'Jeopardy!' champion surpasses $1 million in winnings in just 14 games
James Holzhauer is by now, a household name. Well, maybe if you're a 'Jeopardy!' fan.
On Tuesday night Holzhauer became the second person to cross the $1 million mark in total earnings on the show. The only other person to accomplish this feat was Jeopardy! hall-of-famer Ken Jennings, whose 74-day winning streak totaled him about $2.5 million. If Holzhauer's hot streak continues, he could reach that number in a fraction of the time.
While he has only been on the show for 14 games, he has shattered records. He not only holds the record for the most money earned in a single show, as of last night he holds the top five spots for that list.
Holzhauer's rate of racking up money has inspired the Jeopardy! website to put a graphic on their website called the "James Holzhauer Tracker" that lists his stats.
His winnings have a lot of people concerned about where Jeopardy! will get the funds, since their average winner banks about $20,000 per episode. Often game shows like Jeopardy! that have an element of unpredictability in the amount of money they hand out have some sort of insurance policy for rare events like the Holzhauer reign. So don't be too scared for the financial stability of the show.
Besides, with his betting strategy, Holzhauer could find himself in real jeopardy with just one disastrous Daily Double.
Charlotte is one of the new Culture Fellows at Mashable. She's a recent Ithaca College alum and avid Jeopardy fan. When she's not watching the Great British Baking show, you can probably find her at the local book store or working on her latest art project.
