James Holzhauer

James Holzhauer is an American game show contestant and professional sports gambler. He is best known for his record-setting 2019 run as champion on the quiz show Jeopardy!.

Holzhauer ended his 32-episode winning streak just $58,484 short of the all-time Jeopardy! regular season earnings record, but he obliterated the show's single-game earnings record an amazing 16 times during his run. Before he went on the show, the most money ever won by a contestant on a single day of Jeopardy! was $77,000. Holzhauer shattered that record, winning $131,127 on his best day, and exceeded it on 15 other occasions. He now holds 21 of the top 25 spots on the show’s list of the highest single-day winnings.

According to Holzhauer, there were 2 keys to his success on the show. On the one hand, his gambling-influenced strategy of aggressively seeking out higher-value questions while scouring the question board for "Daily Double" questions and making large bets. The other having to do with how he held the buzzer, always making sure to hold the buzzer in one hand while using his free hand to hold the buzzing hand's wrist in an effort "to try to keep everything steady."

Holzhauer is the second-highest overall winning Jeopardy! contestant (with $2.46 million in total winnings), behind Ken Jennings. Based on his success in Jeopardy!, Holzhauer has been nicknamed "Jeopardy James".