The two-week teacher’s tournament was a short distraction. The real chase resumes Monday when “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer returns to face two new opponents vying to stop his historic run on the show.
Holzhauer, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, has taken the show by storm, becoming a national sensation with his unorthodox style of play (picking off high-dollar clues first) and pulling in huge winnings.
So far, he has won 22 games and earned a total of $1,691,008 (which averages out to $76,864 per game).
His winning streak is second in the show’s history, only behind Ken Jennings, one of “Jeopardy!’s” all-time champions.
His winnings in regular season play rank him second — again behind Jennings.
He has 10 single-game winnings records, with his highest single-game total at $131,127.
According to the show his response accuracy is at 97%, and he has been correct 95% of the time in final “Jeopardy!”
Jennings tallied $2,520,700 in regular-season winnings over the course of 74 games in 2004, putting him at the top in those two categories.
But even with his records in danger of falling, Jennings is rooting for Holzhauer.
“I’m the only person alive who knows firsthand how difficult it is to do what Holzhauer is doing, and that’s why I’m rooting him on,” Jennings wrote in a column on Monday. “I may hold a bunch of ‘Jeopardy!’ records, but at heart I’m just a fan of the show.”
The show is promoting Holzhauer return on Twitter:
Don't forget! Tune in Monday to see if James Holzhauer can continue his streak! #ChasingKen pic.twitter.com/hj9naUMXa1
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 15, 2019
The show also brought back some past champions to talk about Holzhauer:
The legends have spoken: James Holzhauer is a force to be reckoned with. pic.twitter.com/JVECbbBZfq
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 18, 2019
