James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings are two of the greatest champions in Jeopardy!’s history, and in recent years they’ve formed a bit of a rivalry. This rivalry is mostly fueled by the self-proclaimed game show villain, particularly since the now-host of Jeopardy! defeated Holzhauer and Brad Rutter in the first and so-far only Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament in 2020. Despite his recent victory on Jeopardy! Masters, Holzhauer continues to hound Jennings about a rematch, and he recently spoke out about the GOAT’s refusal, while also revealing he thinks there’s another super-champ who could compete on Jennings’ level.
The idea of a rematch between Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer came up during Jeopardy! Masters, when the contestant used his Final Jeopardy response to call out the host for “ducking a rematch.” Jennings didn’t dispute the accusation, joking about how hard he worked to become a host so he wouldn’t have to face Holzhauer again.
Yet, the sports gambler from Las Vegas isn’t buying the modesty, as he told TV Insider:
It’s funny. I heard the backstage gossip that he didn’t want to be in the Greatest of All Time because he thought it would be too tough a competition for him. Obviously, it wasn’t. I think he is still at the top of his game probably. It would be fun to have a rematch against him. I don’t know if the Jeopardy! rules would allow it.
Technically, the Jeopardy! rules wouldn’t allow it. Once someone serves as a host for the game show, they are banned from participating as a contestant to rule out any unfair advantages. However, executive producer Michael Davies has conceded that if Ken Jennings wanted to compete again, he doesn’t think he would “close the door” on that possibility.
Ken Jennings, however, has made his feelings on the matter quite clear, telling the Deseret News:
Let me be very clear and on the record here: It’s because I’m terrified of playing James because I think he would win. I’m very happy to be retired from Jeopardy! because I think I got away with one in the GOAT tournament. And I think there’s a very good chance that he would just wipe the floor with me if we had to play again. So I feel very lucky to be retired — ain’t gonna be no rematch.
James Holzhauer, meanwhile, may have found another worthy opponent in Jeopardy! Masters runner-up Mattea Roach. The Chase villain heaped praise on the 24-year-old Canadian following their battles in the tournament, comparing Roach’s level of play with Ken Jennings’ and saying they could take on the GOAT:
I think Mattea Roach in the semi-finals and finals of the Masters tournament played as well as Ken ever had.
As the three finalists of Jeopardy! Masters, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio will all be invited to next year’s tournament, so we may see them go head-to-head again. Ken Jennings, however, seems happy where he is.
Check your local listings to see when to catch Jeopardy! in syndication in your area, and keep an eye on the 2023 TV schedule for upcoming primetime tournaments.
