![]() “I knew going in that Daily Double hunting was something that I could do and feel confident doing,” she said. For each row on the “Jeopardy!” board, Boettcher said, she had calculated the percentage of times she answered correctly. The 27-year-old University of Chicago librarian said in an interview that she had watched “Jeopardy!” religiously for years, playing along with a pen as a makeshift buzzer and documenting her scores in a notebook. “A lot of the opponents have adjusted to the strategy,” he said in the interview, “but not all of them have had the guts to actually back it up with a big bet.”īoettcher did. Holzhauer went for all of the high-value questions first, hunted for the Daily Double items, and when he found them, bet all he had. Others proclaimed him to be an inspiration for investors, entrepreneurs and others who must take calculated risks. Holzhauer dominated the game with a strategy that made some commentators wonder whether he “broke the game” and was draining the show’s prize budget. “It’s going to happen at some point,” he added. He also wrote greetings to his friends and family on his Final Jeopardy answer, a habit that other contestants picked up on the show eventually began enforcing an existing rule prohibiting such messages. He often calculated his Final Jeopardy wager so his total winnings for the game matched meaningful dates, like his 4-year-old daughter’s birthday. It helped that Holzhauer was a beast with the buzzer, having practiced at home with a mechanical pencil.ĭespite a workmanlike efficiency and a practiced smile that invited comparisons to cyborgs, Holzhauer allowed some charm to break through. Trebek, who has continued to moderate the show despite living with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, said in a television interview in May that Holzhauer appeared to have no weaknesses as a player. He almost always entered Final Jeopardy so far ahead that no one could catch him. When he buzzed in, he got the right answer (that is, question) 97 percent of the time, according to the show. During his streak he won an average of $77,000 per game, more than double Jennings’s rate. Though he eventually lost, Holzhauer’s statistics will be tough to beat. His success rubbed off on the show itself, which drew its best household ratings in 14 years, according to Nielsen. A minor-league baseball team in upstate New York offered him a chance to work as its general manager (for a day). ![]() Clark County, Nev., declared a “James Holzhauer Day,” and he was given a ceremonial key to the Las Vegas Strip. So I don’t feel bad about it.”Īs he racked up wins, Holzhauer, a 34-year-old professional sports bettor who lives in Las Vegas, gained a celebrity status that, besides Jennings, few game show contestants ever reach. “But I’m very proud of how I did, and I really exceeded my own expectations for the show. “Nobody likes to lose,” Holzhauer said in an interview. Holzhauer walked over to give Boettcher a high-five. “What a game!” Alex Trebek exclaimed after Boettcher’s final score popped up. The surprising end caused even the famously dispassionate host to practically lose his composure. The number of the day turned out to be $22,002, the amount that separated him from the winner, a librarian from Chicago named Emma Boettcher. In the prerecorded episode that aired on Monday, Holzhauer’s “Jeopardy!” reign came to an end with his 33rd game, a tantalizing $58,484 shy of Jennings’s mark. For fans, the question was not whether he would surpass the $2.52 million Ken Jennings won during his record 74-game winning streak in 2004, but when. Eleven times during his winning streak, he went a whole game without buzzing in incorrectly. He set the record for the most money won in one episode, holds the second spot on the list, and the next 14. So long.įor weeks, the “Jeopardy!” phenomenon James Holzhauer had been unstoppable. We’re going to say goodbye to James, too. What a game! Oh my God! What a way to start the week. What did you wager? Oh gosh - $20,000 - what a payday! $46,801. If you came up with a correct response, you’re going to be the new “Jeopardy!” champion. His wager: a modest one for the first time. He had $23,400 and his response was correct. You’re hoping for bad things - incorrect responses from our champion and from Emma. And you will add $6,000 - that bumps you up to $17,000. And you came up with: Who is Marlowe? Christopher Marlowe. You wound up at $11,000, which is pretty good, but in third place. Transcript How ‘Jeopardy!’ Star James Holzhauer’s Winning Streak Ended James Holzhauer came $58,484 short of setting a “Jeopardy!” record after losing to Emma Boettcher, a librarian from Chicago.Īlex Trebek: Jay, we come to you first - you started slowly, but were coming on very strong in the Double Jeopardy round.
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