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I’ve always had a knack for retaining useless information, and while the treasure trove of random facts in my head might not have much utility in the real world, it has helped me win multiple gift cards at bar trivia that came nowhere close to covering the tab I racked up over the course of the night.
Don’t act like you’re not impressed.
Trivia junkies like myself live for the day that knowing Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories might come in handy, but for most of us, that day will never come—unless you manage to land a spot on Jeopardy!
I’ve been watching Jeopardy! since I was a kid and there aren’t many things in this world I’d like to experience more than learning what it’s like to have Alex Trebek say “Good for you” in a fairly condescending tone after telling him a semi-amusing anecdote about my life.
Maybe one day.
To paraphrase Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa, Jeopardy! is a very mean and nasty game show that doesn’t care how smart you are and will beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it.
Over the years, Jeopardy! has been home to a number of brilliant players who have all been humbled at one point or another. However, it may have finally met its match in the form of James Holzhauer.
Holzhauer is a professional gambler hailing from Las Vegas who burst onto the scene a few weeks ago and started to turn heads after his unconventional playing style resulted in him shattering the one-day record—a record that he’d go onto break again last week.
While the superstar still has some way to go before topping the $2.5 million the legendary Ken Jennings racked up over the course of his 74-game streak, he’s approaching it at breakneck speed.
On Monday, the 34-year-old came one step closer to hitting the $1 million mark, and during his 14th game last night, he became only the second person in the history of Jeopardy! to surpass it after finishing the episode with $118,816 following yet another correct answer in the final round.
Watch the throne, Ken. James is coming for the crown.