'Jeopardy!' Contestant Breaks Single-Game Record, Largest in Show's 35-Year History
Game shows have become extreme over the years, but there are still some good old fashioned television staples that have remained constants for decades.
“Jeopardy!” has been on the air for as long as we can remember. Alex Trebek has been hosting so long that we can’t imagine the show without him.
In the wake of Trebek’s pancreatic cancer announcement, the game show host is still going strong, giving contestants the answers in search of the right questions.
One young man from Las Vegas asked all the right questions recently and became a new record-breaker, earning him a comparison to one of the most well-known game show contestants in television history.
Thirty-four-year-old James Holzhauer won a whopping $110,914 after just one day on the show in honor of his daughter’s birthday on Nov. 9, 2014.
This breaks Roger Craig’s record from nearly a decade ago, according to ESPN. Craig claimed $77,000 in one day on Sept. 14, 2010.
Holzhauer stole the show by questioning 129 out of 133 answers correctly. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face when he posed the correct question on the episode’s Final Jeopardy of the night.
“What is quantum leap?” Holzhauer wrote on his board. He even added, “Happy Birthday, Booger” below it, a shout out to his daughter, no doubt.
It would be easy to assume this brilliant man is some sort of college professor or physicist, but his real profession might just surprise you.
It seems that Holzhauer is just a regular guy with a big brain who loves sports and reading children’s books. He bets on sports as a profession and attributes his vast knowledge to the engaging content he finds in the juvenile section at the library.
“They are chock-full of infographics, pictures and all kinds of stuff to keep the reader engaged,” Holzhauer told The Washington Post regarding his youthful reading preferences. “I couldn’t make it through a chapter of an actual Dickens novel without falling asleep.”
Tonight on JEOPARDY!
James Holzhauer is going for 5 in a row. He’s already 8th on all-time list with $244,365 total winnings. (story by @brianpempus) https://t.co/LNDykFkHiy
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) April 10, 2019
Alex Trebek even gave the record-breaker a huge compliment, asking, “Is it too soon to start thinking about Ken Jennings comparisons?”
For those who don’t recognize the name, Jennings is known for having the longest running streak in “Jeopardy!” history, spending six months on the show and winning millions in the process.
We have a feeling Holzhauer certainly has it in him to take on a streak of his own. For now, we’ll watch and wait, hoping for more record-breaking wins in his future.
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