Spoiler Alert: Jeopardy! James Holzhauer Loses, Fails to Beat Ken Jennings's Record
The following story contains spoilers from the Jeopardy! episode for June 3rd, which has already aired in certain parts of the United States.
Jeopardy! James has finally fallen.
James Holzhauer, the professional sports gambler who turned Jeopardy! on its head over the past few months, lost on Monday's episode, snapping a historic 32-game win streak.
Emma Boettcher defeated Holzhauer after leading him by $3,200 going into "Final Jeopardy!" Holzhauer and Boettcher each answered the prompt correctly—the answer was: "Who is Kit Marlowe?", a 16th-century playwright from England. However, Holzhauer wagered just $1,399 to increase his total from $23,400 to $24,799. Boettcher's total jumped from $26,600 to $46,801, clinching her victory.
News of Holzhauer's defeat leaked Sunday evening, with a clip of the moment going viral over social media.
Holzhauer's loss stops him short of besting Ken Jennings's non-tournament record earnings total of $2,520,700 through 74 appearances. Holzhauer won$2,464,216 during his 33-episode Jeopardy! run.
On April 17, Holzhauer set a single-day record when he won $131,127.
Holzhauer implemented a strategy in which he picked higher-valued clues first and placed heavy wagers on Daily Doubles. The tactic—and Holzhauer's smarts—resulted in him becoming just the second-ever Jeopardy! contestant to rack up over $2 million in winnings.
In an interview with The Action Network, Holzhauer said that the final episode he appeared in was taped on March 12. It first aired on a CBS affiliate in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday.
Holzhauer got 97% of his answers correct across his 33 appearances.
