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:
The thing you have to understand about James is he decided at one point in preparing for the show that Jeopardy! needed a villain, I think. He’s a pro wrestling fan. And he understands that it makes a game exciting when the audience has a rooting interest. And he puts on this persona as an over-the-top, larger-than-life villain. I think in real life we get along great. Um, so for TV, we are mortal Jeopardy! enemies, and he likes playing that up.
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:
This is the thing that James Holzhauer really changed about the game you know, he brought a sports gambler sense of analytics. He had run the numbers and realized that Daily Doubles historically have like a very high completion percentage like 80% conversion on Daily Doubles. Whereas Final Jeopardy is much harder, 50%. So what you want to do is get your chips on the table for those Daily Doubles, find them at all costs and make big wagers then, so the game is put away later.
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.