Fans of Jeopardy! have been watching in awe as contestant James Holzhauer has racked up win after win on the popular game show, but according to a video leaked online at the start of June 2019, his streak had come to an end.
On 2 June 2019, Twitter user "Goliath" posted a video that supposedly showed the final question of an episode of Jeopardy! set to air the following day. In it, Holzhauer gave the correct response to the Final Jeopardy answer, but his unusually low wager wasn't sufficient for him to win:
In the minute long video, Holzhauer and competitor Emma Boettcher both correctly answer the Final Jeopardy question, but Boettcher pulls out the win, having wagered more money.
Holzhauer bet an uncharacteristically low amount — only $1,399 — bringing his game total to $24,799. Boettcher, on the other hand, bet a whopping $20,000 on the question, bringing her total to $46,801.
On the video, Holzhauer can be see giving Boettcher a high-five.
Goliath's version of the video has since been deleted, but a copy of the clip is still widely available online:
BREAKING: Jeopardy! champ James Holzhauer loses on Monday’s episode: pic.twitter.com/yqRqdl2zp0
— Random Intel (@TheRandomIntel) June 2, 2019
While some viewers may have been skeptical of this leaked footage, this is authentic footage of Holzhauer's streak coming to an end.
Holzhauer confirmed its authenticity on Twitter. First, he joked that "timing was everything" in response to a USA Today article predicting his victory, then he humorously added that he shouldn't have invited Drake, musician and Toronto Raptors super fan, to the Jeopardy taping (Drake's Raptors lost game 2 of the NBA Finals the night before):
Timing is everything https://t.co/nGihBKLQsq
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 3, 2019
Knew I shouldn’t have invited @Drake to the @Jeopardy taping.
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 3, 2019
Shortly after this episode started to air in markets across the country, The New York Times published an excerpt from an interview with the Jeopardy contestant: "Nobody likes to lose. But I’m very proud of how I did, and I really exceeded my own expectations for the show. So I don’t feel bad about it."
While fans of the game show may only just now be finding out about Holzhauer's fate, the Jeopardy! contestant has known for weeks. Jeopardy! episodes are taped in advance, and according to Action Network, Holzhauer filmed his final episode on 12 March 2019.
Holzhauer won 32 games of Jeopardy!, garnering a total of $2,462,216 in winnings. Ken Jennings is the only Jeopardy! contestant to rack up more winnings, earning $2,520,700 over 74 episodes.