid $6.5 million for it back in 2016 ... and she's put some work and money into the place since then.

We're told she completely restored the Victorian home which some unique features, like a library, hidden bar with hand-carved walls and 7 fireplaces!!!

You know you're living right when your living room has a title -- Kat's is called the 'French Ballroom' -- and one more bonus is the 2-bed, 1-bath carriage house over the garage.

It also has some more commonly seen luxuries ... like a pool and spa.

Jamie Sher of The Sher Group holds the listing.

Kat selling shouldn't come as a surprise -- back in October, she announced she was leaving Cali for good and putting down roots in Indiana.

Amy Schneider is still making gameshow history on "Jeopardy!" ... and she says the best part of her historic run is having the platform to rep the transgender community.

Amy's 38 game winning streak has made her the most successful woman ever on the show ... and that means doing more interviews. Monday on 'GMA,' she opened up about being a "smart, confident woman doing something super normal." We'll take umbrage with her description of her "Jeopardy!" wins as "normal," but you get her point.

Amy said she always knew she could be on the gameshow, but says she wasn't fully prepared for what it meant to be "Jeopardy!" famous.

Following her latest win, she is now neck and neck with Matt Amodio for the game’s second-longest win streak. If she wins on Monday night's episode, she'll be all alone in 2nd place behind only Ken Jennings ... who happens to be hosting during her run.

BTW, Ken has 74 straight wins, so Amy's got a ways to go for the overall crown.

Kanye West's minivan may not come with little juice box holders -- but it's got swivel seats, custom speakers and TVs big enough for a living room -- all tools to get him in dad mode.

Kanye's been spotted whipping around L.A. lately in a 1-of-1 custom luxury Mercedes-Benz van ... less horsepower than the Lamborghinis we usually see him drive, but it still comes with a hefty price tag of more than $400,000!!!

We're told the vans are sold exclusively by RD Whittington, owner of Wires Only in L.A. and Miami.

Ye's version is called Executive Style, seats 7 and features multiple TV screens, fully reclining and swiveling chairs ... as well as a sound system to rival a recording studio.

We've obtained some photos from inside different versions of the van, Kanye's is almost exactly like the one with red leather seats -- but you can see the insane light and interior options that come with these suped-up minivans.

RD will show off more crazy rides on the Jamie Foxx-produced "Million Dollar Wheels" ... which premieres February 21 on Discovery Plus.

When you think about it, Ye's vehicle makes a lot of sense ... he's got 4 kids to drive around AND a new album on the way. So, the available seating and impressive audio setup are a perfect fit for his needs.

We saw Kanye out to grab some ice cream Thursday in the van -- he had a massive smile on his face when a fan told him he was an "awesome dad."

'SNL' took aim at itself Saturday night, poking fun at Pete Davidson and Colin Jost for sinking several hundred thousand dollars into a boat ... and it was hilarious.

It started with Alex Moffat bellying up to the anchor desk, playing his character, "Guy who Just Bought a Boat." Moffat then turned things by intro'ing Pete Davidson as "Guy Who Just Bought a Ferry."

Pete was funny, telling Colin, "We’re boat people now, Colin. I mean, you always were. You look like you own the yacht they rent out for rap videos."

Then, giving a little clue about how this all went down, Colin responded, "It’s very exciting. We thought the whole thing through."

As we reported, Pete and Colin just bought the John F. Kennedy at auction ... it was part of the Staten Island Ferry fleet. They ponied up $280,000 for the vessel, and plan to rehab it ... then turn it into a club that will be docked somewhere in NYC.

Mark Cuban is offering the general public a way to get the healthcare they need at a truly affordable price ... and all it took was a little less corporate greed. Whodathunkit?!?

The Mavs owner/entrepreneur just launched an online pharmacy that sounds too good to be true -- providing more than 100 common generic drugs ... practically at cost. In other words, the medications are significantly cheaper than most anywhere else on the marketplace.

It's called the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company, and it operates as a prescription drug wholesaler ... buying these meds directly from manufacturers, and doesn't gratuitously price hike upon reselling them on his site ... unlike a lot of other pharmaceutical companies.

Now, Mark and co. don't wanna fool anyone -- they are turning a bit of a profit in their endeavor here ... acknowledging upfront there's a 15% markup on their drugs, plus a small pharmacist fee of $3 (and slight shipping costs too). Plus, you gotta pay for their drugs out of pocket.

Still ... it ultimately comes out to a smaller price tag than what you may pay otherwise through your insurance copay or by other means (coupons) at just about any other pill depot.

Also, MC's markup isn't anywhere near the usual 100% (or oftentimes way more) gouging you'll see elsewhere on the market. An example ... imatinib -- a common leukemia treatment -- is being offered through MCCPDC for just $47/mo. ... whereas it normally retails for nearly $10k/mo.

And, get this ... Mark's price is still cheaper than the cheapest option already out there ($120/mo.), so you actually are getting the best deal. Ditto for mesalamine (an ulcerative colitis treatment) and colchicine (gout) ... among dozens and dozens of other generic drugs.

Mark's business model is being as "radically transparent" as possible ... to help as many people as possible, so it's truly a humanitarian effort in spirit.

Don't worry if your medication isn't available on their site just yet either -- Mark says they're working quickly to add a lot more, and are gearing up for the opening of a plant in Dallas to help make this operation run even more smoothly. On its face ... this is pretty incredible.

Adele is super upset over pulling the plug on her Vegas shows, and she offered some of her fans a drink as a token of her gratitude for sticking with her ... but then she quickly took it back. We can explain.

Adele FaceTimed a group of fans who flew to Vegas to watch her kick off her residency Friday night at Caesars Palace. As we reported, Adele put the show on ice for now, because she says half her crew has COVID and certain set pieces haven't arrived ... presumably a supply chain issue.

Well, somehow Adele ended up FaceTiming with a bunch of young fans and offered them a drink token as a token of her appreciation. But, then she realized most were underage so she quickly took it back!

She pivoted and offered them a free gift back at her pop-up store ... which had Adele-emblazoned clothes and other items inside. BTW ... the sweatshirts are priced between $90 and $110 a pop. And, hilariously, she was selling "Cry Your Heart Out" packages of Kleenex.

There's been mixed reaction to Adele postponing her shows. Lots of fans say they understand, but some say Adele should have gone on with the show, even if it was just sitting on a stool and singing, because her voice is why people come.

Lots of people ended up spending a fortune to see the show ... some of the seats cost $12k and even more. There are also hotel and airline expenses.

Julia Fox is scoffing at folks who think she's a clout chaser for dating Kanye West, saying she's so not in it for the fame.

Julia addressed the doubters on her "Forbidden Fruits" podcast Friday, saying she couldn't care less about the attention she's getting.

The "Uncut Gems" star put it this way ... "People are like 'Oh, you're only in it for the fame, you're in it for the clout, you're in it for the money.' Honey, I've dated billionaires my entire adult life, let's keep it real."

Well, dating a billionaire doesn't automatically raise your profile ... but dating Kanye sure does.  But, she goes in hard, saying fame's not her thing anymore.

And, speaking of fame, Julia talked about partying with Ye, Madonna, Antonio Brown, Floyd Mayweather, etc at a restaurant a few days back. She says ... "I was actually supposed to be at dinner for just Madonna and I. All of these other celebs crashed [the party]."

Dana White isn't sweating the contract drama with UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou ... telling TMZ Sports he's been dealing with similar issues for the last 2 decades!

We talked to the UFC honcho before 35-year-old Ngannou faces interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on Saturday ... a fight which The Predator says could be his last with the fight promotion.

Why? Ngannou wants more cash.

We asked Dana where his organization stood with respect to Francis' future.

"I've been in contract drama for 20 years with people. It's part of the business. I honestly don't know where we'll end up after Saturday," White says, adding, "We'll see how the fight goes, we'll see what happens and I'm sure we'll figure it out one way or another."

And, White says personally, everything is cool with him and his champion fighter.

"Francis and I have had our moments over the last several years. I bumped into him at dinner a few weeks ago and we had a good conversation. It was funny because we needed to talk. We needed to see each other and the universe made it happen."

"We'll see how these things play out. I don't blame Francis as much as I blame the not so very smart people that surround him."

Dana is (likely) referring to Ngannou's rep, Marquel Martin ... whom he's feuded with in the past.

As for the actual fight ... Dana tells us they're going to smash the previous gate record (money spent on tickets) at the Honda Center in SoCal.

Chargers owner and chairman Dean Spanos is being sued by his own family ... who accuse Uncle Dean of secretly diverting money meant for them after the team moved from San Diego.

The allegations are spelled out in a lawsuit filed Friday in San Joaquin County, California.

Dean's nephews, Dimitri and Lex Economou -- beneficiaries of the trust that owns a portion of the NFL team -- have accused Spanos of secretly changing the trust, screwing them out of boatloads of money in the process, according to the lawsuit.

According to the suit, here's the deal ... the trust owns 36% of the Chargers. In addition, the trust is also partially funded by revenue from the stadium -- and therein lies the problem.

The Economous' claim Dean convinced the family the move from San Diego to Los Angeles would be lucrative with the building of SoFi Stadium ... the $5+ billion state-of-the-art facilities where the Chargers play.

However, Dimitri and Lex say Dean -- with aid from brother Michael Spanos -- surreptitiously diverted money from the trust ... cutting them off from the stadium-related revenue (ticket sales, etc.).

FYI, Dean's dad, billionaire Alex Spanos, purchased the team in 1984. In 2017, the team moved from San Diego to L.A.

The suit claims Dean and Michael redirected the money while dad Alex and mom Faye -- who both passed in 2018 -- were in "failing health."

The lawsuit doesn't specify an amount ... but we're talking about a team worth nearly $3 BILLION, according to a Forbes report last summer.

While the team has improved on the field and is worth a lot of money, the lawsuit paints a grim financial picture for the Spanos family.

According to the docs, the trust is in major financial trouble ...  and that's been compounded by Dean's alleged misconduct.

Bottom line ... the suing family members want things to go back to the way it was before the changes were instituted. Dimitri and Lex have also asked a judge to remove Dean as the co-trustee of the trust ... and they want monetary damages awarded to them.