Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

This 'Jeopardy!' Champ Has Hit $1 Million In Winnings In An Insanely Short Amount Of Time

This 'Jeopardy!' Champ Has Hit $1 Million In Winnings In An Insanely Short Amount Of Time
Jeopardy!/Youtube, @Greg_Tieman/Twitter

Jeopardy! phenom James Holzhauer is already being called the best player of all time after just 15 days as champ, but will he catch up to the game's all-time winners and can the show survive someone who seems to have "solved" Jeopardy!?


Back during Ken Jennings' legendary 74-game reign as Jeopardy! champion in 2004, few could have imagined anyone coming along to topple Jennings as the undisputed quiz show king, but 15 years later, professional gambler James Holzhauer looks like he's making a go of it, and he might just do it in record time.

Over the last 15 shows, professional sports better James Holzhauer has not just been winning Jeopardy!, he has been dominating it and smashing almost every record in sight.

Holzhauer now holds the records for the highest single-day win, the 5-day win record, and highest successful Double Jeopardy wager.

His winnings also topped the $1 million mark in just 14 appearances, faster than anyone else in the show's history, and it doesn't look like he will be slowing down any time soon.


James Holzhauer: 10 Wins and New Jeopardy! Records | JEOPARDY!www.youtube.com


Aside from his encyclopedic knowledge, much of Holzhauer's success comes down to his simple but ingenious strategy. Unlike most players, James starts off with the more difficult, high dollar questions so when he lands on a Daily Double he has more money to wager.

James also likes to have fun with his betting, purposefully winning $110,914 one night to honor his daughter who was born on Nov. 9, 2014. So far Holzhauer's strategy seems to be working.

While most players win about $20,000 in one night, James has taken things to a whole new level, averaging around $75,000 per game, but even that number is low compared to his record setting wins.

On April 17 he set the record for highest single-day winnings with $131,127, though he didn't stop there. Holzhauer currently holds the top seven single-game winnings records. Jeopardy! has even set up a "James Holzhauer Tracker" so fans can keep up with his record breaking streak.

Almost over night, Holzhauer became a household name and a certified Jeopardy! legend, though fans still can't believe just how good he is.









Though given his background, James' success makes a lot more sense. Holzhauer who lives in Vegas with his wife and two children makes his living as a professional sports gambler. He also holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, so if there's one thing James knows it's numbers.

James' trivia knowledge may be one thing, but fans seemed even more impressed by his ingenious strategy.






In just 15 appearances Holzhauer is quickly catching up to the $2.5 million regular season winnings record set by former champ Ken Jennings and at this pace he might surpass it in no time.

"James is just a perfect 'Jeopardy!' machine," Jennings told The Associated Press.

But some are wondering if the show's prize budget can withstand such a dominant champ.

If reports of host Alex Trebek's salary are accurate Holzhauer is currently earning more per episode than Trebek himself.

Fortunately game shows like Jeopardy! typically are insured against unexpectedly large payouts, and as Ken Jennings proved with his impressive streak the publicity big wins generate for the show can end up being worth it.

So the only question left may be one even Holzhauer can't answer -- just how long can he keep the streak going?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Sir Michael Caine
Mike Marsland/WireImage

Michael Caine Cryptically Tweeted The Word 'Jet'—And The Jokes Came Flying In

Legendary Oscar winner Sir Michael Caine may be 92 years old, but he's no less a social media maven than the young people among us. In fact, he might even be better at it than the youths!

What makes him so good at the social media game is the way he gets right to the point with as few words as possible.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Malott and Charles Radtke during UFC match
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

U.S. UFC Star Threatens Canada For Booing Anthem—Then Gets His A** Handed To Him

UFC fighter Charles Radtke was widely mocked online after talking trash about Canada before his bout with Canadian fighter Mike Malott—only to be soundly defeated by Malott in the second round.

Radtke leaned into the role of the villain leading up to the fight, invoking President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada as the “51st state” and saying he was seeking revenge for Canadian hockey fans recently booing the U.S. national anthem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Brian Jack talking to high school students
@patriottakes/X

High School Group Asks MAGA Rep. Why Trump Looks 'So Orange'—And His Answer Is Awkward AF

Things sure got awkward for Georgia Republican Representative Brian Jack after a group of students asked him during a Q&A session why President Donald Trump is "so orange."

People can only speculate what brand of makeup or bronzer Trump uses on a daily basis but there's a reason why he's been nicknamed "the orange man," "Agent Orange," and even "Mango Mussolini"—the color of his face is really, really hard to miss given he's photographed all the time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Duffy
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Transportation Secretary Slammed After Admitting He Made A Telling Switch To Wife's Recent Flight

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was criticized after admitting in a recent audio clip that he'd just switched his wife's Newark Liberty International Airport flight to one out of LaGuardia Airport—despite previously claiming his family flies out of Newark Airport "all the time."

Duffy’s remarks came as staffing shortages caused major flight disruptions at Newark on Monday, with the F.A.A. forced to delay incoming flights from across the continental U.S. and parts of Canada. According to an online advisory, delays averaged over 1 hour and 40 minutes and in some cases stretched to nearly seven hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
tourists on stairs leading to cathedral
Ilnur Kalimullin on Unsplash

People Share The Things They Consider 'Normal' In Their Country That Would Shock Tourists

What's normal but a setting on the clothes dryer?

What we label "normal" would often be best described as "common." Normal is defined as "conforming to a standard" or "the usual, average, or typical state or condition."

Keep ReadingShow less