Holzhauer’s run on Jeopardy! ends shy of file

One of the vital dominant aggressive performances ever witnessed on TV is over — James Holzhauer has been defeated, his outstanding run on “Jeopardy!” stopped simply in need of the long-lasting recreation present’s all-time winnings file.

Emma Boettcher, a user-experience librarian from Chicago, received $46,801 to defeat Holzhauer on Monday’s episode, ending his prolific, 32-game profitable streak that captivated the nation.

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In 33 video games, Holzhauer received $2,464,216. He was poised to take excessive spot within the present’s all-time, regular-play winnings listing with yet another massive win, however he’ll accept second — $56,484 behind laptop scientist and writer Ken Jennings, who received $2,520,700 throughout an epic, 74-game profitable streak in 2004.

“I by no means actually believed I may win 75 exhibits, however I undoubtedly thought I had an awesome shot at Ken’s money winnings file,” Holzhauer stated in a press release put out by the present. He later tweeted:

To @KenJennings : You win this spherical. But when Jeopardy ever offers me 43 second probability video games, look out!

— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June four, 2019

On Monday’s present, which was taped in March, Boettcher grabbed the lead within the Double Jeopardy spherical and put the champ away with a $20,000 wager and the proper response of “Who’s Christopher Marlowe?” in Ultimate Jeopardy.

“Oh, gosh. What a payday,” host Alex Trebek exclaimed, as a smiling Holzhauer walked throughout the stage to present Boettcher a congratulatory high-five.

Boettcher was fast on the buzzer and took a slim lead into Ultimate Jeopardy with $26,600. Holzhauer had $23,400, and Jay Sexton, in third place, had $11,000.

The class was “Shakespeare’s Time.” The clue: “The road ‘an awesome reckonings in somewhat room’ in ‘As You Like It’ is normally taken to confer with this writer’s untimely loss of life.” All three contestants supplied the proper response of Christopher Marlowe, an English playwright from the 1500s.

Holzhauer wagered $1,399, sufficient to win if Boettcher misfired and maintain off Sexton if he doubled up. Boettcher wagered $20,000 to win comfortably. Even when Holzhauer had wagered all of it, he would have misplaced by $1.

“I used to be somewhat shook throughout Double Jeopardy,” Holzhauer wrote in an electronic mail, “as a result of I used to be enjoying from behind and consistently getting overwhelmed on the buzzer by Emma. By the point Ultimate Jeopardy rolled round, I knew I may solely win if Emma answered incorrectly. It felt like needing a staff to overlook a last-second subject objective. She did not miss, however I used to be nonetheless happy with my efficiency the entire method. I gave her a excessive 5 and smiled at how far I would come.”

James Holzhauer earned $2,462,216 on Jeopardy!, and he’ll return for the Event of Champions. Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

Boettcher, 27, works for the College of Chicago. She advised the Chicago Tribune that she wrote her grasp’s paper on the College of North Carolina in 2016 “on predicting the problem of trivia questions utilizing ‘Jeopardy!’ clues.” She wrote her undergraduate thesis at Princeton on Shakespeare’s performs — which got here in helpful on the ultimate query.

“It has been outstanding as a fan to have watched his run. James is such an awesome participant,” Boettcher advised the Tribune. “And for me, it will have been an honor to have performed him no matter how the sport had turned out. It has been good having watched the present for thus lengthy and to really feel like I’ve form of made my mark on the ‘Jeopardy!’ historical past in that method.”

Although he got here up shy of Jennings’ winnings file, Holzhauer’s mark on the sport will not quickly be forgotten. In actual fact, many “Jeopardy!” diehards imagine he modified how the sport might be performed going ahead.

Holzhauer’s episodes had been taped starting in February. His run started airing on TV on April four. Over the subsequent three months, the charismatic, smiley, 34-year-old skilled sports activities bettor from Las Vegas exploded into mainstream pop-culture with an all-in, high-stakes playing method to “Jeopardy!”

He not often missed — together with Monday, when he went 25-for-25 on solutions — and routinely wagered giant quantities on the 76 Each day Doubles that he discovered. He completed with 1,186 right solutions and solely 36 incorrect. His common margin of victory was $64,903.

When it was over, he had authored the 16 most prolific performances within the present’s 35 seasons, and 23 of high 27 general. On April 9’s present, his fourth episode, Holzhauer shattered the earlier single-game-winnings mark with $110,914, besting the earlier mark of $77,000 set in 2010 by Roger Craig.

Holzhauer eclipsed his personal file twice, highlighted by a $131,127 efficiency on April 17, and repeatedly put away his rivals earlier than Ultimate Jeopardy. Solely thrice in 32 exhibits was a competitor in placing distance coming into the ultimate spherical. Monday’s episode was a special story, although.

Boettcher did not miss, both, accurately responding to 22 clues. She went head-to-head with Holzhauer on the buzzer, too. In accordance with thejeopardyfan.com information, Holzhauer buzzed in first on 42.11 % of clues, his worst efficiency since his second recreation on April. 5.

“I am an individual who actually hates dropping,” Holzhauer wrote, “however I discovered that I am happy with my place within the present’s historical past, even when it is not on the absolute high of the pyramid.”

Holzhauer’s unimaginable dominance caught the eye of the sports activities world. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tweeted about “Jeopardy James,” and executives for Main League Baseball franchises publicly expressed curiosity in his expertise. Holzhauer grew to become a nationwide sensation and watched all of it play out on TV. He was sure by a normal non-disclosure settlement to maintain the ultimate end result a secret, although.

Final week at Caesars Palace, whereas talking at a gaming convention hosted by the UNLV, Holzhauer joked with a member of the viewers from Canada, asking about any potential tax breaks for winnings if he had been to maneuver north.

All through his appearances, Holzhauer had colourful, back-and-forth banter with Trebek about every thing from sports activities betting to getting married in his bathing swimsuit.

“[Trebek] all the time shakes the champ’s hand first [after the show], and it was bizarre when he did not head straight for me,” Holzhauer added. “Again within the inexperienced room, one of many producers referred to as out, “Champ!” to get Emma’s consideration, and I reflexively turned my head to reply. That was when it actually hit me that I am not “champ” anymore.”