One reason Jeopardy! has consistently remained exciting to me for over a decade is the fact you never know what is going to happen when the show hits the TV schedule. Great contestants like James Holzhauer go on lengthy streaks. Sometimes competitors can come from behind and pull a big move in final Jeopardy! Sometimes champs win with just $1 to their names, amongst other unforgettable moments. It’s exciting, but I never saw my hometown being the clue catalyst that ended Jamie Ding’s streak.

Jamie Ding was already one of the biggest Jeopardy! winners of all time when new episodes began airing this week. He was 31 games into his winning streak, and some had already wondered if he might go much further and break Ken Jennings’ record, when contestant Greg Shahade came in, guns blazing. The newcomer landed some doozies during his runaway episode. I found the whole thing entrancing. He absolutely destroyed the reigning Jeopardy! champion from start to finish, but my favorite moment was a reference to the state of Indiana.

Shahade crushing one question about my hometown kind of summed up why he absolutely needed to win. His knowledge about geography was pretty impressive. I grew up in Southern Indiana, Evansville to be specific. I now live two hours away in Missouri and almost no one I encounter has ever heard of the city I grew up in. Most people tend to know Indianapolis and usually Fort Wayne, then would guess places like South Bend (shoutout Notre Dame) or Gary as the third largest. Evansville is significantly larger than both. But Greg Shahade is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a whopping 12-hour drive away, and he guessed the correct city.

We were only four minutes into the episode when this question happened, and at that point Jamie Ding was still sitting fairly comfortably. He was at $3,000 while Katrina and Greg before the question both had $1,200 at that point. It’s worth mentioning the category was “Where There’s A Ville” so that did give a bit of a hint, but the newcomer was quickest to the buzzer.

Directly after this, and what I feel like was a turning point, was when Greg landed on the Daily Double, prompting Ken Jennings to note, “Evansville hooked you up, possibly!” Greg went for the true Daily Double, nabbing the answer “Barton Fink” and pushing him significantly higher than his two competitors. He’d hold the lead through the rest of the game.

Greg ended up with a lot of luck (and skill) in the game, ultimately getting the third daily double a short time after. This second round bonus then put his total over 22,0000, and his streak continued from there.

CinemaBlend’s own Heidi Venable watched the episode live, and was absolutely gutted by the way Jamie Ding handled final Jeopardy when it became clear he couldn’t beat Greg. It was an emotional moment for fans who had been tuning in daily, but I honestly found it comforting that it was such a whupping. Now on his own (still short) streak, there is no doubt Greg Shahade was supposed to win that game, and I’m still a little startled it really all kicked up a notch with a little clue about my hometown, and the university my own mother attended many years ago. It's one of the reasons the show remains the GOAT of game shows.

This story contains spoilers for Jeopardy! Masters Season 3, which is available to stream in full with a Hulu subscription if you’re not caught up.

Tournament season on Jeopardy! has officially come to an end on the 2025 TV schedule, as the champion of Jeopardy! Masters was crowned. Yogesh Raut bested last year’s champ Victoria Groce and JIT runner-up Juveria Zaheer to claim the Season 3 trophy (and $500,000), and even though Raut didn’t have to compete against James Holzhauer this time around, the former champ was still on Raut’s mind, as he recalled the advice — and pretty great compliment — Holzhauer previously gave him.

Through three seasons, Jeopardy! Masters has crowned three different winners, who just happen to be the three finalists from Season 2 — James Holzhauer, Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut. Since the conclusion of the latest season, Raut has been using Facebook to give in-depth commentary about his experience, and he recalled how one of his favorite memories from last season came full circle this year:

That’s kind of exactly the reaction I’d expect from the Jeopardy! villain and Ken Jennings foe. Yogesh Raut continued:

Wow, that’s an incredibly generous sentiment for James Holzhauer to relay to the 2024 Tournament of Champions winner, especially considering Holzhauer once tried to get Yogesh Raut banned from Jeopardy! for life.

Raut may say he hasn’t fully taken Holzhauer’s advice on throwing his weight around, but he did invoke the champion when it came time to take photos after this season’s Masters wrapped, as he said:

James Hozhauer chose to sit out this tournament season, which is allegedly how Brad Rutter came to be on Jeopardy! Masters. But the Las Vegas sports gambler — one of Jeopardy!’s biggest winners ever — has made his mark on the game, and Yogesh Raut recalled another moment when his name came up. Referencing the sickest burn in the quiz show’s history from the 2020 Greatest of All Time Tournament, Raut wrote of the Jeopardy! Masters’ two-game final:

I love that Yogesh Raut was considerate of Juveria Zaheer’s feelings in that moment, and given how close the two seemed to become, I can see why he wouldn’t want his joke to be twisted by Jeopardy! fans into a slight at his buddy. However, he continued:

I did go back to the moment he was talking about, and sure enough, as Ken Jennings prepares to announce the Game 2 “Jeopardy!” categories, Yogesh Raut says something to Juveria Zaheer, points to what was likely the scoreboard, and then laughs.

We may not have been able to hear the joke, but I’m glad that moment was inadvertently captured anyway.

Only time will tell if we’ll see James Holzhauer return to the Alex Trebek Stage. Yogesh Raut (along with Victoria Groce and Juveria Zaheer) will receive an automatic invitation to Masters Season 4, and I’d love to see these Jeopardy! giants go head-to-head again.

When Jeopardy! Masters hit the 2025 TV schedule last week, longtime fans were stoked to see Brad Rutter — the biggest winner in Jeopardy! history — return to the Alex Trebek Stage. After he turned down offers to appear in the JIT for the past couple of years, this was Rutter’s first time behind the podium since Ken Jennings beat him in 2020’s GOAT Tournament, and apparently we have their fellow GOAT contestant James Holzhauer to thank for bringing these old rivals face-to-face.

The three finalists from last year’s Masters — Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut and James Holzhauer — were among the nine invited to compete on the third season of the elite tournament on ABC (and streaming with a Hulu subscription). However, much to my enormous dismay, Holzhauer was missing from the lineup. As executive producer Michael Davies explained in a behind-the-scenes blog:

I had no idea it was actually James Holzhauer’s idea to get Brad Rutter to come out of his five-year hiatus, and I’m so grateful that he did. (In a perfect world, we would have had them both, since they have Jeopardy! beef as well, but I digress.)

Jeopardy! greats Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter have shared the stage several times as competitors, including when Rutter beat the would-be host in the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, when they were both beat by IBM’s Watson in 2011, when Rutter bested Jennings in the 2014’s Battle of the Decades, and when Team Brad beat Team Ken in Jeopardy! All-Star Games in 2019. Michael Davies continued:

When you look at how many times Brad Rutter has come out on top of Ken Jennings over the years, it’s no wonder Jennings has been ducking a GOAT rematch. In fact, it wasn’t until 2020’s Greatest of All Time Tournament that Jennings finally got revenge on his richer but less-famous counterpart. He won the first game, becoming the first human to ever beat Rutter, with James Holzhauer taking Game 2, then Jennings finishing the best-of-3 series with victories in Games 3 and 4.

I absolutely loved seeing these two come together again, and you can tell Brad Rutter’s ready to reignite the friendly rivalry, as he gave Ken Jennings hell for bringing up the 2020 tournament and said he planned to “make fun of” the host a bit while he’s there.

It may have been Brad Rutter’s first game in five years, but Michael Davies certainly didn’t ease him back into the competition upon his long-awaited return. Rutter was immediately pitted against last year’s Masters champ Victoria Groce (complete with green jacket) and runner-up Yogesh Raut. Rutter struggled on the buzzer, which isn’t really a surprise, and he finished in third place for no match points.

I’m still happy to have him back on the Alex Trebek Stage, especially reuniting with Ken Jennings. I do wish James Holzhauer was there with them, but I will just remain grateful that the game show villain decided to use his powers (and his absence) for good this time around.

Jeopardy! Masters continues at 9 p.m. ET Wednesdays on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.

The feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has a long history that’s taken some entertaining turns lately (including the rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You being used in a response). Never to be outdone, however, Jeopardy! Masters star James Holzhauer is kindly reminding people that brutal beefs can also play out on the stage of classic quiz shows, as he shared one of the sickest burns in Jeopardy! history in response to a social media commentary about diss tracks.

One X (Twitter) user's musing about beef between people in the music industry caught the eye of the self-proclaimed “final boss” of the quiz show world James Holzhauer this week. In response to the sentiment that feuds such as the one between Kendrick Lamar and Drake don’t work in other genres, one of Jeopardy!’s biggest winners had the best response, posting: 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why James Holzhauer is THE resident troll of Jeopardy! This absolute demolishing of Brad Rutter came during 2020’s Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, which pit the 2019 Tournament of Champions winner (who holds every spot in the Top 10 of single-game winnings) against Ken Jennings — record-holder of most consecutive games won — and Rutter, who has earned more money than any other Jeopardy! champion.

In the clip, the trio was about to begin a new game, with Ken Jennings leading the way with previous winnings of 65,600 points. James Holzhauer trailed with 34,181, and Brad Rutter unfortunately had no points. When Alex Trebek — one of the greatest game show hosts of all time — reset the scores, Rutter’s obviously stayed the same, leading Holzhauer to jokingly whine: 

That truly is as harsh as any diss track I’ve ever heard, and the audience reacted like they’d just witnessed a mic drop at a rap battle. Ken Jennings doubled over in laughter before proclaiming, “Wow!” and poor Brad Rutter could do nothing but smile through the pain. Alex Trebek said it best with his response: 

James Holzhauer can talk a good game, but Ken Jennings bested him in the GOAT Tournament, creating a friendly rivalry between the two. Holzhauer has been gunning for a rematch ever since, but according to Jennings that’s unlikely to happen, as the current-day host isn’t pressing his luck after saying he thinks he “got some breaks” in that tournament against his contemporaries.

Although The Chase star has actually been known to give sweet advice to his fellow contestants, he’s still taken playful shots at Jeopardy! and its players over the years. The game show’s plan for continuing through the entertainment industry strikes led to some of that signature James Holzhauer snark, and the hosting debacle that followed Alex Trebek’s death has been a rich source of comedy for the Las Vegas sports gambler.

James Holzhauer had jokes about Wheel of Fortune so easily replacing outgoing host Pat Sajak. He also trolled his competition in last year’s Jeopardy! Masters by quoting a Brad Pitt movie, and he couldn’t even get through a congratulatory message to Amy Schneider without dragging Brad Rutter (again) and Ken Jennings a little.

You can see how the beef between James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings continues to develop — and if there will be any shots fired that are as brutal as the one against Brad Rutter in the GOAT Tournament — as Jeopardy! Masters continues at 8 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ABC. Be sure to see what else is premiering soon with our 2024 TV schedule.  

Following its holiday break, Celebrity Jeopardy! will return with a trio of semifinal games that will then lead into the big Season 2 finale on January 23, 2024, with nine famous contestants like Steven Weber still vying for the grand prize. During that hiatus, the syndicated version of the vaunted game show dropped  the bombshell that Mayim Bialik isn’t returning as co-host, with Ken Jennings set to continue on as the trivia ship’s sole skipper.

CinemaBlend chatted up Jeopardy! champ-turned-emcee Ken Jennings about the back half of Celebrity Jeopardy!’s second season — as seen above —- but I was first able to get his thoughts on the big promotion. When I asked if the public announcement about his and Bialik’s respective futures regarding the show came as a surprise at all, Jennings confirmed it was all indeed unexpected, saying:

As Jeopardy!'s public-facing side, Ken Jennings isn't as involved behind the scenes on that level as fans might think, with hosting decisions falling on the shoulders of the show's producers and studio execs. So while he's obviously as hopeful as anyone that his tenure as host continues long into the future, it's not exactly his call. 

So whatever the alleged reasons for Mayim Bialik leaving Jeopardy! may be, Jennings still has only good things to say about her and their unprecedented stint as dual hosts. For all that they shared the title for more than a year, their paths rarely crossed behind the scenes, though they did compete against each other on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. 

In any case, Ken Jennings is definitely grateful to continue leading one of his lifelong pop culture loves, and he's currently in no danger of losing his #2 spot on the list of Jeopardy!'s biggest winners of all time. Much to the presumed chagrin of Jennings'  "villainous" rival James Holzhauer.

Ken Jennings On Possibility Of Seeing James Holzhauer On Celebrity Jeopardy 

Speaking of The Chase co-genius James Holzhauer (who is #3 on the aforementioned list of former champions), I'd previously wondered if the Las Vegas millionaire's current zeitgeist status might ever land him on a future season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, assuming executive producer Michael Davies would be sneaky enough to invite him. So since I was already talking to Ken Jennings, I got his take on whether that could ever be a reality, and his answer convinced me it should never happen. In his words:

It's the kind of idea that I'll admit sounded way more practical in my head before I said it out loud. Of course it would be a ridiculous idea to invite one of Jeopardy!'s least incorrect players onto the celebrity-fueled spinoff. Barring some highly unexpected situations, his games would be too easily predictable, without many go-to options who may feasibly best him.

Maybe the better idea would be to have Holzhauer return to face off against the first two Celebrity Jeopardy! winners, as opposed to having him go through the tournament himself. But even that might be too one-sided. 

Jennings offered another analogy - one involving sports, which can often be Kryptonite for players - before summing things up in a complimentary way:

I do still wonder if it's possible we'll see any other former Jeoaprdy! champs popping up on the celebrity version, even if they're not quite as seasoned as James Holzhauer. It's all about the charities!

Celebrity Jeopardy! will return for an exciting round of semifinals on Tuesday, January 2, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.

Jeopardy! has been one the most beloved game shows in America for decades, and ever since the five-game limit was lifted in 2003, the viewing experience has only improved for its loyal viewers. This almost immediately created the first Jeopardy! super champion in Ken Jennings, when he went on his 74-game winning streak in 2004, giving us a character to cheer for (or against, if you prefer the underdog). But every hero story needs a villain, so say hello to James Holzhauer.

What Ken Jennings did with longevity on Jeopardy!, James Holzhauer did with big single-game wins. The Las Vegas sports gambler became known for his big bets, jumping around the board to snatch up the Daily Doubles. Both are undisputed masters of the quiz show, so is that why they seem to have such a heated rivalry? Jennings clarified how he and Holzhauer really feel about each other on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, where the GOAT said: 

James Holzhauer certainly plays up his game show villainy, particularly where Ken Jennings is concerned, and It’s been that way since the two shared the stage with the biggest winner in Jeopardy! history, Brad Rutter, for the 2020 GOAT Tournament. Jennings came out on top — though he humbly maintains he “got some breaks” — and has been ducking a rematch ever since, at least according to the professional gambler.

Smack talk alone isn’t going to get you very far on Jeopardy!, though, so James Holzhauer also has to dominate where it counts — in the game — and he has definitely done that. The Las Vegas resident won both the 2019 Tournament of Champions and the inaugural Jeopardy! Masters tournament earlier this year (where he continued to troll Jennings). His intimidating style of play contributes to that villain persona, and Jennings explained why Holzhauer’s strategy works: 

James Holzhauer wasn’t convinced his technique had actually changed Jeopardy! back in 2019, but given that Ken Jennings had to adopt that aggressive play style in the GOAT Tournament just to have a shot at keeping up is pretty compelling evidence that he did.

The villainy may be strong when the game is involved, but outside of competition, as Ken Jennings said, James Holzhauer isn’t really the heel he portrays on Jeopardy! and The Chase. According to his fellow Jeopardy! Masters contestant Andrew He, Holzhauer actually gives some pretty good parenting advice too.

We should see James Holzhauer back for the second Jeopardy! Masters tournament (expected in 2024), but until then, check your local listings to find the quiz show in syndication, and catch Season 2 of Celebrity Jeopardy! at 8 p.m. ET Wednesdays on ABC. 

Though it initially seemed as if the WGA writers strike would perhaps justifiably cause Jeopardy! to stall production on future episodes, which has been the case for most TV series that rely on staffed Guild members, the latest installment of the Inside Jeopardy podcast revealed that won’t be the case at all. Rather, Season 40 will indeed be moving forward, albeit on a different path than originally planned, and the G.O.A.T.-hunting past champ James Holzhauer delivered some of his signature snark in response to the news. 

On Monday, August 7, Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies broke the news that the upcoming season will bring about some big changes, including the mixed usage of both new and past clues, with the caveat being that no brand new contestants will be used. After the news broke, James Holzhauer hit up X with the following breakdown: 

I feel like even Davies and Inside Jeopardy’s host Sarah Foss would have to chuckle in retrospect at Holzhauer’s observation, even though nothing that’s stated is inherently jokey in terms of being exaggerated or falsified. He just very clearly pointed out that the show’s ringleader spent a limited amount of time raining praise down on the striking writers, and then a far longer stretch detailing exactly how the new episodes will come together without any of those writers being involved. 

Would it have been weird if Michael Davies spent 14 minutes speaking to the writers’ strengths, and then only 1 minute going over the show’s changes? Yes, perhaps, but still not unwelcomed. I suppose one could look at the situation like this: “Using older, previously seen clues is actually honoring the wit and intelligence of current and past writers, and it’s a testament to just how many clues have been crafted over the past 29 years.” But I’m guessing Holzhauer and some/many of the writers may have different views.

While he’s apparently good for parenting advice in a pinch, James Holzhauer has embraced his role as the closest thing Jeopardy! has to a shit-talking troll, though his potshots at the game show are usually free from malice and outright spite. His relationship with the show’s crew and Ken Jennings is, by all accounts, quite amicable, so it’s not like he’s biting the hand that feeds with comments like this. It’s more like he’s ribbing the hand that is willing to feed him whenever his schedule allows for it. Not a bad place to be. 

Speaking of good-natured ribbing, Holzhauer also posted recently about a chance encounter with a fan who didn’t need any help in unwittingly roasting fellow Jeopardy! mega-champ Matt Amodio, who has notably competed in games hosted by seven different people, though that viewer apparently missed all of them.

Audiences can catch James Holzhauer continuing to show off his immense trivia knowledge on ABC’s The Chase, which airs new episodes every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET, and is available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.

James Holzhauer has made a name for himself as a game show villain. Before taking his reputation to The Chase, Holzhauer dominated his run on Jeopardy! in 2019, possibly changing the game as he racked up 32 wins and claimed every single spot in the Top 10 of single-game winnings. But according to fellow Jeopardy! Masters contestant Andrew He, it’s not just trivia that the professional sports gambler is great at, as He recalled receiving the best parenting advice from the super-champ.

The self-proclaimed game show villain sits at No. 3 on the list of biggest winners in Jeopardy! history, as his victory on Jeopardy! Masters took him to over $3.4 million won on the show. Andrew He spoke on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast about meeting the legend in real life, and the contestant recalled the sweet advice James Holzhauer gave him after He’s partner went into early labor in the middle of shooting the tournament. He said: 

That is really good advice, because when you’re a new parent, well-meaning advice tends to come at you from all sides, and in my experience at least, it can be overwhelming to feel like everybody’s got it figured out but you. Andrew He also recalled what it was like to get the message that he was about to become a father: 

James Holzhauer and Andrew He’s other fellow contestants immediately pushed to halt production so that He could get home to his partner, telling the father-to-be that the show couldn’t force him to continue filming. That didn’t turn out to be an issue, as producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss added that “it was unanimous from everyone” that the priority became getting He home as quickly as possible. 

Andrew He confirmed that he made it in plenty of time, thanks to the people at Jeopardy! who “moved mountains” to get him back. Jeopardy! Masters didn’t resume filming for about six weeks, Sarah Foss said — which possibly contributed to Ken Jennings confusing a contestant on the syndicated show with James Holzhauer (twice) — and when it did, He provided fans with an unexpected announcement, saying on the show:

You can watch James Holzhauer and Andrew He’s journeys on Jeopardy! Masters, as ABC is re-airing the tournament starting at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 25. All episodes are also available for streaming with a Hulu subscription. Check your local listings to see when the syndicated episodes of Jeopardy! play in your area.  

Fans may have strong opinions when it comes to Ken Jennings vs. Mayim Bialik as their preferred Jeopardy! host, but the quiz show master is involved in a different rivalry that’s been brewing for even longer. Self-described game show villain James Holzhauer has been gunning for Jennings since 2020, when the now-host defeated him and Brad Rutter to be named the official Jeopardy! GOAT. It seems Holzhauer’s tactics might be getting to Jennings, too, as producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss revealed two amusing blunders from a recent episode that seem to prove the villain lives rent-free in the host’s head.

On the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Sarah Whitcomb Foss said that due to a wild production schedule, the final episodes of Jeopardy! Masters — which aired in May — were actually taped in the same week as the syndicated episodes that ran last week, in mid-July. James Holzhauer took home the Trebek Trophy and $500,000 prize, but not before sending a pointed message to Ken Jennings to “stop ducking a rematch.” Foss relayed the Freudian slip that followed, when Jennings flubbed contestant Justin White’s name — twice! She said: 

I mean, if you were ever going to have somebody to tap in for you on Jeopardy!, who better than James Holzhauer? I would have let Ken Jennings go ahead and complete that trifecta! It’s actually not hard to see The Chase star as Michael Keaton’s infamous mischievous ghost, and podcast co-host Buzzy Cohen even suggested that Holzhauer should declare, “It’s showtime!” when he returns for Jeopardy! Masters' second season.

It’s pretty hilarious to think that Ken Jennings would be intimidated by any other Jeopardy! winner, even if James Holzhauer is also right up there with Jennings as one of the biggest winners in Jeopardy! history. But Jennings has had no qualms in admitting that he thinks he “got some breaks” in the GOAT tournament, and because he’s sure the self-proclaimed villain wouldn’t let that happen again, there “ain’t gonna be no rematch.”

James Holzhauer may not be getting his rematch, but I imagine he’s taking some joy in knowing just how much he’s gotten in the head of the Greatest Of All Time. The professional sports gambler has made it a point at seemingly every opportunity to troll his rival, even when congratulating Amy Schneider on her historic run. 

He’s also been plenty vocal about the quiz show’s infamous hosting brouhaha, joking that The Chase should “jerk around the audience” with a different host every week, as Jeopardy! did following Alex Trebek’s death. He was at it again recently, when Wheel of Fortune seemingly avoided similar drama by appointing Ryan Seacrest as Pat Sajak’s successor a full season before the longtime host retires.

If you want to see James Holzhauer in action on Jeopardy! Masters, ABC is re-airing the tournament starting Tuesday, July 25, at 9 p.m. ET. All episodes are also available to stream with a Hulu subscription. 

The realm of TV trivia was shaken up significantly recently when longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak announced that he was retiring from the game show. It marks the end of an era, just a few years after the death of longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. Just over two weeks after Sajak’s retirement was revealed, American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest was named the new host. It was a very quick turnaround compared to how Jeopardy handled the task of finding a new host, and former champ James Holzhauer cracked a pretty great joke about it.

How well Ryan Seacrest will do as new host of Wheel of Fortune (particularly in light of the fact that Vanna White’s future is uncertain) remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that there was a lot less fuss in finding Pat Sajak’s successor compared to Jeopardy in the wake of Alex Trebek’s death. James Holzhauer, whose strategy turned him into a history-making champion of the show, didn’t let his Jeopardy and Jeopardy Masters success stop him from finding a funny side of the situation:

Anybody who paid attention to the search for a new Jeopardy host may be flashing back to the show’s string of guest hosts who seemed to be auditioning for the new top job in the wake of Trebek’s death, with fans picking their favorites and a passionate campaign for LeVar Burton. Then, despite not being famous, Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards was announced as the new permanent host. 

If the name “Mike Richards” doesn’t ring a bell, that’s probably because his stint as permanent host was very short in the wake of scandals being uncovered about his past. James Holzhauer actually blasted Mike Richard after he was ousted in a series of social media posts in 2021, and then took a hilarious shot at Jeopardy’s host situation later when hosting The Chase. Mike Richards was actually cut from Wheel of Fortune as well as Jeopardy, as he had been an executive producer on Pat Sajak’s show.

So far, Ryan Seacrest being named the successor to Sajak has been going much more smoothly than what went down on Jeopardy, although there were plenty of jokes from fans about the news after it was announced. There is some uncertainty about Vanna White’s role, as she has hired a lawyer with reports circulating that she hasn’t received a raise in nearly two decades and is seeking a salary increase. 

The transition from Sajak to Seacrest would undoubtedly be smoother with White still handling the letters on the board, so hopefully she gets the long-awaited raise she’s reportedly seeking and will be joining forces with the new host once the switch happens. As for whether James Holzhauer will have more to say on the subject… well, I wouldn’t rule it out if it gets messier! 

James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings are two of the greatest champions in Jeopardy!’s history, and in recent years they’ve formed a bit of a rivalry. This rivalry is mostly fueled by the self-proclaimed game show villain, particularly since the now-host of Jeopardy! defeated Holzhauer and Brad Rutter in the first and so-far only Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament in 2020. Despite his recent victory on Jeopardy! Masters, Holzhauer continues to hound Jennings about a rematch, and he recently spoke out about the GOAT’s refusal, while also revealing he thinks there’s another super-champ who could compete on Jennings’ level.

The idea of a rematch between Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer came up during Jeopardy! Masters, when the contestant used his Final Jeopardy response to call out the host for “ducking a rematch.” Jennings didn’t dispute the accusation, joking about how hard he worked to become a host so he wouldn’t have to face Holzhauer again. 

Yet, the sports gambler from Las Vegas isn’t buying the modesty, as he told TV Insider: 

Technically, the Jeopardy! rules wouldn’t allow it. Once someone serves as a host for the game show, they are banned from participating as a contestant to rule out any unfair advantages. However, executive producer Michael Davies has conceded that if Ken Jennings wanted to compete again, he doesn’t think he would “close the door” on that possibility. 

Ken Jennings, however, has made his feelings on the matter quite clear, telling the Deseret News: 

James Holzhauer, meanwhile, may have found another worthy opponent in Jeopardy! Masters runner-up Mattea Roach. The Chase villain heaped praise on the 24-year-old Canadian following their battles in the tournament, comparing Roach’s level of play with Ken Jennings’ and saying they could take on the GOAT:  

As the three finalists of Jeopardy! Masters, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio will all be invited to next year’s tournament, so we may see them go head-to-head again. Ken Jennings, however, seems happy where he is.

Check your local listings to see when to catch Jeopardy! in syndication in your area, and keep an eye on the 2023 TV schedule for upcoming primetime tournaments. 

Updated with video.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Jeopardy! Masters episode that aired on Tuesday, May 16th. Read at your own risk!

James Holzhauer came to play in the Jeopardy! Masters tournament and hasn't lost an ounce of the confidence that he earned during his original run on Jeopardy. He had something to say with his latest win, but this time, it wasn't a message to Ken Jennings. Instead, Holzhauer decided to channel a famous movie starring Brad Pitt and even showcased some acting chops in ABC's primetime event. 

So, did he recite a line from Fight Club or maybe even Ocean's Eleven? The latter would be a great choice considering that James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! strategy is rooted in his experience as a professional gambler, but that's not what he went with. Instead, he went with this classic line from Troy, which he quoted with a Jeopardy! twist:

Hey, when you're capping off the night with yet another score so high that the best of the best can't come close to it, I understand the confidence. Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio managed to take both Daily Doubles from James Holzhauer in their game, but neither had a chance at beating him when they got to Final Jeopardy. 

For those who haven't seen Troy, some context may drive home James Holzhauer's wild Jeopardy! Masters moment better. Check out the scene below and the line uttered by Brad Pitt's Achilles after easily killing a fearsome warrior:

It's like I'm rewatching James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! Masters moment with my Hulu subscription! Jokes aside, one can't help but wonder if Holzhauer is setting himself up for a tremendous fall with his Achilles-level confidence. He may be in first place in the round-robin tournament, but Andrew He is right behind him and still capable of taking first should Holzhauer lose a round. 

The question is, will James Holzhauer lose a round? He's still undefeated so far, and it's looking more and more likely that the only person who could beat him is the one asking questions at the host's podium. Apparently, the rules dictate that Ken Jennings can't play Jeopardy! again, though a producer has hinted the rules are flexible depending on the circumstances. 

The current standings of Jeopardy! Masters have James Holzhauer in first with fifteen points. Andrew He is in second with twelve, Mattea Roach is in third with eight, and Matt Amodio is in fourth with six. Amy Schneider has five points, and Sam Buttrey has two. Schneider and Buttrey face elimination ahead of the semi-finals, though Schneider could swap spots with Amodio with a win on Wednesday and advance. 

Jeopardy! Masters rages on over at ABC on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Right now, this competition is still James Holzhauer's to lose, but who knows what will come in the next few days that might humble the prolific champion a bit? 

The Jeopardy! Masters tournament is underway and, once again, one of Jeopardy!'s biggest winners is on a tear again. James Holzhauer reminded viewers why he's still one of the biggest names in the game by delivering an absolutely dominating performance, but he didn't stop there. In what may have been the ultimate flex, he sent a message to host Ken Jennings in the Final Jeopardy segment. 

On the first night of Masters, James Holzhauer won his game and bested fellow notable contestants Sam Buttrey and Mattea Roach. Holzhauer's strategy of winning big by finding all Daily Doubles and doubling his score paid off in the game. Ultimately, it became mathematically impossible for Buttrey and Roach to outscore his 40,800 in the Final category. It was classic Holzhauer and a performance that those with a Hulu subscription should go check out if they missed it.  

With the lead secured, the professional sports gambler-turned-game show phenom decided he'd take an opportunity to troll Ken Jennings in the best possible way -- by calling him out in his answer. You can see exactly what he did by taking a look at the image below: 

James Holzhauer's response, "Stop ducking a rematch, Ken," along with his quip that writing "ducking" was an autocorrect mistake, elicited a laugh from Ken Jennings himself. It seems that Holzhauer is hunting for a rematch with the "GOAT" of Jeopardy after Jennings  "got some breaks" and bested Holzhauer and Brad Rutter back in 2020. Jennings prepared for Holzhauer ahead of that GOAT tournament by watching the program and fine-tuning his buzzer timing. In doing so, he also employed the cadence of the late Alex Trebek. 

As far as whether or not they'll ever square off again, Ken Jennings played off the comment as best he could. The part-time host of Jeopardy! teased his former opponent that he actually acquired the gig so that he wouldn't have to face him again:

It actually is established in the Jeopardy! rules that Ken Jennings cannot play the game again due to his hosting duties. Rules are meant to be broken, though, and executive producer Michael Davies previously hinted that if Jennings really wanted to return to play, the show might allow it. So could the trash talker get producers talking about a rematch between them if he wins the Masters tournament? 

James Holzhauer will have to win first, and after the initial night, he was technically in second place. Andrew He beat Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio in the debut game of the night and was awarded three points -- the same as Holzhauer after his victory. Ken Jennings explained, however, that because He had more correct answers than Holzhauer, he was technically the first-place holder after the first episode. Holzhauer and He will square off against each other on the second night, which will provide more substantial footing for the leader. 

As entertaining as Jeopardy! Masters is, the quest to crown the best of the best does feel a bit hollow without Ken Jennings in the mix. Sure, having him as host is a great perk, and there's no denying he already solidified himself as the GOAT years ago. Of course, fans surely still want to see if he can beat James Holzhauer again and as a result, determine whether his claim as the best is waning.

Continue to follow the contestants in the Jeopardy! Masters tournament on ABC. The competition will continue over the course of three weeks and air weeknights at 8:00 p.m. ET, with some gaps in days here and there. I can't wait to see who wins and whether another challenge is issued to Ken Jennings.

Jeopardy! is held in high esteem by its fans and former players, and there’s proven to be little tolerance for those deemed to not show the game a proper amount of respect. So it’s no surprise that former three-day champion Yogesh Raut came under fire for absolutely decimating the show in an epic social media rant, after fans accused him of bad sportsmanship following his loss. James Holzhauer had strong feelings about the situation — as did executive producer Michael Davies — with the super-champ calling for a “lifetime ban” of Raut. Let’s break down this latest Jeopardy! drama: 

Yogesh Raut Calls Out Jeopardy! In Multiple Facebook Rants 

Yogesh Raut, who is apparently a well-known name among the quizzing community, appeared on Jeopardy! beginning January 11, winning $96,403 in three victories before getting beat. Raut rubbed some viewers the wrong way with his confidence, and he was accused of being a sore loser after some thought he refused to congratulate Katie Palumbo after she beat him in his fourth game. 

The podcaster from Springfield, Illinois, posted several since-deleted Facebook rants over the course of several days, in which he called Jeopardy!  “a glorified reality show” and said (per the New York Post): 

He furthered those sentiments in other posts, arguing that Jeopardy! is merely entertainment and not relevant in the larger quizzing community. He wrote: 

His issue seemed to be more with the seriousness that Jeopardy!’s fans have for the game than the show itself, as he said several times that his experience on the show was fine. He simply said Jeopardy! doesn’t deserve to be on the pedestal viewers put it on, writing: 

That was just a fraction of what Yogesh Raut had to say, and it’s not hard to see how the game show’s staunch defenders would take issue with such harsh criticisms. 

James Holzhauer Calls For Lifetime Ban

One person who was quick to defend Jeopardy! was James Holzhauer, one of the biggest winners in Jeopardy! history with nearly $3 million acquired since he made his initial appearance in 2019. The professional sports gambler has never been one to hold back when he’s got an opinion on something, and he made a pretty serious suggestion in response to Yogesh Raut’s rants. Holzhauer tweeted: 

Given how much money James Holzhauer has earned as a Jeopardy! champion, and the opportunities it has afforded him — he is now a member of another trivia game show, The Chase  — one can see how he might take issue with a fellow champion biting the hand that feeds, so to speak. Raut did win almost $100,000 after all.

James Holzhauer himself, however, hasn't always had complimentary things to say about the show. While it's clear he has much respect for the game, he was vocally critical of disgraced former executive producer Mike Richards and the show’s sloppy search for a permanent host to replace the late Alex Trebek. 

Michael Davies Responds To Controversy Surrounding Yogesh Raut 

Michael Davies, the EP who came in following Mike Richards’ removal, has even addressed the situation with Yogesh Raut, saying that he liked that Raut defended himself against social media attacks. As far as the contestant’s controversial views on Jeopardy!’s relevance, Davies said on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast: 

While he said he does think Jeopardy! serves a “very important public need,” Michael Davies went on to say that he would never want to silence a player who felt the need to defend himself, even saying he felt bad the show doesn’t do more to prepare its contestants for the challenges they may face in regards to social media. He continued: 

In regards to a lifetime ban, Michael Davies added that he enjoys a character like Raut and said, “players of that quality will always be welcome on the Alex Trebek Stage.” 

Longtime Jeopardy! producer Sarah Foss doubled down on Michael Davies' words, pointing out that with Yogesh Raut being considered the "best of the best," in the quizzing community, as well as a repeat champ with a high earnings total, it's not out of the question that Raut could be invited back. She didn't address James Holzhauer's request directly, but she did note that if Raut would return to Jeopardy!:

While it doesn’t sound like James Holzhauer is going to see justice served the way he wishes, it would make for some pretty interesting television if he and Yogesh Raut faced off sometime in the future! In the meantime, check your local listings to see when to catch Jeopardy! in your area, and also take a peek at our 2023 TV schedule to see what premieres are headed our way soon.

It's pretty amazing to think back to all of the big names Jeopardy! has produced in the past four decades as arguably the best game show ever. It's even more exciting to know the list of Jeopardy!'s biggest winners is always at risk of changing. You never know — the next Ken Jennings or James Holzhauer could be competing right now on the 2026 TV schedule.

So who has won the most money on Jeopardy!'? Is anyone close to nabbing a spot on the Leaderboard of Legends? In this story we'll look at:

• Superchamp Caleb Groen's Run
• Jamie Ding’s Historic Run
• 2027 Tournament of Champions Qualifiers
• Top 10 All-Time Winnings
• Top 10 Highest Winnings - Regular Season
• Top 10 Single-Game Winnings
• Top 10 Consecutive Games Won

Superchampion Caleb Groen's Run

Caleb Groen's run as Season 42's fifth superchampion came to an end Monday, July 20, 2026, after compiling $346,968 in 12 victories.

The defeat was a shock, as most of the law and policy student's wins came in runaway fashion. In his time on Jeopardy!, however, he accomplished something only five other people in the quiz show's history have (per The Jeopardy! Fan), earning $60,000 or more at least twice. With his two big-money wins, he joins James Holzhauer (21), Matt Amodio (5), Amy Schneider (3), and Austin Rogers (2).

That's pretty good company, and we'll be seeing Caleb Groen again soon, as he's headed for the 2027 Tournament of Champions.

Jamie Ding - Where Does He Stand In The Record Books?

Jamie Ding's 31-win run came to an end April 27, 2026, after earning $882,605. The orange-loving law student and bureaucrat from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, secured his place in the record books during his impressive run. Where did he land in comparison to the other Jeopardy! greats? Ding worked his way into three of the quiz show's four Top 10 records lists, including longest win streak. In fact, some thought Jamie Ding might be the one to break Ken Jennings' record of 74 wins.

Here's where he stood at the end of his streak:

• With $882,605, Jamie Ding holds 7th place in All-Time Winnings on Jeopardy!. He'll have the chance to add to this total when he competes in the 2027 Tournament of Champions.
• Ding's final total is good for 5th place in Highest Winnings, which counts only regular-season earnings, outside of tournaments.
• With 31 victories, Jamie Ding is No. 5 in Consecutive Games Won.

2027 Tournament Of Champions Qualifiers

A contestant on Jeopardy! officially qualifies for the Tournament of Champions after five victories, but the field can be rounded out by players with fewer wins, as determined by producers.

Below are the contestants eligible for the 2027 Tournament of Champions, per Jeopardy!'s postseason tracker, which notes that one's presence on this list does not guarantee an invitation to compete in the TOC.

Top 10 All-Time Winnings

A Note About The Totals 

The winnings attributed to the top 10 winners of all time on Jeopardy! include everything they won as a contestant on the standard game as well as in various tournaments. However, the official Jeopardy! totals do not include consolation prizes (which are sometimes significant amounts of money), so those have been noted separately on this list. Here are the winningest Jeopardy! contestants of all time:

10. David Madden ($763,733) 

David Madden, an art historian from Ridgewood, New Jersey, earned cash winnings totaling $430,400 in 2005. Following his 19-day run on the show, he also split the $1 million prize for being part of the 2019 All-Star team that included Larissa Kelly and Brad Rutter, for an additional $333,333. Not included in the official total are $10K from the 2024 JIT, the $10K consolation prize from his Tournament of Champions, and the $2,000 consolation from the loss in his 20th game. In total, Madden took home $785,733.

9. Victoria Groce ($772,801)

Victoria Groce made her initial appearance on Jeopardy! back in 2005, when she won just a single game and earned $22,801. What was notable about the appearance, however, was that she was the player who ended the 19-game win streak of David Madden. Because of that and her continued success in the world of trivia — she appears with other Jeopardy! alums on The Chase — Groce was invited to compete in the inaugural Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament in 2024, which she won to earn $100,000 and a ticket to Jeopardy! Masters. There, she defeated reigning champ James Holzhauer and 2024 TOC winner Yogesh Raut to earn $500,000, and she added $150,000 more by placing third in the 2025 Masters tournament.

8. Mattea Roach ($810,983)

Mattea Roach, who was 23 years old when they started their streak in 2022, is the youngest player on this list. The tutor from Toronto compiled $560,983 in 23 victories. As well as becoming the winningest Canadian in the game show’s history — an honor that would make Alex Trebek proud — Roach also became one of just three contestants to reach their age in Jeopardy! victories. Roach came in second to James Holzhauer in the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters tournament to earn a cool $250,000, and when you add in the $75,000 parting gift from 2024’s Jeopardy! Masters, $10,000 from the 2022 Tournament of Champions and their initial $2,000 consolation prize, they’ve taken home a total of $897,983.

7. Jamie Ding ($882,605) 

Jamie Ding is the most recent champion to join the Top 10 all-time biggest winners of Jeopardy!, going on a 31-game run that spanned from March 13 to April 27, 2026. During that time he won $882,605, plus the $3,000 consolation prize. I can't wait to see if he can add to this in tournament play!

6. Yogesh Raut ($1,096,403)

In 2023, Yogesh Raut won $96,403 in three Jeopardy! victories, becoming just the second contestant to advance to the TOC with so few wins. He made the most of it, too, winning the 2024 Tournament of Champions to collect $250,000 and advance to Jeopardy! Masters Season 2, where his second-place finish earned him another $250,000. He returned to Masters in 2025 and defeated Victoria Groce and Juveria Zaheer for the $500,000 grand prize, making him the sixth millionaire in Jeopardy! history. He also earned a $2,000 consolation prize from his initial run.

5. Amy Schneider ($1,682,800)  

Second behind only Ken Jennings with 40 consecutive games won, Amy Schneider made history during her win streak in 2022. Early in her run, she became the first openly transgender champion to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, and she just kept winning! She crossed the million-dollar mark in regular-season play, earning $1,382,800, even before appearing in the Tournament of Champions. She went on to win that too, adding an extra $250,000 to her total, and in 2024 she earned another $50,000 as runner-up of the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.

Though it doesn't count toward her official total, Schneider also received $100,000 for fourth place in 2024’s Jeopardy! Masters, $75,000 for her fifth-place finish on the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters, and with the $2,000 consolation prize from her regular season loss, Schneider has taken home a total of $1,859,800.

4. Matt Amodio ($1,818,601)

Matt Amodio’s 38-game win streak in 2022 ended just a couple of months before Amy Schneider’s first appearance. He won $1,518,601, and almost as impressive as that is the fact that Amodio has competed under seven different hosts, as his time on the show came when Jeopardy! was auditioning guest hosts following Alex Trebek’s death.

In 2025 he won the JIT to earn $150,000, which followed his sixth-place finish on 2024 Jeopardy! Masters for $50,000 and third in 2023’s Jeopardy! Masters to win $150,000. Not counting toward his official winnings are the $10,000 consolation prize for the 2026 JIT, $75,000 from 2025's Masters, $10,000 for his 2022 TOC appearance, and the $1,000 consolation prize from his regular-season loss. Altogether he's taken home $1,964,601 to date.

3. James Holzhauer ($3,612,216)

A sports gambler from Las Vegas, Nevada, whose 32-day cash winnings totaled $2,462,216, Holzhauer took the Jeopardy! world by storm in 2019, bringing in record ratings with his swashbuckling style and the odd, but daring, amounts of his bets on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy.

Holzhauer was not the first to bounce around the board in search of the Daily Double, but he was especially good at keeping control until he found it. His gesture of going "all in" to make it a True Daily Double has been picked up and copied by numerous contestants since, but his ability to double huge amounts of money stands unrivaled. He finished his 33-day run with 21 of the 25 highest single-day scores, including the biggest one-day total ever: $131,127 on April 17, 2019.

He went on to add $250,000 as the 2019 Tournament of Champions winner, another $250,000 as the runner-up in the 2020 Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time tournament, $500,000 in the 2023 Jeopardy! Masters tournament and $150,000 for third place in 2024’s Masters. Adding in the $2,000 consolation from his regular-season loss, he took home a total of $3,614,216.

2. Ken Jennings ($4,370,700) 

The mighty Ken Jennings! A computer scientist from Seattle, Washington, compiled 74-day cash winnings totaling $2,520,700 plus another $500K for a second-place finish in 2005's Ultimate Tournament of Champions and $1 million (plus the title of “Greatest of All Time”) in 2020’s GOAT Tournament. As the 2019 All-Star Games captain whose team was first runner-up, he won $100,000, got another $100K as the 2014 Battle of the Decades first runner-up and won $150,000 as first runner-up in the 2011 IBM Challenge. Small potatoes now, but he also took home $2,000 as a consolation from the loss in his 75th-consecutive game.

Ken Jennings was Jeopardy!'s first true celebrity contestant, expanding his popularity beyond just the show’s hardcore fans and into pop culture when he went on his almost unfathomable 74-day win streak in the summer of 2005. He parlayed his Jeopardy! celebrity into a career, writing trivia books, appearing on other game shows, and co-hosting the podcast Omnibus.

The GOAT would also serve as the first guest host to take over following Alex Trebek’s death in November 2020, a position he ultimately made permanent. Now, as the host, Ken Jennings is technically banned from ever returning as a player, but EP Michael Davies has suggested he'd be willing to make an exception if Jennings ever got the itch.

1. Brad Rutter ($4,938,436) 

So, at number one is someone you might not have expected: Brad Rutter, a record store employee from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, whose 5-day cash earnings in 2000 totaled $55,102. Yes, you read that right. Rutter was a 5-day Champion who had to retire after his first run. His winnings have primarily come in tournaments, proving his place as one of the best players of all time.

In the years since being a 5-day champ, Brad Rutter has won $2 million in the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, $1 million in the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament, another $1 million in 2014’s Battle of the Decades, and hundreds of thousands more in the 2001 Tournament of Champions, the IBM Challenge, 2019’s All-Star Tournament and the Greatest of All Time tournament in 2020.

After a five-year hiatus, he returned to the Alex Trebek Stage (thanks to James Holzhauer) for Jeopardy! Masters Season 3, where he placed 7th out of 9 and earned $15,000 (not counted toward his official total).

Top 10 Highest Winnings

These totals include the contestants' Regular Season winnings only, without tournaments.

Top 10 Single-Game Winnings

Consecutive Games Won

Who will be the next Jeopardy! contestant to crack into one of these Top 10 lists? Will anyone ever top Ken Jennings' 74-game win streak, or break into James Holzhauer's dominance of the Single-Game earnings? Will anyone crack $4 million to challenge Brad Rutter as the winningest champion ever? Keep tuning in to find out.

When he was crushing at life on Jeopardy!, James Holzhauer was known for his unique style of play, jumping around the board and making huge bets. Since his 32-game win streak ended in June 2019, the professional sports gambler has continued to attract attention, not only by joining The Chase as one of the expert “chasers,” but also with his social media snark. Nobody’s safe from Holzhauer’s pot shots, especially his favorite target — fellow super champ Ken Jennings. With Jennings stepping away from The Chase while in the midst of his current hosting stint on Jeopardy!, you can bet Holzhauer had a zinger ready to hype the premiere of his ABC game show's third season premiere.

It’s unknown if the aforementioned exit is an indication that Jeopardy! has made a decision regarding whether Jennings or Mayim Bialik will continue as permanent host after the current season. But when The Chase returns May 3, James Holzhauer will be rejoined by Brad Rutter, with Buzzy Cohen, Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce lending their overstuffed brains in replacing Jennings and “The Beast” Mark Lebbett. One aspect of the cast that’s not changing is host Sara Haines, and Holzhauer seemingly delighted in pointing out how stable the ABC show’s hosting situation is compared to Jeopardy!’s. 

The Illinois native was, of course, referring to the Mike Richards debacle, in which the  game show's former executive producer was arbitrarily named Alex Trebek’s permanent replacement on Jeopardy! following the lengthy audition process involving celebrity guest hosts. Richards stepped down from his role after just one day of filming (equaling one week’s worth of episodes) and was ultimately fired after discrimination lawsuits and offensive comments from his past resurfaced. 

James Holzhauer has never been shy about voicing his displeasure over the still-unfinished quest to find a permanent Jeopardy! host. The former champ mocked the classic quiz show’s original decision to name two hosts after Mayim Bialik was announced at the same time as Mike Richards to be taking over primetime episodes and tournaments, and he absolutely blasted Richards for behavior that Holzhauer apparently witnessed when he was still competing on the show.

There's virtually zero chances of seeing a repeat situation go down on The Chase, which originally premiered in the United States in 2013 on Game Show Network. In those earliest days, Brooke Burns joined on to host, with Brad Rutter and Mark Labbett as the chasers. While the UK original has aired nonstop since its 2009 debut, the GSN iteration only lasted for two years, but ABC revived The Chase in 2021, and The View co-host Sara Haines was tapped to head things up. And all without having served as an EP beforehand.

Given James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings’ penchant for social media banter, I look forward to more barbs being traded now that the two will actually be on competing trivia shows, rather than going head-to-head on the same stage as part of a GOAT Tournament. The sports gambler can’t help but take shots at the part-time Jeopardy! host, as he even found a way to do it when congratulating recent history-making champion Amy Schneider.

As far as Jeopardy!’s hosting situation goes, fans are hoping to hear news of something more permanent after the conclusion of Season 38 in July. In the meantime, be sure to check out Ken Jennings’ buddies over on ABC for the Season 3 premiere of The Chase. It’s set for 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 3, and you can check your local listings to see when and where Jeopardy! plays in your area. 

Jeopardy! has seen a number of impressive players take to the podium over the years, but only a select few have truly managed to emerge as all-time greats. The latest addition to that coveted group is Amy Schneider, who recently finished out an impressive 40-game winning streak. It was an impressive feat to say the least, so it wasn’t surprising to see some former champions weigh in on the accomplishment. James Holzhauer was among the people to offer some congrats to Schneider on social media. And while he did it, he even managed to take a crack at fellow champion Ken Jennings, because of course.

After Amy Schneider’s historic tenure on the show ended, James Holzhauer took to Twitter to post the message. The TV personality made sure to note Schneider’s accomplishments, though it was his A+ joke about interim host Ken Jennings. You can check out Holzhauer’s sharp jab in the post down below:

And it all started in such a sweet way, too. Despite this, it’s always funny to see James Holzhauer fire a shot or two at his colleague and, as alluded to, this isn’t the first time he’s made a joke at the Jeopardy! host’s expense. Back in early 2020, Haulzhauer managed to win Twitter (again) with a particularly raunchy joke about his fellow competitor. 

Despite this, there’s actually nothing but love between the two men, as Ken Jennings has shown a great deal of respect for the big-betting former champion. Ahead of 2020’s Greatest Of All Time tournament, he revealed the preparation he was undergoing to vie against his friend. He even sought to use some of his opponent’s unorthodox tactics during the GOAT event. Ultimately, Jennings emerged victorious, but he even had to admit that he “got some breaks” during the competition. 

It’s great to see that similar praise is being extended to Amy Schneider following her own run. By the end of her stretch on the show, Schneider actually managed to surpass James Holzhauer’s 33-game streak and did so in an endearing way. Her sincere and cerebral demeanor, and that elegant pearl necklace, demeanor really struck a chord with faithful viewers, who rooted her on as she continued to compete. Additionally, when things were all over, she sent a sweet message to her fans. 

Thankfully, viewing audiences haven’t seen the last of her, either. She’ll eventually make her way to the Tournament of Champions, where she’ll face off with other formidable players. One would imagine that she’s already preparing herself for what’s to come. Ultimately though, I think fans would be most intrigued to see her go up against the likes of Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Matt Amodio. Such a competition would surely be intense, and I, for one, honestly can’t predict a winner there. 

Let’s hope that the group does indeed get to compete together at some point in the future. The game itself would be a joy, but I’d definitely love to see some fun trash talk ahead of, and even after, it takes place.

You can watch Jeopardy! in syndication weekly, and be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule for more info on other shows airing throughout the year.

The past couple of weeks have been kind to current Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider, as the engineering manager is riding an 11-day winning streak, amassing $421,200 in that time. But Schneider’s journey is bigger than just the money, as her recent qualification for the iconic trivia show’s Tournament of Champions made history, and she’s not even done yet. 

As Amy Schneider continues to win mostly in runaway fashion — much like some of the recent Jeopardy! greats including James Holzhauer and Matt Amodio — the Oakland, California, resident has her eye on some other records she’d like to break. But first...

Amy Schneider Is The First Transgender Contestant To Qualify For Tournament Of Champions

On the November 30, 2021, episode of Jeopardy!’s 38th season, Amy Schneider became the first out transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. Her qualifying 10th-straight victory put her winnings at $380,200, and she’s still going, with her sights now set on other Jeopardy! champs — including, but not limited to, current host Ken Jennings — in hopes of securing even more of the game show’s history.

It definitely helps that Schneider won her 11th game as well, which put her that much higher in the rankings of overall Jeopardy! champions. 

Amy Schneider Wants To Break James Holzhauer’s Record

James Holzhauer took Jeopardy! by storm in 2019 with his quick style of play and huge Daily Double wagers. He appeared in 33 straight games with winnings totaling over $2.4 million. And while his playing style was unique, he’s remained on the radar of Jeopardy! fans just as much for his snarky social media commentary about the show, from the messy search to replace the late, great Alex Trebek to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

It might just be this outspokenness that makes James Holzhauer such a fun target for Amy Schneider, who admitted in an interview with Jimmy McGuire from the show’s Clue Crew that she’s got her eye on the professional sports gambler.

Shots fired, sort of, in a way! At 11 straight wins, Amy Schneider is already one-third of the way to meeting James Holzhauer’s streak, but she’s got a ways to go before touching his overall winnings. 

Where Does Amy Schneider Fall Among Jeopardy! Greats?

She may not be a millionaire yet, but Amy Schneider has indeed cracked Jeopardy’s Top 10 highest earners for regular-season play. Her $421,200 after 11 wins puts the engineering manager in sixth place, just below Julia Collins, who won $428,100 over 20 wins. Schneider is also tied for 10th place in number of consecutive wins.

Amy Schneider’s successful run on Jeopardy! comes shortly after another history-making performance, as Matt Amodio took home $1,518,601 after appearing in 38 straight episodes. What was also remarkable about Amodio’s time on the show (not that anybody’s sneezing at $1.5 million) is that he saw six different hosts come and go: Robin Roberts, LeVar Burton, David Faber, Joe Buck, Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik. So far, Schneider has only been privy to Ken Jennings behind the lectern.

Check your local listings to see when Jeopardy! airs in your area to see how far Amy Schneider can ride the wave of wins, and if you’ve got a fan of the classic game show on your shopping list this holiday season, be sure to check out these unique Jeopardy! gift ideas!

Matt Amodio’s Jeopardy! run was one for the books, especially when you consider that his unprecedented winning streak coincided with the whole Mike Richards debacle. Amodio broke James Holzhauer’s record for the second-longest winning streak and amassed over $1.5 million in winnings. He’s truly winning right now. After such a monumental  run, the Ph.D. student might be setting his eyes on some gigantic fish. The Jeopardy! champ revealed if he’d want to compete against the GOATs Holzhauer and Ken Jennings and any time soon.

Joining the ranks of such esteemed competitors must be a tremendous milestone for Matt Amodio. Viewers hadn’t seen a winning streak like that since Holzhauer’s run in 2019. But with his time on the storied trivia show now behind him, would he be willing to take on his fellow champs? The academic and TV champ recently appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and spoke on whether he's willing to battle it out with the two legends:

It seems that he hasn’t interacted with either of the Jeopardy! veterans outside of social media. That's interesting, especially since Ken Jennings is a consultant on the game show. However, in fairness, that role may not require him to actually be present on Stage 10 that often. Such an interaction would be interesting, especially considering that Amodio is quite different from his predecessors. The graduate student acknowledged this difference by saying:

Many viewers seemed to like that average Joe appeal, as they watched him use his intellect to win on the beloved game show. While his fellow champs might seemingly intimidate him, that doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to go up against them. Like the show's other high-profile competitors, Matt Amodio will compete in the “Tournament of Champions” episodes. That means he might finally come face-to-face with James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings. So viewers would finally get to see if the newest member of the GOATs club can hang with the big dogs.

But if anything, Matt Amodio’s interaction with his fellow champs would likely create a new bond as opposed to any negative competition. Interestingly, Amodio has proven himself to be a divisive figure within the fanbase. So maybe he could learn a thing or two from his peers on how to navigate the game show waters. While we wait for the historic matchup, viewers can watch Jeopardy! weekdays in syndication, with Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik alternating on hosting duties.

The drama continues to swirl around Jeopardy!’s hosting situation following Alex Trebek’s death late last year, as it was announced this week that executive producer Mike Richards is parting ways with both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Richards drew the ire of many viewers, not just for being named the new Jeopardy! host, following what appeared to be a charade of a guest-host audition process, but also for some offensive comments he’d made that came to light. And you better believe as viewers reacted to the news of Richards’ departure, former series champ James Holzhauer had something to say.

Through this whole Jeopardy! hosting train wreck, James Holzhauer has consistently and relentlessly roasted the process, always happy to tell us how he really feels about Mike Richards. But his opinion was never more apparent than in his tweets following the news about Richards stepping down as EP:

While it was clear from past tweets that James Holzhauer had a negative impression of Jeopardy!’s former executive producer Mike Richards, here we get confirmation that he formed his opinion of Richards first-hand, as their paths must have crossed when Holzhauer was competing on the show. That makes sense, as Holzhauer is one of the winningest Jeopardy! champions ever and has returned for multiple tournaments since his initial run. That wasn’t all Holzhauer had to say, though:

Here’s another pointed statement about how Mike Richards' controversial statements on The Randumb Show were inappropriate, but not even the whole reason the professional sports gambler didn’t think Richards deserved the hosting job. At least when James Holzhauer trolled guest hosts Joe Buck and Aaron Rodgers, there was humor to the tweets. But I don’t think there’s any mistaking Holzhauer’s feelings with this one:

The news of Mike Richards leaving Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune follows his stepping down as the iconic quiz show’s new host, a move that in itself drew many celebrities to speak out against the EP as well as the selection process. Many fans were dismayed by the appearance of an audition process, which saw a variety of celebrities — including fan favorite LeVar Burton — take the podium, only to have Richards be given the job in the end.

At the same time that Mike Richards was named the new daytime host, Mayim Bialik was named as the host for primetime episodes and tournaments. Following Richards’ departure, however, Bialik will serve as guest host for the afternoon show while producers find more guest hosts and eventually (hopefully) a permanent replacement.

While we continue to see how things play out there, you can check out Season 2 of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET September 26 on ABC, and be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule to keep up with the return of all of your favorite shows.

Nobody thought replacing Alex Trebek would be easy after the longtime Jeopardy! host's death in 2020, and the search for a new permanent host has been an interesting process during Season 37, with viewers and former contestants alike being pretty vocal with their opinions regarding the game show’s future. Those beliefs definitely haven’t changed since Sony Pictures Television announced Jeopardy!’s new permanent hosts — that’s right, plural — with one of the games greatest, James Holzhauer, chiming in with a hilariously ruthless burn.

The decision to appoint both executive producer Mike Richards and actress Mayim Bialik as the full-time replacements for Alex Trebek was an unexpected one, as Trebek never shared his hosting duties with anyone. (I mean, can you imagine?) James Holzhauer, who won $2,464,216 on Jeopardy! over 33 episodes and made a name for himself with his unique strategy of betting big and jumping around the board, took to Twitter with some brutal commentary about the decision. Check out the fiery tweet below:

Wow, way to make a point, champ! James Holzhauer’s sarcasm is in reference to Jeopardy! adding The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik after fans’ negative response to the news of Mike Richards taking over as Alex Trebek’s permanent replacement. The official announcement named Richards as the program’s full-time host starting in Season 38, with Bialik set to host Jeopardy!’s primetime and spinoff series.

The fan response was predictable (and perhaps understandable) after viewers definitely had their favorite guest hosts — including Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton — during Season 37’s transition period. But to James Holzhauer’s point, if Richards was the right man for the job, why didn’t Jeopardy! just stand by its decision?

Mike Richards is no stranger to the game show world. He served as executive producer for The Price Is Right and Let’s Make A Deal, and produced Weakest Link. Both Richards and Mayim Bialik also took a turn as Jeopardy! guest hosts, so viewers do know a little of what to expect from them in the permanent role.

James Holzhauer’s hilarious commentary on the hosting situation as a whole has been fun to watch. Holzhauer resurrected a clip of the WWE’s Vince McMahon announcing, “It was me all along!” after it was reported that Jeopardy! planned to promote from within with Mike Richards.

Fox Sports announcer Joe Buck, another Jeopardy! guest host, also found himself on the receiving end of James Holzhauer’s Twitter trolling, as the professional sports bettor facetiously rooted for Buck to get the permanent job, but for purely selfish reasons.

I’m kind of on James Holzhauer’s side of that argument, to be honest. But Holzhauer also pulled NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers — who apparently really did want the job — into the discussion, relenting that he’d actually prefer Rodgers be the one to quit his day job to focus on Jeopardy!. I’m guessing the Las Vegas resident isn’t a Packers fan.

Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik will assume their new duties for Season 38 of the classic trivia show, with production starting later this month and new episodes premiering on September 13. Stay up to date with all of the upcoming premieres with our 2021 Fall TV schedule.

Brayden Smith won five of Alex Trebek’s final Jeopardy episodes and earned more than his share of praise from both the now deceased host, former players and fans watching at home impressed by his trivia skills. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old tragically and unexpectedly passed away from complications following a surgery. Now tributes are pouring in and his family has started a memorial fund for students in southern Nevada in his honor.

Popular former Jeopardy winner James Holzhauer, who shared a Las Vegas connection with the Brayden Smith, amplified the memorial fund on social media and promised to match the first $10,000 worth of donations. You can see his touching Twitter post below, along with a link explaining how to donate…

By all accounts, Brayden Smith was an incredibly bright man with what seemed like a very promising future ahead of him. He interned at the Cato Institute researching issues around criminal justice and was planning on attending law school with a goal of being a federal government attorney. He also loved sports and movies and played the saxophone. His obituary described him as a “voracious reader” and “lover of knowledge”, two attributes anyone who watched his recent run of Jeopardy episodes could tell you.

Smith ultimately appeared on six episodes of Jeopardy, winning the first five. He took home more than $100,000 in winnings and was looking forward to competing against the other top players during the Tournament of Champions. Sadly, he won’t get a chance to prove himself one more time, but with those Jeopardy victories, plus a scholarship for his outstanding Quiz Bowl accolades as a high schooler and the honor of being Alex Trebek’s final five day champion, there’s more than enough evidence of his excellence.

Jeopardy released a statement in response to Smith’s passing, as well. The game show said it was “heartbroken” over the loss and sent condolences to the family. You can see the statement below…

The Jeopardy family is really very close knit. Former players and winners interact on a regular basis both in person and on social media, and there’s a respect that comes with even passing the tests to make it on the show. Smith earned every piece of praise he’s getting and a whole lot more. His family has thanked fans for all the kind wishes they’ve received so far, and the tributes from well-liked and popular former champions just keep pouring in.

The news of Smith’s passing, of course, follows closely behind the loss of longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. His final episodes (six of which included Smith) recently finished airing, and we’re now on to new ones with Ken Jennings. He’ll be followed by a string of other guest hosts until the show eventually settles on a permanent replacement. If you want to donate to the memorial fund set up for Smith, you can do so here.

Today will be the last time that fans of Jeopardy!'s Alex Trebek can see a new and previously unaired episode with the legendary game show host, who passed away after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer on November 8. Many of Trebek's fans are still trying to find ways to say goodbye to the popular personality, who hosted Jeopardy! for a whopping 37 seasons until his death. One of the most well-known Jeopardy! contestants, James Holzhauer, is doing the same, and posted an epic Alex Trebek throwback photo to go along with his heartfelt farewell message.

While viewers can look forward to James Holzhauer's fellow Jeopardy! big winner, Ken Jennings, acting as temporary guest host for a time (with long-time broadcaster Katie Couric also filling in for a week), there's no doubt that fans will miss being able to watch Alex Trebek for many episodes (OK, years) to come. With his final episode airing today, Holzhauer took to Twitter with a tribute that many will understand, but also included what might be the best throwback photo we'll ever get of the late Jeopardy! host. Take a look!

Wowzers! I mean, who doesn't love this? Just look at our Game Show Host King Alex Trebek doing his best James Bond for this Jeopardy! ad. Trebek's curls are poppin'. He's working the salt-and-pepper magic with his iconic mustache. And, Trebek even has the perfect sly but sexy upward look into the camera down pat. Never say that the man wasn't a truly brilliant professional through and through. Can you think of another game show host who'd look this good in an ad from (probably) the 1980s? Nope. I didn't think you could.

Honestly, the fact that James Holzhauer shared such warm and sincere words about his efforts to try and say goodbye to Alex Trebek, but posted this awesome and sorta silly photo of him, is a large part of what makes the tweet so perfect. Fans already know, very well, that Trebek wasn't anywhere near being a staid, square host. Oh, no. The man had a cool sense of humor, and that was about life in general, himself, and the show he led for nearly four decades.

Actually, now that I think about it, it's kind of a shame that Jeopardy! didn't keep up with the movie parody idea for their advertising, just for the fun of it. Can't you easily imagine Alex Trebek as a Michael Bay-style movie character walking away from an explosion in one of these ads? Or, hanging from the ceiling à la Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible? They seemed to have tried it once more, with him appearing as a 1930s / 1940s gumshoe detective, and the result was pitch perfect.

James Holzhauer's feelings about Alex Trebek are, certainly, shared by many of his fans. You can watch his last Jeopardy! episode today, January 8, so be sure to check your local listings. There are also two seasons of the hit game show on Netflix, but if you'd like more to watch, be sure to check out our guide to winter / spring TV.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has passed away, and it hasn't taken long for the world to react. Many celebrities far and wide are memorializing the television icon, as are the notable former players who celebrated a good deal of success on the game. Not long after his death was officially announced, Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings as well as James Holzhauer and many others took to social media to reflect on Trebek's legacy.

Ken Jennings, who recently took on a behind-the-scenes role on the game show, was one of the first to eulogize Alex Trebek. Jennings took to Twitter with a short but sweet message, as well as a picture taken of the two of them goofing around on set:

James Holzhauer, another Jeopardy! great who will soon face off against Jennings on another program, also spoke highly of Alex Trebek and his experience with the host during the trying time in the Trebek's life:

Of course, we can't mention Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer without also talking about the record holder for most Jeopardy prize money ever won, Brad Rutter. Rutter shared his feelings on the day, knowing that he lost a man that meant a lot to his life:

Other former winners are eulogizing Alex Trebek as well, including former winner Austin Rogers. Rogers, who once humorously got Trebek to say "dick tree" on Jeopardy!, talked about the host and the legacy he left behind.

Former Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen was also among those feeling the weight of the loss. Cohen talked about how much losing Alex Trebek meant to him, and how he'd feel even if he wasn't a former champion on the show:

Some had the words to express how they felt, others simply chose to pay respects with a small statement. Former 2019 champion Jennifer Quail chose to do that with a small hashtag to acknowledge that she too was thinking of Alex Trebek today:

Perhaps the most heartwarming post today comes from a recent episode, in which champion Burt Thakur was able to tell Alex Trebek just how special he was to him. In a tear-jerking video, listen to Thakur tell the host about how he played a major factor in his life.

Jeopardy! champions and viewers alike will miss Alex Trebek, and it'll be a tall order for the host who wiill fill his shoes. As for Trebek, his remaining episodes are expected to air on television, with the final episode set to air on Christmas day.

CinemaBlend would like to offer its condolences to the family and friends of Alex Trebek and wish them well during this trying time. As always, continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening in television and movie news.

Jeopardy! is on a hot streak, and ABC is ready to get behind it full-tilt. How? By bringing back the trio at the center of the Tournament of Champions -- aka the “Greatest of All Time” (GOAT) tournament -- for another show. In one of the most anticipated showdowns on television, Jeopardy!’s most celebrated players are facing off in a special primetime competition.

Among those to return are mega-champ James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings. The two of them are squaring off in the “Greatest of All Time” tournament with the record total winnings holder, Brad Rutter. If you think that the success of the primetime tourney has escaped ABC, do not worry. It has not!

Raunchy jokes followed the most recent episode in the special Jeopardy! event, as all eyes wait to see who will win the GOAT tournament. Is this the last viewers will see of James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter together on television? Or is it the start of something? Weighing in on a potential follow-up show starring the trio, ABC’s head of alternative programming, Robert Mills, told Deadline:

What is “this seems hopeful” for $200? It sounds like ABC is turning its gears to come up with something that could incorporate the GOAT trio. The network is clearly aware of the success that James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter’s run on the “Greatest of All Time” tournament has had for the series.

The good news for fans is that ABC seems ready to capitalize on the success of the tournament. Ratings clearly tell the tale, which has led some to wonder if primetime Jeopardy! could become a regular thing. Hence, there is one burning question that may be accompanying hopes regarding Jeopardy!’s terrific trio.

Is a follow-up going to happen? ABC is motivated. While acknowledging that there have not been any formal conversations around a GOAT trio follow-up, ABC's Robert Mills said something has to happen. On what comes next for the Jeopardy! trio, Mills said:

What will it end up being? Curious minds will have to stay tuned. A Jeopardy! adjacent show that has them competing for glory long-term does not seem entirely realistic, in my opinion. ABC is undoubtedly brainstorming something around them. There is too much opportunity at stake not to. Look at the success of the currently airing GOAT tournament!

A venture that has led to an exciting time for Jeopardy! fans as Ken Jennings' preparation for facing off with James Holzhauer has gone into action. Viewers have even gotten to see Jennings try Holzhauer’s strategy during the GOAT tournament. It is a great time to be alive as Brad Rutter also gets a chance to enjoy the limelight.

The Jeopardy! "Greatest of All Time" tournament continues on Tuesday, January 14, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC as one of this winter’s premieres. You can relive past matches of the popular quiz show on Netflix, among other new 2020 content.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time Night 3.

While Night 3 of the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament (a competition between the three greatest champions) saw Ken Jennings win the night, James Holzhauer may have come out on top by winning over social media in two ways. The first being with a joke involving Jennings and roleplay, and the second with his final Jeopardy! answer, which paid tribute to host Alex Trebek in the best way possible.

Here’s how it all went down. In the final round of Jeopardy! all three of the Greatest of All Time contestants, including Brad Rutter, whose gameplay wasn’t as strong as opponents James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings, had one final chance to earn some points. While Rutter and Holzhauer couldn’t catch up to Jennings in the final round, Holzhauer, not knowing the answer to the final question, still managed to give a clever and memorable response.

In a genius play on words, James Holzhauer’s response included a tribute to Alex Trebek being the GHOST: The Greatest Host of Syndicated TV. Hilariously, Holzahuaer had begun writing in Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak’s name before crossing it out and writing in Alex Trebek’s name instead. The response elicited laughter from the audience. Trebek, on the other hand, didn’t miss a beat and told Holzhauer that he wished that he’d at least “risked more points.”

You can watch a clip from the episode below!

James Holzhauer’s response was heartfelt and thoughtful. Even Alex Trebek seemed amused that Holzhauer would think to put in Pat Sajak’s name in there as a jab before concluding that Trebek was actually the best host. Though Holzhauer didn’t have the correct response and didn’t win the night, he wasn’t without his sense of humor, choosing to make his wrong answer worthwhile.

Though there wasn’t enough time for Alex Trebek to fully respond to the answer before time was up, it surely meant a lot to him. The tribute from James Holzhauer is even more meaningful knowing that Trebek is undergoing treatment for stage IV pancreatic cancer and that he’s brought up exactly how he would want to say goodbye to Jeopardy! when the time comes. It’s hard not to get emotional just thinking about it.

Thankfully, the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament is far from over and will be back on primetime on Tuesday, January 14 at 8 p.m. ET. The competition will continue until one of the talented contestants has won three matches, so settle in for more great moments to come. For more on what to watch in the coming months, be sure to check out our 2020 midseason schedule of winter and spring premieres.

Warning! The following contains spoilers from Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time Night 3. Read at your own risk!

Night 3 of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time was a blur, and while there were some laughs to be had, there was also some great gameplay. The night ended in a blowout victory for one contestant, and it led to a raunchy joke from James Holzhauer that set Twitter on fire. Holzhauer absolutely won social media with his joke, but who was the GOAT for the night?

For those that missed, it was Ken Jennings who ended the night with a runaway victory. It was all thanks to that patented James Holzhauer method of doubling down on Daily Doubles, and the originator of the method had to express just how impressed he was by Jennings' play. He decided to do so with this simple comment, which is over the top in the best way possible.

Self-deprecating humor is always a win on Twitter, but of course James Holzhauer knew that. What he may not have known was how quickly Ken Jennings would pull ahead in Game 3, after being the first contestant in Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time so far to snag a Daily Double after accumulating a sizable number of points. Jennings ended the first game with 51,200 points, which was more than Holzhauer (27,200) and Brad Rutter's (17,600) scores combined.

Game 2 of Night 3 was a bit closer, but ultimately it became clear to the other two men about halfway through that this night didn't end without a Ken Jennings victory. Jennings is now one game away from the being crowned the GOAT of Jeopardy!, so the pressure is on for James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.

Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time isn't over yet though, and James Holzhauer is still very much in this thing. He's still neck and neck with Ken Jennings on the board, and like some guessed, it typically comes down to who gets hold of the Daily Double and when it comes up. Holzhauer may have to dress like Jennings tonight, but he could be back in his own skin soon enough.

As for Brad Rutter, he's struggling a bit. Rutter has been exceptionally unlucky with not knowing the answer to Daily Doubles, and has taken himself out of the running a few times by losing all his winnings. Rutter was finally able to snag two Daily Doubles in Game 2 of Night 3 and got both right. Of course, it was all too little too late given Jennings' lead, but maybe it was enough to give Rutter the confidence to take a game next week. Hopefully he can before Jennings or Holzhauer closes this competition out!

Related: Could Primetime Jeopardy Become A Regular Thing In TV?

Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time airs on ABC starting again on Monday at 8:00 p.m. Stick with CinemaBlend for more on the competition, and to stay up to date on all things happening with television and movies.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the first night of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament. Read at your own risk!

One of the biggest events in game show history is finally here, and the first night of the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament certainly lived up to the hype. There was drama, a high level of play, and "old dogs" being forced to learn new tricks to keep up with the aggressive young blood James Holzhauer. Both Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter went all in on their Daily Doubles, and the gamble ended up paying off for Ken Jennings in a big way.

Ken Jennings got a chance in the first game to double his winnings with the Daily Double, and though he hesitated at first, he decided to put all his winnings on the line to try and take a sizable lead. He still looked sick after committing, but Jennings pulled it odd and increased his lead over Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer dramatically. The point difference helped Jennings take a drastic first game lead, in which his amount was $45,000 to Holzhauer's $33,200, and Rutter's $10,400.

That lead was integral to Ken Jennings' win in the first night, as the final total after two games between him and James Holzhauer were $63,400 to $63,200. Yep, Game 1 of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time was decided by a couple hundred dollars, and that's with James Holzhauer failing to secure a Daily Double in the first two games.

Brad Rutter ended the night in third place with $10,400, a sizable gap between the other two men. It's worth noting that Rutter too tried the James Holzhauer strategy of going all in on Daily Doubles, but lost his winnings a couple times in doing so. Some may think it was a bad strategy, but as Ken Jennings showed tonight, capitalizing on those Daily Doubles may be the one way to beat Holzhauer.

There's still a lot of game left in this tournament of course, as the winner of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament is not crowned until 3 match wins in a best of 7. Brad Rutter's bad gambles don't mean he doesn't have a shot at redemption in the following nights, though the first night does seem to confirm James Holzhauer isn't at quite at the advantage some thought he would be. Perhaps I'll hold off on that call until he gets a hold of a Daily Double, and then see what he can do.

Related: How Alex Trebek Wants To Say Goodbye To Jeopardy

Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time continues on ABC weeknights at 8:00 p.m. ET until a winner is crowned. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on the great game show, and for a look at what's happening in the world of television and movies.

Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings is returning next week to the beloved game show for a special tournament called Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.). The once-in-a-lifetime challenge is bringing together the three biggest all-time winners of Jeopardy!, and Jennings recently revealed exactly how he’s been preparing to face one of his biggest competitors, James Holzhauer.

Ken Jennings won a whopping $3,370,700 across all his Jeopardy! wins (both regular games and tournaments), and holds a record 74-day winning streak, but even though he's excited about being back, he said he’s been practicing for months. Jennings had to get reacquainted with using the Jeopardy! buzzer again, and that's one thing he hopes will help him beat fellow champion James Holzhauer. Here’s what Jennings said:

Ken Jennings isn’t just a winner, he’s a huge Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek fan in general. But timing the buzzer to the answer is of utmost importance to him because he knows better than anyone how good and methodical James Holzhauer is at uncannily buzzing in at the right time. Speaking with Seattle Refined, Jennings said that it’s Holzhauer’s accuracy that scares him because “James has 98% of question-answering correctness” and that’s impressive. So, for Jennings, that buzzer is key to blocking Holzhauer from getting a chance to answer.

The three-day tournament is a huge deal in the game-show world, and will also include Jeopardy!'s biggest winner ever, Brad Rutter, who technically earned more money than Ken Jennings, but knows why he’s less popular. The first of the champions to win three matches will get the grand prize of $1 million, while the runner-ups will each be given sizable consolation prizes of $250,000.

For Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter is very much his biggest competition — he’s also “unbeatable” at the buzzer — having taken Jennings down in three different tournaments. But Jennings believes he needs to stay comfortable and keep a cool head when it comes to competing with Rutter, who always maintains his calmness. All I know is that it’ll be enthralling to watch all three of the former Jeopardy! champions in their most competitive tournament ever.

Jeopardy’s G.O.A.T. competition will be held over the course of three days initially, with more nights added if needed, and will begin its rare trip to primetime on Tuesday, January 7, at 8 p.m. ET. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our midseason schedule.

After a dominant win in the latest Tournament of Champions, James Holzhauer proved once again he's one of Jeopardy!'s greatest champions of all time. Now, he'll have a chance to elevate his claim even further, as the game show will be hosting the match up fans have been calling for ever since Holzhauer first went on his run earlier in 2019. Holzhauer is going head to head with two of the other greatest Jeopardy! champs of all time, and yes, one of them is Ken Jennings.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, Jeopardy! will head to primetime for its Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Tournament. The event, which will air on ABC, will pit James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter all up against each other in a special edition of the show that will help answer the question of who is the series' top champion. The winner will get $1,000,000 and bragging rights, while the others will walk away with $250,000 for their participation.

This Jeopardy! showdown is set to begin Tuesday, January 7 with a broadcast of two consecutive games. Each contestant's winnings will pool from the first game to the second and the person with the highest combined score will win the day's "match." The first contestant to take 3 matches will win which means this tourney could be as short as 3 days or as long as a week.

Many are familiar with the achievements of Ken Jennings and recent streak of James Holzhauer, but more casual Jeopardy! fans may not know the name Brad Rutter. Rutter is the "All-Time Winnings" top record holder of the show, which includes winnings from regular season gameplay and tournament play. Though this tournament could shorten the distance required for Jennings to pass him in All-Time Winnings, neither Jennings or Holzhauer will be able to surpass Rutter's $4,688,436 total winnings with the grand prize.

Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter have faced off before, but this will be the first time either of them has faced James Holzhauer. Holzhauer is looking strong fresh off his dominant Tournament of Champions win, especially after a decisive finals victory over the champion who ended his winning streak, Emma Boettcher.

Alex Trebek hinted it could be an uphill battle for the two veterans. The host, whose health has been a big news item in the latter half of 2019, told USA Today that Jeopardy! fans have to realize that age may not just be a number in regards to this tournament.

Basically, the first couple games of the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament should be very telling. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter will have to adapt to James Holzhauer's aggressive playstyle, and hope to outbuzz him on questions in order to stand a chance at toppling him. If either can do that, this should be an awesome tournament.

Alex Trebek's Phone Call To An Autistic Jeopardy Superfan Gave Us All The Feels

Jeopardy!'s Greatest of All Time tournament will air on ABC in primetime starting Tuesday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend to continue to stay on top of game show news, and for the latest big news happening in movies and television.

In early 2019, James Holzhauer took the Jeopardy! world by storm. The professional gambler was betting big and winning even bigger and it seemed the game show would never be the same once his streak came to an end. Now, Holzhauer is back, and he's taking on some of the other greats of the game as Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions kicks off this week.

For those ready to see James Holzhauer back in action, he's scheduled to play on Wednesday, November 6. Holzhauer will be taking on other Jeopardy! champions Alan Dunn (five-day winner with total winnings of $120,802) and Lindsey Shultz (four-day winner with winnings of $103,000). Will Holzhauer be just as dominant against champions as he was during his 32-game winning streak that netted him over $2 million? We'll soon find out!

What's interesting is that James Holzhauer won't get a rematch just yet with the woman who defeated him, Emma Boetcher. Boetcher is competing in Thursday's episode of Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions, though if the two of them end up winning their respective matchups, they'll come face to face eventually. Boetcher defeated Holzhauer using his own aggressive tactics and play-style, so one would think both are solid favorites to win the $250,000.

One big name won't be competing in this year's Jeopardy! tournament: Ken Jennings. Jennings holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive games won, and has the highest earnings in regular-season play. James Holzhauer and Jennings traded barbs on Twitter during Holzhauer's big run, but the two have yet to go face to face on the Alex Trebek-hosted game show. Hopefully Jennings and Holzhauer will get a chance to face off against each other soon.

Of course, James Holzhauer will need to prove he's worthy of Jennings first by taking out the competition in Jeopardy!'s 2019 Tournament of Champions. Beyond the people mentioned, Twitter notes this tournament features past winners like Kyle Jones, Anneke Garcia, Gilbert Collins, Rob Worman, Dhruv Gaur, Rachel Lindgren, Josh Hill, Eric R. Backes, Ryan Fenster, Steven Grade, and Francois Barcomb. While Holzhauer may be the main draw for viewers tuning in, let's not forget any of these former champions have a shot at winning it all.

The Tournament of Champions has been an event on Jeopardy! since 1964, and actually predates Alex Trebek's tenure as host. The show has done the event on a near annual basis, though there are at least 8 years in the show's history a Tournament of Champions was not held. This will be the first one since 2017.

The 10 Biggest Winners In Jeopardy History

Check your local listings for when to turn in to Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions, and stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest and greatest news happening in television during the fall season.

Gear up Jeopardy! fans! Another tournament is imminent. Fall's upcoming Tournament of Champions is going to be a little more exciting than usual, however, as champions of the past two seasons will go head-to-head to compete for dominance. This includes James Holzhauer, which means the chances of mega winning totals and aggressive betting on Double Jeopardy rounds are to be expected.

Beginning Monday, November 4, James Holzhauer and others champions of Jeopardy! Seasons 34 and 35 will face off in a tournament for supremacy. Holzhauer is just one of the big winners attached, as others like 7-game champions Josh Hill, Ryan Fenster, and Kyle Jones are set to compete. Those are just a few of the 15 competitors set to appear, many of whom are likely not as recognizable as Holzhauer's name following his astonishing record-setting run on the program.

With that being said, there is one name on the list Jeopardy! fans will absolutely recognize, partly due to her connection to James Holzhauer. Three-day champion Emma Boettcher is a part of the lineup, and may get a chance to defeat Holzhauer yet again and create an entirely new game show rivalry the world can obsess over. Jeopardy! highlighted Boettcher and other contestants in an announcement video that will help fans put a face to the names who will be competing.

One name that isn't found on the competitors list is Ken Jennings, which makes sense considering the Jeopardy! champ is not a champion of a regular episode of the past two seasons. For now, it doesn't appear that he's going to appear as a competitor, though surprises were teased, so maybe he'll pop on to create some interest for a future Holzhauer and Jennings showdown?

Of course, with James Holzhauer coming back to Jeopardy!, many may be wondering if this means Ken Jennings earnings record is in, er, jeopardy. The Jeopardy! Hall of Fame marks a distinction between single-run earnings and all-time earnings in its records, so Holzhauer won't overtake Jennings' single-game earnings record after winning one game like he was on pace to do. With that said, he's a little over $900k from Jennings' all-time winnings record, and he could make a dent in that.

Although it may be glib to assume that, as again, this is a Tournament of Champions. Holzhauer is going up against folks who have run the gauntlet and emerged victorious, not just average joes. Will this tournament end on Friday, November 15 with him standing tall, or will the latest big name of Jeopardy! fall short yet again to any of these 14 champions? Take a look at the competition:

They may not have the recognition or celebrity, but make no mistake, Jeopardy! champions are forces to be reckoned with. They wouldn't be in the Tournament of Champions otherwise, so be prepared for sparks to fly and smack talk to be delivered in the form of a question. Okay, maybe not the last part, but we can hope.

The 10 Biggest Winners In Jeopardy History

Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions kicks off in November, but the series continues to roll on weekdays. Stick with CinemaBlend for more on the show, and other big news regarding upcoming or currently airing television.

Noteworthy game show contestants can often achieve their 15 minutes of fame in one way or another, but recent Jeopardy! champ James Holzhauer became a pure phenom during his 32-game win streak. His brazen board-jumping and high-level wagers constantly kept viewers (and contestants and Alex Trebek) on edge, and Holzhauer also earned some of the show's highest ratings in years. But just because everyone was watching him, does it mean his influence will actually change how Jeopardy! is played?

It's certainly possible, but the all-time #2 winner James Holzhauer himself doesn't really think his winning streak will cause a tectonic shift in traditional Jeopardy! gameplay. In his words:

A lot of people might sound boastful when saying something like this, but James Holzhauer is just being as logical as he was during 98% of the many games he appeared on. The fact that Ken Jennings is still a household name 15 years after his own record-breaking Jeopardy! streak is a good sign that Holzhauer has already carved out a permanent notch for himself in game show fanatics' memories. (If his "all in" Daily Double motion hasn't already been turned into a viral video dance, I don't know down from up.)

In any case, James Holzhauer doesn't automatically believe that his statistically sound gameplay style will change the way that Jeopardy! contestants approach their time on the show. On the one hand, I can believe that.

After all, recent years have seen several champions such as Arthur Chu and Austin Rogers utilize the "Forrest Bounce" seeking out Daily Doubles for big wagers, but their influences weren't so strong that everyone kept doing it afterward. Even if someone is smart enough to make it onto Jeopardy!, that doesn't necessarily mean that person is confident enough to make big wagers in Double Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy. Some are always going to play it as safe as possible.

On the other hand, James Holzhauer was not only able to voice his strategies for winning the game, but he put them in action on a regular basis, proving by all means that the reward is nearly always worth the risk if there is comfort with the subject matter. So even if most players don't end up jumping all over the game board to seek out optimal clues, I have a sneaking suspicion that audiences will see more "true" Daily Doubles in Season 36 and beyond.

Okay, maybe not so much in the Teen Tournament that's coming, but elsewhere.

For anyone assuming that James Holzhauer went into Jeopardy! with the unshakable confidence of a gambling pro, that wasn't exactly the case. He figured he'd do well, but not to the extent that he succeeded. Here's how he put it to Las Vegas' KLAS:

In the end, James Holzhauer got his wish for his final regular game, in which he lost to contestant Emma Boettcher after a surprisingly low wager in that game's Final Jeopardy. As he'd explained following the show's airing, his bet was driven by math and was completely dependent on Boettcher getting the answer wrong, which she did not.

If nothing else, James Holzhauer's low wager might actually help further influence future contestants to stick with higher wagers, lest they go out in a similar blaze of glory. But as Holzhauer put it, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I fully expect him to cause a new wave of interest whenever he returns for the Tournament of Champions later this year, and I'm holding out hope for a Holzhauer vs. Jennings iron-man match at some point.

Jeopardy! airs weekdays in syndication, so be sure to check your local listings to see when and where it's playing in your area.

James Holzhauer's phenomenal Jeopardy! run is over, and the game show's latest trivia phenom finished his run just short of conquering a major record held by the legendary contestant Ken Jennings. For now, Jennings' dominant earnings and win-streak record puts him over Holzhauer in the eyes of many, but does that mean Jennings could defeat Holzhauer in a trivia showdown? It's a question America is asking, and one Jeopardy! has yet to entertain.

It's the television event that Alex Trebek and other Jeopardy! decision makers should be working on, because there's a lot of evidence that this could be a showdown worthy of primetime. Will it ever happen though, and if it did, who has the better chance at winning? While it's impossible to know for sure, here's what we know about each contestant, why a match up should happen, and why a battle between the two is more fair than some may assume.

For all they share in terms of being good at Jeopardy!, James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings are two very different people. In this "Tale of the Tape," so to speak, we break down some of the key differences between the two and the edge they'd have over each other.

James Holzhauer

Bio: James Holzhauer is a professional gambler who took the world of Jeopardy! by storm with his aggressive playstyle. This allowed him to reach massive winnings in a very short amount of time, and created a style of play that made it very hard for competitors to catch him once he pulled ahead. Holzhauer's Jeopardy! streak ended at 32 games in which he amassed $2,464,216.

His Impressive Stats: Through his capitalizing on Double Jeopardy, James Holzhauer racked up some monumental one-day totals, and may have fundamentally changed the game of Jeopardy! as audiences know it. At the time of writing, he currently holds the record for the top 10 one-day total earnings in the show's Hall of Fame. Of course, he also holds second place in consecutive games won and total earnings, but that may not mean much to Ken Jennings.

His X-Factor: One of the things that makes James Holzhauer so fearsome as a competitor is his experience as a professional gambler. He's relatively conditioned to betting big in high pressure situations, and is able to make quick decisions on his best course of action for wagers despite being in the middle of a game. Staying cool under pressure is a big advantage in most situations, and I'd assume Jeopardy! is no exception.

Ken Jennings

Bio: At 45-years-old, Ken Jennings remains the man in possession of two of the biggest Jeopardy! records. The former software engineer amassed $2,520,700 in winnings and went on a 74-game win streak that has is nothing short of incredible. He's since released books following his time on the show, maintains a blog, appeared on other game shows, and has a strong following on Twitter.

His Impressive Stats: As mentioned, Ken Jennings holds the record for the most money won in a regular season Jeopardy! run, and holds the record for most consecutive games won by a wide margin. At the moment, it looks like a record that may never be broken, especially in lieu of James Holzhauer's defeat.

His X-Factor: Ken Jennings is the Michael Jordan of Jeopardy! and has more or less used that title to shape his career into one that allows him to continue to study trivia and keep his mind sharp. He's also appeared in various Jeopardy! tournaments since his initial run, so he's got an edge over Holzhauer in that respect as well.

Why A Jeopardy! Showdown Is Completely Fair

Some may argue that with James Holzhauer potentially a game away from Ken Jennings' earnings record, Jennings has everything to lose by participating in a showdown between the two. This actually isn't true, as Jeopardy! leaderboards dictate a distinction between what champions earn in their regular season run versus their tournament play. Long story short, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise, James Holzhauer's winnings would not be eligible towards Jennings' record for regular season winnings.

Furthermore, if James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings faced off, Holzhauer likely wouldn't even dethrone Ken Jennings' total earnings record. Jennings' winnings including tournament play stand at $3,370,700, so his record is pretty safe from Holzhauer's $2,464,216. Maybe if there was a champions' tournament it would be a different story, but in standard play competition, he has no shot. On an unrelated note, Jennings is actually second in total earnings to Brad Rutter, who defeated him in the show's Ultimate Tournament.

Age vs. Playstyle

One thing that Ken Jennings has frequently brought up when people ask him about a match up against James Holzhauer is that he's at a disadvantage now 15 years removed from his Jeopardy! run. Though he's said his mind may not be as sharp as it once was, Jennings did add in an interview with Good Morning America that he believed he can hold his own against Holzhauer.

The question is then, could James Holzhauer hang with Ken Jennings? Holzhauer has a solid grasp of trivia, which was cushioned by his aggressive betting which often put him far ahead of competitors and gave him room for error. That strategy doesn't work so well if he misses a Double Jeopardy opportunity, or is against someone just as fast as the buzzer as he is. If Jennings can truly keep up, then neither man is really at an advantage in this hypothetical match.

Why Jeopardy! Needs To Make This Happen

If no one at Jeopardy! is currently working on getting these two together for a special episode, they absolutely should be. Both men gave the game show a noticeable boost in the ratings during their respective runs, so it stands to reason the episode between them would be a big winner for the game show.

Plus, it's becoming remarkably clear that the public wants to see these two men go to battle. Jennings v. Holzhauer could be a legendary matchup that's up there as the trivia equivalent of Ali and Frazier, Batman and Superman, and Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Point being, rivalries like these don't come along often, especially in the world of game show television, so Jeopardy! needs to capitalize on this cash cow and milk it for all it's worth.

Jeopardy Aims To Take Action Over Leaked Video Of James Holzhauer's Defeat

Should James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings go head to head? Sound off in our poll and stick with CinemaBlend for more news on Jeopardy! and other summer television and movies.

This poll is no longer available.

For anyone who loves celebrating a game show win streak, James Holzhauer's recent run on Jeopardy! was akin to just about any major sports dynasty. Sadly for the contestant and his growing fanbase, Holzhauer's final game came this week, as he lost out to new champ Emma Boettcher by a wide margin. Many across the country were shocked to watch it on Monday, although a video leak on Sunday had already spoiled the ending for many others.

Jeopardy! executive producer Harry Friedman was not a happy camper after hearing about that leak on Sunday. Understandably, he was looking forward to seeing the widespread responses the next day when everyone watched James Holzhauer fall just short of reaching Ken Jennings' $2.52 million record for non-tournament wins. Saying he couldn't name suspects outright, Friedman voiced his actionable thoughts about the video leaker:

What kind of action? That's left unsaid, but some form of legal dispute could potentially come from this if accusations are eventually brought up. TV breaches of this nature are nothing new in the Internet era, with Game of Thrones' final season getting pegged with several big leaks early on. However, it's certainly a rarity for that to happen with a game show clip. Such is the power of James Holzhauer.

The leaked clip made it onto YouTube on Sunday afternoon, but Harry Friedman told The Washington Post that it was already at 2,000 views by the time he caught wind of it. From there, the spread only got wider, with the clip getting shared on social media and covered by many news outlets.

Harry Friedman doesn't even understand why anyone would feel the need to put this particular clip online. In his words:

To the uninformed, a leaked Jeopardy! clip might not sound like it would affect a whole lot of viewers. But take into account the fact that weeks' worth of James Holzhauer's run on Jeopardy! were bringing in bigger live TV audiences than Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory, and was also winning out in the key 18-49 demographic. So, in a sense, the video clip in question could go down as one of the biggest TV snafus of 2019.

To bring a positive spin on things, producer Harry Friedman says that he's also grateful that nothing about James Holzhauer's epic Jeopardy! run had come out online prior to the clip from his final game. Considering game show audiences aren't legally bound to keep quiet about what goes on, and are only asked to keep quiet as bound by the honor rule, it's indeed impressive that news of Holzhauer's demise stayed under wraps until one day prior.

It's likely that many who stumbled upon the clip on Sunday were in disbelief over what they were watching, since James Holzhauer seemed legitimately destined to become the grand master of Jeopardy! who could bridge the summer gap between Season 35 and Season 36. He was less than $60,000 away from surpassing Ken Jennings as the show's highest earner in regular play, and it seemed like no one could take him down.

James Holzhauer Explains Why His Losing Final Jeopardy Wager Was So Low

His uncharacteristically low wager in Final Jeopardy also made it seem like the entire episode was just a shared fantasy/nightmare. Fans were used to watching James Holzhauer dish out high-end five-figure wagers, even when the game was a runaway, so long as he would still come out ahead if he got the wrong answer.

Not that he got answers wrong very often. Holzhauer was correct in his last Final Jeopardy, and he only ever got one of those incorrect. On the whole, he managed to answer around 97% of his questions correctly.

Though it will be with new winners until James Holzhauer returns for the Tournament of Champions, Jeopardy! airs in syndication every weeknight, so check your local listings to see when and where.

Sunrises and sunsets are two of the biggest constants in our daily lives, and for a while, it seemed like "James Holzhauer crushing his Jeopardy! opponents" would be added to that list. Alas, the much-discussed and highly celebrated Jeopardy! champion met his match on Monday's episode, and his eye-popping streak came to a jaw-dropping end.

The loss itself was extremely shocking, of course, but equally unexpected was James Holzhauer's unusually small Final Jeopardy wager of $1,399. When comparing that to some of the high-end wagers that he's made – for example, the $60,013 bet that locked up his single-day winnings record – lots of fans out there were no doubt confused about what Holzhauer was thinking. It all comes down to Jeopardy! math, though. Here's the now-former champion explaining it in his own words:

Basically what it comes down to is: this was the rarest of rarities in which James Holzhauer actually went into Final Jeopardy at a disadvantage, which viewers just weren't used to seeing. So under any assumption that contestant (and eventual new champion) Emma Boettcher would get Final Jeopardy right, it was virtually impossible for Holzhauer to come out ahead.

The exception there would have been if Boettcher had chosen to be criminally frugal in making her Final Jeopardy wager. Had she bet something on the low end, in fear of her chances of getting the answer incorrect, Holzhauer feasibly could have bet big and won out. Except that almost definitely wasn't going to happen, considering Boettcher was likely well aware of Holzhauer's dominance during his 32-game win streak. Thus, she knew she needed to go big or go home.

As such, James Holzhauer's explanation to Action Network makes perfect sense, even if it's not meant to give viewers the same exhilarating rush that his gigantic bets did. Sadly for Holzhauer and his fandom, the plan didn't work out in his favor, and Emma Boettcher both got her answer right and bet more than enough to come out on top.

Final Jeopardy was usually a time where James Holzhauer was so far ahead of his competition that he only needed math skills to make sure he didn't bet too much and ruin his consistent runaway victories. That all got flipped around in Monday's game, though, which Holzhauer confirmed was filmed on March 12. For those keeping score, that means the former champ had already been defeated by Boettcher by the time his episodes first started airing on April 4.

In the end, James Holzhauer's winnings came out to $2,464,216, which includes the $2,000 he won for coming in second place in his final episode. That total was just $58,484 short of topping Ken Jennings' grand total of $2,520,700 for regular season wins. Now, though, viewers can get excited to see Holzhauer returning to Jeopardy! for the Tournament of Champions to see if he could possibly vault himself even higher on the list of All-Time Winnings, where he sits in 3rd place behind Jennings and grand champ Brad Rutter.

While most Jeopardy! champs have to wait around four months after their episode airs to see their winnings, James Holzhauer said that the show cut him his check this week so that they could set up a photo opp for him. Everybody loves a big check picture!

For those who are wondering, though, James Holzhauer's winnings are getting taxed within California where the show is taped, and not in Nevada where he lives. So after that highest-in-the-U.S. tax rate of 13.3% is applied, Holzhauer will likely walk away with around $1.29 million, just over half of what he won. Not too shabby for a 33-day gig.

Without James Holzhauer in the winner's seat, it'll be interesting to see if Jeopardy! can keep its ratings wins going into the summer hiatus. And if Jennings and Holzhauer's Twitter "feud" will keep going now that the latter's run is done. For now, the show airs in syndication across the country, so be sure to check your local listings to see when and where it's playing in your area.

James Holzhauer's historic run on Jeopardy! is over, and while he smashed several records in his run, his time will end without defeating Ken Jennings' total earnings record or win streak. He wasn't anywhere close to the latter, but the professional gambler wasn't all that far off from the earnings record when he left the show. Between the two totals, there's only a $56,484 gap between the two on the Jeopardy! earnings leaderboard.

Given James Holzhauer's average take in winnings, that's a record he had a good chance at toppling the following day even with his questionable bet towards the end. Holzhauer has made a name for himself through his play style, which resulted in huge one-day totals he's gained through capitalizing on Double Jeopardy. It amassed him a winnings total of $2,464,216 much quicker than Ken Jennings, and often made it mathematically impossible for contestants to beat him in the endgame.

Unfortunately, James Holzhauer's luck ran out and Emma Boettcher ended up being the contestant that made it mathematically impossible for the other two competitors to best. Ken Jennings (whose record will stand at $2,520,700) was apparently watching when his rival fell, and posted the following on Twitter after the loss.

Damn, Ken Jennings is really gonna compare James Holzhauer to Thanos? What character in the Marvel universe would that make him? Honestly, this tweet sounds like shade, although it's kind of like a compliment given Jennings' acknowledgement that Holzhauer essentially decimated tons of Jeopardy! records before his run ended.

James Holzhauer took the meme from Ken Jennings rather well, and even poked fun at himself in a personal message back to Jennings. Judging from Holzhauer's tweet, it doesn't seem like there's any bad blood between these two after all.

Though he didn't explicitly address it, James Holzhauer has referenced an elephant in the room that Jeopardy! might have to decide at a later date. Holzhauer is still within striking distance of Ken Jennings' winnings record, and there seems to be many interested in seeing the two square off in a special episode. It wouldn't have been as big of a deal for Jennings had Holzhauer already beaten the winnings record, but would he risk his record for entertainment?

No one knows but Ken Jennings, and for what it's worth, his playstyle was very different than James Holzhauer. Jennings went on his 74-game win streak without high wager bets, and instead relied on his exceptional trivia knowledge. Jennings has admitted it'd be a close match if the two ever went head to head, which may mean Holzhauer's odds of getting a high game total to beat Jennings would be far from assured.

Apparently Jeopardy! Outlawed $69 Wagers

For now, Jeopardy! hasn't responded to fans' calls for James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings to face off. CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for if anything changes, and report on whether or not Holzhauer will get another chance to up that winnings total yet.

Spoilers ahead for the June 3, 2019 episode of Jeopardy.

Jeopardy has been making all kinds of headlines in recent weeks, and for more uplifting reasons than Alex Trebek's diagnosis earlier this year. Contestant James Holzhauer has been setting and breaking records despite some close calls since he made his Jeopardy debut back in early April. His run on the game show seemed downright unstoppable... up until the June 3 broadcast that saw his winning streak finally come to an end. Here's what led to his defeat.

Oddly enough, James Holzhauer lost when he did the opposite of what he has said gave him an advantage over his opponents: he bet low. His decision not to wager a huge sum of money cost him the chance to keep going on the game show and perhaps beat the record set by Ken Jennings back in 2004. Holzhauer lost to contestant Emma Boettcher in the Final Jeopardy round of the episode that aired June 3.

In the Final Jeopardy round, the contestants had to answer "Kit Marlowe" for their wagers to go in their favor, and all three actually did get the question correct. The fateful moment came with the reveal that James Holzhauer -- with a total of $23,400 -- had only bet $1399 in Final Jeopardy, bringing his total up to $24,799.

That $24,799 was lower than Emma Boettcher's pre-Final Jeopardy total of $26,600, meaning that she would have to get the question wrong and lose an ideal amount of money for James Holzhauer to continue his streak. Unfortunately for him but awesomely for her, she got the question right and bet enough for the grand totals to not be even close. Holzhauer's total was $24,799, contrasted with Boettcher's $46,801 after she bet $20,201.

It's worth noting that even if James Holzhauer had bet his entire sum of $23,400 in Final Jeopardy and gotten the question correct, he still would have come behind Emma Boettcher, although only by $1. If everything had gone as well as possible for Holzhauer without taking away Boettcher's correct answer, he still would have lost. It's a bummer for Holzhauer, but congrats to Boettcher!

James Holzhauer fell a little over $56,000 short of beating Ken Jennings' record of $2.52 million. Holzhauer does have the bragging rights of making money in far fewer games than Jennings did, as Jennings took 74 games to finalize his record. Still, the Twitter feud between the two Jeopardy greats may have to come to an end now that Holzhauer is out of the game.

While the news of James Holzhauer's defeat undoubtedly came as a shock to a whole lot of viewers, some found out sooner than others. The clip of Holzhauer losing in Final Jeopardy leaked on the day before his last episode aired, clueing fans who keep up with Jeopardy news in to the fact that his history-making run was about to come to an end.

Jeopardy is hardly the only highly-rated show to experience leaks and spoilers in recent months, but this was still a very big twist to hit the web early. Still, I'm guessing the numbers for James Holzhauer's final episode as Jeopardy champ will be impressive.

Will Emma Boettcher be the next champion to experience a long run on Jeopardy? Only time will tell. New episodes of the show run in syndication on weeknights, and we can only hope that Alex Trebek will remain on board as host for years to come.

James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! streak has made a lot of headlines as of late, and it's looking to be only a matter of time before the professional gambler surpasses the earnings of the game show's current winnings record holder Ken Jennings. It's a pretty impressive feat to say the least, and it wouldn't be surprising to hear that Jennings is just a little miffed his long-standing record may be overtaken.

If he is, he didn't show it at first, as both men had been pretty cordial when Holzhauer's streak first began, although that seemingly changed after Holzhauer dropped a particularly saucy insult in reference to Jennings on social media.

Sick burn from James Holzhauer, whose tweet was a reference to how he's on track to surpass Ken Jennings' total Jeopardy! earnings in way less games than it took Jennings to obtain it. This is thanks to his aggressive betting strategy and capitalizing on Daily Doubles, which gives him commanding leads that often make it mathematically impossible for competitors to beat him by the time Final Jeopardy arrives.

Twitter was, of course, loving the action and the fact that James Holzhauer decided to directly "@" Ken Jennings in his burn. Of course, Jennings was able to fire back with a little ammunition of his own, and reminded Holzhauer that earnings aren't the only record he holds that the rising star has to conquer to be the all-time Jeopardy! champ.

As impressive as James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! streak and total earnings may be, his is still a far cry from the 74 game winning streak that Ken Jennings accomplished in his prime. At the time of writing, Holzhauer has 30 wins, and has had a few close calls that almost brought his time on the show to an end. Is it wise for Holzhauer to take shots at Jennings when he hasn't even locked down the earnings record?

To be fair, there is some debate as to whether or not it was James Holzhauer that started this beef, because Ken Jennings stirred the pot just a bit during an appearance on Good Morning America ahead of the tweet. Jennings gave credit to Holzhauer and his accomplishments, but added a match up between them wouldn't necessarily be fair due to Jennings being 15 years removed from his iconic Jeopardy! run. With that said, he still added he thinks he'd hold his own.

For a bit of added drama to this situation, many have noticed that James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings don't follow each other on Twitter. Is there some actual tension between them, or is this two great minds quietly laying the groundwork for a primetime television showdown on Jeopardy!? Can it be both? Seeing Jennings go up against Holzhauer to defend either his Jeopardy! streak or earnings would make for peak game show television.

Apparently Jeopardy! Outlawed $69 Wagers

James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! streak is set to continue, and CinemaBlend will keep tabs on his success and whether or not he and Ken Jennings trade any more snarky remarks in the meantime.

Jeopardy! almost saw the end of an incredible run. The higher the stakes, the higher the drama, and there was a lot of it on the May 24 episode. James Holzhauer’s streak was almost broken as he neared $2 million in winnings. The intense moment of competition saw James Holzhauer face off with challenger Nate Scheffey.

James Holzhauer was trying to win his 26th game of Jeopardy! when it came down to the wire. Holzhauer came into Final Jeopardy in the lead. He led Nate Scheffey by $5,400. It all came down to this last clue:

James Holzhauer and Nate Scheffey both got the answer correct with “What is Take the A Train.” While both answered correctly, Holzhauer ended up winning his 26th game. How did he do it? Scheffey wagered $10,000 on his answer. Holzhauer put $20,908 on his, which meant he wagered $10,908 more than Scheffey did. Hence, his victory.

With that, James Holzhauer won his 26th round of Jeopardy! by earning $52,108 compared to Nate Scheffey’s $35,800. Holzhauer did not pretend he was not concerned or relieved after the fact. He exhaled as he wiped his brow. The pressure came, and he won out. Holzhauer’s victory meant a win that put his total earnings less than $8,000 away from $2 million.

James Holzhauer has to win $500,000 more to tie Ken Jennings’ Jeopardy! record of $2.5 million. Jennings' outstanding feat was accomplished fifteen years ago in 2004. It took the current record keeper 74 games to win his record-setting amount. Holzhauer is now the second highest-earning winner of all time.

It has taken James Holzhauer less than half that time to challenge Ken Jennings’ number. Accordingly, Jeopardy! viewers have been riveted to see if he can pull it off. If he does break Ken Jennings’ record-setting winnings, will he break Jennings’ 74-game winning streak? Time will tell.

James Holzhauer's close call against Nate Scheffey was not his first since blazing his path to his current winnings. Seven games ago, Holzhauer barely won his 18th straight game. He won that round by less than $20. So, his latest margin of victory far exceeds that. A sign he is going in the right direction when it comes to close calls.

This is good news for Jeopardy! The show has been enjoying a hot streak in viewership. It and the millions of people tuning in definitely did not want to lose James Holzhauer. In the week of April 29, Jeopardy! averaged 13.28 million viewers per episode. The quiz show is far from over. Will James Holzhauer continue his winning streak?

Check your local listings to find out when Jeopardy! airs in your area. You can catch older episodes of the quiz show on Netflix, along with other content.

He's baaaack. Jeopardy! just finished up its 2019 Teachers Tournament, and that means James Holzhauer is returning tonight -- Monday, May 20 -- to try to win more money. How much has he won so far?

The last day James Holzhauer was on Jeopardy! before the Teachers Tournament was Friday, May 3. As of that date, Holzhauer has these stats:

Total Money Earned: $1,691,008

Games Won: 22

Top Single Game Total (April 17): $131,127

Average Money Won Per Game: $76,864

Response Accuracy: 97%

Correct Final Jeopardy! Rate: 95%

Total Correct Daily Doubles: 49 / 53

That accuracy rate = amazing. The Jeopardy! website will be updated if James Holzhauer wins tonight and keeps on winning, so if you see this after May 20, the numbers may be higher. It's a lot of money, but interesting if you compare it to, say, the Survivor and The Amazing Race winners getting $1 million.

The Jeopardy! website also shows how James Holzhauer compares to others in the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame. For example, Ken Jennings still has the record for Consecutive Games Won, with 74 in 2004. Holzhauer is still pretty far behind at 22. Jennings also has the Highest Winnings title, for regular seasons, with $2,520,700, and you can see that Holzhauer still needs almost a million more to pass him.

It's hard to imagine anyone beating Brad Rutter's $4,688,436 total for All-Time Winnings, including tournaments. Ken Jennings is behind him in that category with $3,370,700, with Holzhauer's $1,691,008 behind him.

James Holzhauer does already have the title for Single Game Winnings with that April 17 take of $131,127. If you're wondering where the ladies are in the charts, Julia Collins is right behind James Holzhauer on the Consecutive Games list with 20. He just passed her earlier this month.

James Holzhauer's winning streak has given Jeopardy! a huge ratings boost -- topping even some recent episodes of The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones -- although nothing on the level of Ken Jennings yet, because Jennings' streak went for 74 games. If Holzhauer keeps going and threatens to usurp Jennings, you can bet the ratings will keep climbing as more fans watch to see it play out.

Ken Jennings, for one, would be fine with James Holzhauer taking over his record, saying this to Newsweek:

Everything with James Holzhauer is exciting, but it's playing out as host Alex Trebek battles his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He's being the ultimate champion about that, and Ken Jennings posted a great tribute to the iconic host.

We're up to Season 35 of the daily syndicated series, with Episode 181 airing tonight, Monday, May 20. However, Alex Trebek already revealed that Season 35 had finished taping in mid-April. So the truth of James Holzhauer's streak is out there somewhere, and it's amazing that more spoilers don't spill out.

Ask someone what television's most watched comedy and drama are, and there's a good chance that person will correctly guess The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones, respectively. Now ask that person if either of those shows is watched by less people than Jeopardy!, and you might get a laugh. But guess what? The game show is technically drawing more linear TV viewers than either of those monster hits, thanks to James Holzhauer's legend-making run.

For the week of April 29, Jeopardy! hit a ratings high that it hadn't seen since 2005 (more on that below) and averaged around 13.28 million viewers per episode that week, which is downright jaw-dropping. Not only for the intimidating size of the number itself, but because it legitimately topped every single Nielsen-rated show's same-day audience for that week, as far as linear TV viewing goes. As such, Jeopardy! beat out Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory.

To break that down a bit further, The Big Bang Theory episode that week, titled "The Plagiarism Schism," was watched by 12.48 million people, around 800,000 fewer people than the average Jeopardy! episode in the same week. The Big Bang Theory cast gets paid more than just about everyone else on TV, so it's perhaps fitting that the show is briefly losing out to a game show contestant whose claim to fame is earning a ton of money.

This is also semi-fitting in another way, since Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki was recently featured as a Jeopardy! clue and answer. In hindsight, it's kind of a shame that Alex Trebek never entered the pantheon of Big Bang Theory guest stars. He was on How I Met Your Mother in 2010, but that was the last CBS sitcom.

The Game of Thrones side of things gets slightly more complicated with the ratings comparison, in the sense that this comparison doesn't account for streaming numbers, according to THR. The Live + Same Day audience for Game of Thrones' episode that week, titled "The Last of the Starks," was around 11.8 million, which is clearly lower than Jeopardy!'s 13.28-million average.

Granted, Game of Thrones racks up a ton of viewers through the HBO Go app and the HBO Now streaming service, so that 11.8 million total is on the lower side. For instance, last week's "The Bells" netted 12.5 million viewers during the TV airtime, and that number topped out at 18.4 million after the totals were added in from streaming platforms. So one can imagine that Episode 4 of the final season reached another 4-5 million people via streaming.

Still, it's not like any other TV shows out there beyond The Big Bang Theory are stepping up and drawing bigger TV crowds than Game of Thrones. As such, Jeopardy! is pretty lonesome up there in its throne.

James Holzhauer's streak has been noticeably boosting Jeopardy!'s numbers for weeks now, as the professional gambler's high-stakes betting has made the game show a hot topic of conversation again. Jeopardy! was hitting an already impressive average of 10.09 million viewers in the first full week of Holzhauer's streak, from April 8-12. In the next three weeks, that average daily viewership grew to 10.67 million, and then to 11.97 million, and finally to 13.28 million. That's a 32% increase in four weeks' time.

As well, Jeopardy! is celebrating its highest household ratings in 14 years, nearly going back to the record-breaking run of current streak holder Ken Jennings. Its 8.3 household rating basically says that for all of the TVs that were on at the time when Jeopardy! was airing, 8.3% of them were watching James Holzhauer blow other contestants out of the water. Not counting the week of Holzhauer's first two victories, these ratings are up 20% over last year at the same time.

In comparison, Ken Jennings' mindblowing run in 2004 had marked a 22% boost over the prior year's ratings. So if James Holzhauer can keep the streak alive for a couple more weeks, he could very well set another unexpected Jeopardy! record.

Jeopardy! fanatics are well aware that James Holzhauer hasn't been around recently, since recent weeks have been devoted to the game show's annual Teachers Tournament. He will return to the competition on Monday, May 20. Because the show airs in syndication, check your local listings to see when it's playing in your area.

James Holzhauer's run on Jeopardy! has been quite the spectacle to see. With frequent records being broken, and big bets being wagered by the competitor left and right, Holzhauer has successfully grabbed America's attention. It's paid off in the ratings department for the long-running game show, too, and viewership is on the rise across the country for Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! getting a 9.2 market rating from Nielsen's latest report, surveying the 56 largest local TV markets in the U.S. That number, which is very different from the usual age demographic rating that advertisers hold dear, means that in the most-watched week of his run, an average of 9.2% of all television audiences in those areas tuned into Jeopardy! to see James Holzhauer destroy the competition.

It's quite the climb from his first week run on the program, which netted a 6.5 market rating, and the numbers show that was even a step up from the prior week's 8.5 tally. Clearly, more and more people are getting invested in James Holzhauer's record-smashing run as it continues.

Another ratings win came the same night Holzhauer took the record for Jeopardy!'s second-longest win streak, according to CNN. That episode is currently the highest-rated episode of the season, but like James Holzhauer's own records thus far, it could still be topped. Jeopardy! averaged 9.8 million viewers prior to the contestant's run, but that number increased to 10.1 in the first three weeks of his win streak.

In the third week of James Holzhauer's run, Jeopardy! was the number one syndicated show on television. It's a feat that the beloved game show hasn't accomplished since its 2014-2015 season, and it may not have taken that prize had Holzhauer not been on such an impressive tear and wowing Jeopardy! legends like Ken Jennings with his intense betting strategy and vast trove of trivia knowledge.

Now, Holzhauer's ratings are good, but they're not "Ken Jennings good." It's kind of unfair to compare Jennings' original run to Holzhauer's current one, due to the vast changes in TV-viewing behavior, but Jennings' 72-day stint did net better ratings on a base level. THR reported Jennings masterful streak got Jeopardy!'s ratings to increase by 22%, compared to the on-average 10% increase that Holzhauer's episodes have brought in for his winning weeks.

Jennings is still king where those ratings are concerned, but one would imagine Holzhauer's numbers will spike the closer he gets to the mythical champion's record. He's still got quite a road to travel to break the win streak, but he might surpass Jennings' winning totals much quicker than the champ amassed his winnings. Hypothetically speaking, that creates some potentially big television moments for Holzhauer and Jeopardy! that could eclipse Jennings' run.

Both Holzhauer's streak and Jeopardy!'s ratings still have chances to grow, as the competitor won his most recent match on Friday, and elevated his overall winnings to $1,691,008. That's where they'll stay for another couple weeks, however, as he'll get some time away from the show so that it can host its annual Teachers Tournament. Once that is complete, Holzhauer will continue until someone either topples the champ, which isn't an outright impossibility, or when Season 35 ends for the summer.

It is very difficult to conceive who could beat him, however, as Holzhauer's vast trivia knowledge and aggressive betting ensures he can take quite a substantial lead on opponents in the game. By the game's end, it's often mathematically impossible for any competitor to beat him, and it'll likely continue on in that fashion, unless of course James Holzhauer would illogically bet so much that he falls beneath another competitor.

It's possible something like that could happen in an extremely rare moment of lapsed mathematical skills, but given how careful he's been thus far, it doesn't seem likely he'll fall out of this competition due to greed or bad math. But that's about as likely as Holzhauer suddenly forgetting how to use the buzzer to ring in.

Jeopardy! will return with James Holzhauer back in the champion slot in a couple weeks, but until then, somebody else will have a chance to win episodes for a change. Stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on the game show, as well as the latest headlines on popular television, movies, and pop culture.

It's arguable that HBO's Game of Thrones is TV's biggest success right now, as its eighth and final season continues racking up viewers and inspiring conversations en masse. Somewhere just behind the cable epic, though, is Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer, whose record-smashing streak has caused some rumors that the show could end up running out of money. Perhaps a sign that the end is nigh, Holzhauer came closer to defeat than ever, winning by less than $20 in Monday afternoon's game, which set yet another Jeopardy! record.

James Holzhauer Almost Loses

For Monday's contest, the resident champ and national superstar James Holzhauer faced off against Ashland, Massachusetts resident Adam Levin, who got as far as anyone else has in terms of taking over the Jeopardy! throne. (Sure, there was a third contestant for the sake of the telecast – Jasmine Leonas – but not so much for the sake of this story.) Levin, who works with the athletics department for Brandeis University, gave Holzhauer a run for his money and then some during his 18th straight game.

Adam Levin managed to keep his head above water through most of the episode by generally following in Holzhauer's footsteps, even if he couldn't match them perfectly. Levin even landed a big Daily Double late in the game, and as viewers of recent games are well aware, it's a rare sight for someone other than Holzhauer to get one of the wager-friendly clues. They have definitely played a big role in how the champion gets such remarkable leads as early as possible in each contest.

It all came down to the Final Jeopardy round, which marked the rare moment in James Holzhauer's run that a fellow contestant stopped it from being a complete runaway victory. (It was only the second time.) Adam Levin had $27,000 to Holzhauer's $33,517, for the category "Organizations," and both men got the correct answer.

Unfortunately for Adam Levin, though, he just didn't have enough money to conquer James Holzhauer's impressive win total. Levin bet everything but a dollar, bringing his second-place score to $53,999, while Holzhauer finished up with $54,017. That's right, a mere $18 or $19 is what separated Levin from taking Holzhauer down from his continuously rising mountain.

Who Set The New Record?

James Holzhauer's $54,017 victory was something of a low-earner for the champ, who already holds the highest single-game record with $131,127. (He also holds the top eight slots in that official ranking.) However, it was Adam Levin who managed to break a fairly unique record that, coincidentally enough, hadn't been touched since Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings' hot streak.

With his $53,999 score, Levin reached the highest ever non-winning Jeopardy! score during non-tournament play. That's a lot of qualifying factors, but that just makes it all the more impressive in some ways. It's now officially the 21st highest final score of any Jeopardy! scores, with Holzhauer's own $54,017 score landing in the 20th spot on that list.

Previously, the record holder in this respect was Michael Cudahy, who ended his single game with a score of $44,400. It might have been enough in many other Jeopardy! games, but this was one where he was facing Ken Jennings, so it wasn't meant to be.

How Did Adam Levin Get So Close?

There are moments during James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! matches where other contestants seem to have lost the ability to speak, blink and/or think. However, Adam Levin was able to keep a good head on his shoulders throughout and got more than his fair share of correct answers. Speaking with the Boston Globe, Levin noted that when he was waiting to get called up for his own episode, he was able to sit in the audience to watch Holzhauer in action.

Such unplanned reconnaissance work, said Levin, was ultimately quite helpful. In his words:

Talk about good fortune. Even if Adam Levin ultimately ended up losing, at least he exposed some of the wiring in James Holzhauer's game. It likely won't end up actually helping anyone beat him, unless he manages to outlast the current season and returns for the next. If that's the case, then there will likely be new contestants joining that are familiar with how Holzhauer plays.

Here's what else he had to say about it.

A dream in which he only won $2,000 instead of becoming the new giant-slaying Jeopardy! champion, but a dream nonetheless.

Meanwhile, James Holzhauer's winning streak continues at a blistering clip. He has currently won a total of $1,39,604, having broken the million-dollar mark last week. Having won a total of 18 games so far, Holzhauer is just behind former champ David Madden, whose 19-game win streak currently has him locked in third place behind Julia Collins' 20-game run. There's a huge gap between Collins' 20 wins and Ken Jennings' 74 wins, but if there's anybody out there that stands a chance at crossing such depths, it's Holzhauer.

Jeopardy! is in its 35th season on the air, and has been celebrating the momentous anniversary throughout the year. The iconic game show airs in syndication, so be sure to check your local listings to see where it can be viewed in your area.

If current Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer was a sports team, he would already be a dynasty, having conquered the game in certain ways that no one was able to do before. Whether one loves or hates hot streaks like Holzhauer's, it's hard to deny how impressive they are, and it's also hard not to be curious about how he does it.

Thankfully for those more inquisitive-minded fans out there, James Holzhauer has no secrets to hide when it comes to the way he plays, and he's happy to talk about his Jeopardy! strategies. For instance, here's his basic, no-frills gameplan:

That would seem like the obvious route to take for many contestants, but James Holzhauer puts far more emphasis on that "bet big" part than just about anyone else who has ever appeared on the show. Coming from a sports gambling background, Holzhauer has a brain for wagers that compares strongly to his vast knowledge in other areas.

As viewers have witnessed time and again, Holzhauer has been a dominant success in each contest, and another part of his strategy is in not relying on the last round to help him win. He's aiming for runaways every single time. Here's what else he told Wired.

During his (at the time of this writing) 16-day win streak, James Holzhauer has locked up nearly every game well before even the Double Jeopardy round was completed, and some were basically wrapped up in the first round. So he hasn't really needed to struggle much when it comes to facing opponents in a meaningful way in Final Jeopardy.

Of course, Holzhauer's strategies don't only consist of generalized Big Picture tactics, since that would only take him so far. He's definitely got a more specified blueprint guiding him through the various elements of gameplay.

For instance, while some eager beaver contestants seem to seek out the Daily Doubles as soon as the regular Jeopardy round starts, Holzhauer knows that a quick Daily Double is only worth it if one already has money built up. Here's how he put it to the New York Times:

There's a gigantic difference between having $500 and $5,000 when hitting that first Daily Double. James Holzhauer is keenly aware of where the advantages lie, and he tries to capitalize from minute one. (And I'm using the term "tries" loosely there, since it's second nature to him at this point.)

Jeopardy! champions and contestants alike usually appear as if they're trying to accumulate the most amount of money at any given time, but James Holzhauer's style of place makes it more obvious just how cautious and reserved many people are when a Daily Double forces them to actively bet on their own intelligence. That's just not something that Holzhauer gets caught up on, which is presumably influenced by his experience with high-dollar gambling.

Here's how Holzhauer explains the way he looks at money on Jeopardy!:

His answer hits upon something that many Jeopardy! fans aren't thinking about while watching at home. In order to get onto the show in the first place, the would-be contestants take part in tryouts where they have to display a working knowledge of an extensive array of subjects, from history to literature to pop culture. So just by being on Jeopardy!, contestants have already been primed for at least a vague familiarity with everything on the board. So why not bet bigger when the time comes?

To be fair, James Holzhauer doesn't display the same bouts of nervousness and trepidation that some players will have when standing on the Jeopardy! stage for the first time. His history with wagers also makes him a better fit for handling such challenges without overthinking his actions. However, such risky Daily Double and Final Jeopardy bets aren't exclusive to him, and anyone else is feasibly capable of doing the same thing.

That is, of course, assuming the "anyone else" in that situation is resoundingly smart and displays a near-effortless ability to recall information in rapid time. James Holzhauer has just such a talent, which he bolstered by learning as much as he could about how the Jeopardy! buzzers worked. But it all starts with how much info is in the old brain-space, right?

For anyone who things the Jeopardy! champion constantly keeps his nose plugged in gigantic almanacs and dusty tomes, Holzhauer has a pretty surprising way of keeping abreast of details and facts. In his words:

That's a pretty genius move, all things considered. While there are certainly some Jeopardy! subjects that probably wouldn't get covered by a children's book, such as current Top 40 hits or certain areas of world politics, so many others definitely are. And considering Jeopardy! relies on names, dates and locations for historical and geographical clues, children's books can be a great way to pick up on those particulars without having to trudge through more dry and uninteresting text.

Maybe one day, James Holzhauer will write How To Win at Jeopardy! For Kids, possibly even self-publishing it with all the money he's already won on the show. His current winnings stand at $1,225,987, which is nearly half of the all-time winnings leader Ken Jennings, who still sits on top with $2,520,700.

Keep watching Jeopardy! to see if anyone can possibly take James Holzhauer down before he completely bankrupts the show. It airs in syndication every weekday, so check our local listings to see when it's playing in your area.

The worlds of sports and the world of Jeopardy! may not outwardly share that much in common, but they are two worlds that current game show millionaire James Holzhauer understands very well. However, Holzhauer doesn't necessarily think his background in sports betting has been his biggest advantage during his stunning win streak on Jeopardy! The champ says he's able to pull off his aggressive tactics more successfully than his opponents because he's more comfortable on the stage.

Here's how James Holzhauer put it when asked why other contestants aren't all following in his high-wager footsteps:

When watching James Holzhauer, one sees many shades of various other Jeopardy! champions of recent years, such as Arthur Chu and Matt Jackson, who were known for their rapid pacing and for voyaging across the board in search of Daily Doubles. Holzhauer takes a slightly different route, in that he (arguably wisely) tries to initially build up his bank to give himself the highest wager possible when landing a Daily Double.

That kind of strategy, along with other tactics Holzhauer takes into account, requires abundant concentration, and it's doubtful that he would be able to successfully pull off a 15-game win streak without being extremely comfortable behind his podium. Logic would dictate that he's only getting more confident and secure in the winner's spot, which is definitely bad news for other contestants coming in to challenge Holzhauer.

Standing on stage in front of a live audience can be havoc on one's nerves, especially knowing that the episode will later be seen by millions of people in syndication. Naturally, being nervous can affect one's ability to think and remember things properly, which is a major setback when one needs to mimic James Holzhauer's aggressive play style just to stay alive in the game.

At this point, it's probably a mental hurdle in and of itself for contestants to realize that they'll be facing Holzhauer for a game, which isn't a great way to start. Plus, if the champion can visibly see that the challengers next to him are trembling with nervousness, that could very well provide a further confidence boost that propels Holzhauer to reach uncatchable scores.

When asked, James Holzhauer told The New York Times that he does think average Jeopardy! contestants play the game too conservatively and prudently. In his words:

Final Jeopardy is generally the time when contestants drop some of their on-stage inhibitions and go for grander wagers in an attempt to come out on top. Unfortunately for just about everyone who has faced James Holzhauer, it's almost always been a runaway game for the champ by the time those matches have reached the final round. So if anyone stands a chance at beating him any time soon, it'll be whoever can ape his tactics the most comfortably.

Currently, James Holzhauer has reached a 15-day streak, with his winnings totaling $1,135,180. He know has eight of the ten highest Jeopardy! single-game scores of all time, is the second-highest winning champ in regular play, and is four games away from tying Dave Madden's third place win streak of 19 games. Here's hoping Jeopardy! doesn't run out of money before someone has a chance to take him down.

Jeopardy! airs in syndication five days a week, so be sure to check your local listings to see when and where Alex Trebek can be found in your area. And send good thoughts to the still-recovering Trebek, who aims to return to Jeopardy! for Season 36 later this year, even though it's reported that his eventual replacement is currently being sought out.

While Game of Thrones' eighth and final season may be the biggest fictional spectacle on television right now, TV's biggest nonfiction spectacle offers a far different kind of warrior's reign. I'm speaking, of course, of Jeopardy! and its current champion James Holzhauer, the mega-betting phenomenon that has kept fans talking for weeks now. Holzhauer has added more lucrative gold stars to his record as he has now surpassed $1 million in Jeopardy! winnings. Amazing!

Passing a Million

For Tuesday afternoon's telecast, James Holzhauer once again made Jeopardy! history in several big ways. First of all, he became the fastest Jeopardy! contestant to make it to $1 million in winnings, either by regular game standards or with tournaments thrown in there. Of course, he's only the third champion to ever even reach a million dollars on the long-running game show.

Ken Jennings was the only other contestant to reach $1 million during traditional games, since the all-time money winner Brad Rutter was first on the show before the rule change allowing contestants to play on after five days of winning. Rutter did become a millionaire champion in later years, though, after winning the Million Dollar Masters Tournament. Still, James Holzhauer hit the cool mil mark in just 14 games. I've had colds that lasted longer that that.

Setting a New 2nd Place Single-Game Record

James Holzhauer won Tuesday's game on a Final Jeopardy clue that called back to the Civil War, and the champ nailed it, winning a mighty sum of $118,816. Understandably, the game was a runaway at that point, and like he'd done in many games before, Holzhauer bet big for his Final Jeopardy wager, and it paid off.

That score was big enough to take the second place spot in the biggest single-game winnings of all time, though it wasn't enough to top Holzhauer's own epic win of over $131,000. Still the current Jeopardy! champ now holds the top SEVEN biggest win spots. The previous top dog, Roger Craig, had won $77,000 in 2010, which was extremely impressive at the time. However, Holzhauer's average winnings across 14 games is just under that total, at around $75,825. It's almost unbelievable.

Early in his run, James Holzhauer leapt past former champion David Madden to become the second highest-winning contestant in Jeopardy!'s history. The only way that placement is likely going to change is if Holzhauer tops Ken Jennings' $2.5 million record. If anyone could do it, Holzhauer appears to have the talent and the seemingly necessary gambler's mindset.

Reaching The 4th Highest Winning Streak

It's so easy to lock our attention spans onto James Holzhauer's dollar signs, especially now that he's broken into seven-digit winnings. However, we definitely shouldn't overlook celebrating the increasing number of episodes that he's winning, as he's slowly climbing that list of Hall of Famers as well.

With Tuesday's victory landing him at 14 victories, James Holzhauer bounced up to the #4 slot for the number of consecutive games won. He'd previously been tied with Matt Jackson, whose 13-game streak came back in 2015, knocking 12-game-winners Austin Rogers and Seth Wilson out of the Top 5 spots.

Viewers will have to wait another week before Holzhauer will be able to make a move to take over the #3 spot on that list. David Madden is currently in that position, having won 19 straight games in 2005, and above him is Julia Collins at 20 games. Anyone who's watched Holzhauer in action probably wouldn't hesitate much in predicting that he will be successful in passing up both of those former champs.

Making It to SportsCenter

James Holzhauer got to make a recent dream of his come true in the form of an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter for an interview with Scott Van Pelt. It was a fun talk, during which it was revealed that Van Pelt's mother, who isn't a regular SportsCenter viewers, was making the special effort to tune in for that segment, as she's a big fan of Holzhauer's.

It's definitely not an everyday occurrence to see any game show contestants appearing on ESPN in general, at least outside of Sports Jeopardy airings. The contestants' lone time to speak casually on the main show happens during their post-commercial conversations with Alex Trebek, so it was delightfully strange to see Holzhauer get to say so much about his approach to the game and about his betting techniques. I was also quite interested in what he had to say about trying to perfect the use of the Jeopardy! buzzer.

Getting His Own Jeopardy! Tracker Page

It's becoming harder and harder to remember all of the ways James Holzhauer is changing the game's record books, so Jeopardy! has added a tracker to its website for fans to stay current with the champ's winning streak. The fact that the show waited so long to put that graphic together, despite already knowing how much Holzhauer ends the season with, makes me think that Holzhauer's string of wins isn't going to end anytime soon.

That tracker page offers up a good line of defense for assumptions about how long Holzhauer could keep his Jeopardy victories going. 13 of his 14 games were completely sewn up even before the Final Jeopardy round, speaking to his board-dominating nature. Plus, his 97% correct answer rate is pretty astounding, especially considering he's buzzing in on most of the questions.

That percentage drops by a small amount when measuring his success rate with Double Jeopardy clues, but I'm pretty sure getting 32 out of 35 DJ answers correct would lead to its own record. As well, he's been correct 93% of the time with all of his Final Jeopardy answers, getting only one incorrect in those first 14 games.

If Alex Trebek's health starts to decline again soon, or if he feels he's just not feeling good enough to return for next season, I hope that James Holzhauer's unpredictable streak of high-dollar wins would serve as a solid punctuation mark for the longtime host to bow out on. That said, I have far bigger hopes that Trebek will be as spry and wry as ever for Season 36.

Jeopardy! will continue airing the rest of its very special 35th season until the summer hiatus hits. Is it possible that James Holzhauer could last until the proper season finale, having to continue anew again in the fall? Maybe so. Be sure to check your local listings to see when and where Jeopardy! airs in your area.

Call it irony, call it kismet, or call it astonishing luck, but it's pretty incredible that Jeopardy! was able to follow up this year's first-ever All Star Team Tournament by introducing a new champion whose reign could very well dwarf those of every single All Star. Jeopardy!'s latest winning streak belongs to Las Vegas resident James Holzhauer, who somehow managed a flawless game and totally obliterated his own previous record for single-day earnings.

The New Record 

James Holzhauer has truly become a national celebrity in recent weeks, due to his fantastical Jeopardy! wins, and he doesn't seem to be on the verge of ending his historical streak any time soon. On Wednesday afternoon's telecast, Holzhauer dropped a lot of jaws on the Jeopardy! set by winning Final Jeopardy with a whopper of a total: $131,127.

For those keeping score, that's over $20,000 more than the previous single-day record, which James Holzhauer had only just set himself last week. The new record is a full $54,127 more than Roger Craig's $77,000 record that was set back in 2010. What's more, Holzhauer actually already topped the $77,000 total two other times during his ten-day stretch - with $89,158 and $106,181 - but those came after his initial record-breaking win.

So, at least for now, Holzhauer is the name next to four of the five biggest Jeopardy! wins in history, but it's likely only a matter of time before he secures that fifth spot for himself, knocking Roger Craig out of the top spot entirely. It'll be a somewhat sad thing to see, since Craig has become such a well-liked Jeopardy! vet, but it's hard to deny the desire to see James Holzhauer rise high enough to take down the game show's resident warlord champion, Ken Jennings.

The math is rather intimidating, but the possibility exists for James Holzhauer to continue winning to the point where he actually surpasses the total that Ken Jennings took in during his record-setting Jeopardy! win streak, $2.52 million. Currently at $697,787 and sitting pretty in the #2 slot, Holzhauer could (however improbably) keep up his $69,000+ average win total in order by bypass Jennings' total in just 16 more games.

It'll probably take him slightly longer, assuming he does do it, but he'd clearly accomplish it in far fewer than the 74 games it took Jennings. Now just imagine how much moolah Holzhauer could win in 74 games. (Note that Holzhauer would need a lot more money to beat Brad Rutter's overall winnings of $4.88 million, which includes winnings from various Tournaments and specials.)

That Flawless Game 

It's obviously not an easy thing for any Jeopardy! champion to win as much money as James Holzhauer is, which is a big reason why he's the only one able to pull those victories off. Stunningly, the contestant makes it look easy at times, and his most recent record-breaking game was a masterclass in strategy and smarts.

Technically, a "perfect" Jeopardy! game would require a contestant to correctly answer all 60 regular and Double Jeopardy clues, as well as the two Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy. James Holzhauer didn't do all of that for Wednesday's game, but he did get 40 correct answers, along with the Daily Doubles, which brought him up to the super-impressive score of $71,114 going into the Final Jeopardy round.

The category was "20th Century Literary Characters," and the clue hinted at the name of one of the main characters in Harper Lee's iconic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. With the game already a runaway, James Holzhauer bafflingly wagered $60,013 on his answer of "Atticus Finch." He was correct, of course, and Jeopardy! history was made. Holzhauer, always looking for a chance to bring his family members into it, also gave a "thank you" shout out to his grandmother at the bottom of his answer.

The sky is the limit for James Holzhauer at this point. The sports gambler has capitalized on proven techniques used former champions such as Arthur Chu, Austin Rodgers and Brad Rutter. Rather than going through the clues sequentially, Holzhauer flies all over the board while seeking out the round's Daily Double clues, and that's when the champion really starts to shine.

Unlike how many players will be hesitant about betting too big when Daily Doubles come up, James Holzhauer puts his gambling mindset to work and routinely puts all, or the majority, of his current winnings on the line. The strategy has clearly worked out for him in spades, and it'll be interesting to see if his actions end up inspiring a new generation of risk-embracing Jeopardy! contestants.

Check out the official Jeopardy! video below celebrating James Holzhauer's victories.

Want to see how much money James Holzhauer ends up winning? Could he end up staying on the show longer than Alex Trebek? Tune into Jeopardy! every weekday in syndication. Be sure to check your local listings to see when and where the classic series is airing in your area.

Move over Ken Jennings – or at least get slightly less comfortable in your throne – as there's a new Jeopardy! champion making his way towards the show's top earner at a rather feverish pace. Gambling enthusiast James Holzhauer has quickly made a name for himself in quite a good way, as he's already secured his status as its second highest-earning winner in Jeopardy! history.

As of his most recent episode ahead of this writing, James Holzhauer has earned a grand total of $460,479. Those winnings exceed the record previously held by Dave Madden, who managed to earn $430,400 in his 19-game run as Jeopardy champion in 2005.

UPDATE: After Wednesday's Jeopardy, Holzhauer was able to extend his winning streak by racking up $131,127, meaning that his total winnings are now at $697,787.

James Holzhauer's record is not just impressive for overcoming Dave Madden's dollar amount, but being able to do so in just under half the games that it took Madden to earn his winnings. Holzhauer will play his ninth game on Tuesday, and has a solid chance of expanding on his cash earnings even further.

James Holzhauer has obtained his quick fortune through incredibly aggressive play, which may be rooted in an understanding of the game he's gained via a career as a professional gambler. Holzhauer has shared some of the secrets behind his short but hugely successful run, which involves capitalizing on Jeopardy!'s Daily Double.

Surprise, surprise, the professional gambler is a fan of betting big, and he understands the odds are in his favor when it comes to the Daily Double. By wagering large amounts of money, Holzhauer can keep a relatively safe distance from other show competitors' scores, while also amassing himself a small fortune rather quickly. Of course, there's always the risk he'll bet too big on a question where he has no idea what the answer is, but that hasn't happened yet.

This aggressive Jeopardy! tactic has helped James Holzhauer previously smash the show's one-day record for earnings, which was the $77,000 total won by Roger Craig. Holzhauer zoomed past that amount, and is the current record holder with an astonishing $110,914. He could've gone even higher, but as he explained after getting the correct answer, the number is a homage to his daughter's November birthday. Given the achievement, it's sure to go down on a list of the show's more memorable moments.

Check it out below!

James Holzhauer is doing well, but he's still a long way from beating out game show legend and stand-up guy Ken Jennings' record of $2,520,700 in Jeopardy! earnings. That being said, if Holzhauer maintains his high betting and win streak, he could surpass Jennings' total well before the 74 games it took the champ to hit that total. It's certainly an exciting time to watch Jeopardy!, and it works to detract sad attention away from recent headlines regarding host Alex Trebek's health.

He may fizzle out before then if his aggressive play betrays him, although James Holzhauer shouldn't be discounted so readily. Holzhauer is a game show veteran himself, and has used his skills to win big on quiz shows like The Chase in the past. You can watch part of that performance below.

James Holzhauer's record is mightily impressive, and there's a chance it'll only climb higher. Readers can check their local listings to find Jeopardy! airings to see if he'll hang on.