Fans may have strong opinions when it comes to Ken Jennings vs. Mayim Bialik as their preferred Jeopardy! host, but the quiz show master is involved in a different rivalry that’s been brewing for even longer. Self-described game show villain James Holzhauer has been gunning for Jennings since 2020, when the now-host defeated him and Brad Rutter to be named the official Jeopardy! GOAT. It seems Holzhauer’s tactics might be getting to Jennings, too, as producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss revealed two amusing blunders from a recent episode that seem to prove the villain lives rent-free in the host’s head.
On the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Sarah Whitcomb Foss said that due to a wild production schedule, the final episodes of Jeopardy! Masters — which aired in May — were actually taped in the same week as the syndicated episodes that ran last week, in mid-July. James Holzhauer took home the Trebek Trophy and $500,000 prize, but not before sending a pointed message to Ken Jennings to “stop ducking a rematch.” Foss relayed the Freudian slip that followed, when Jennings flubbed contestant Justin White’s name — twice! She said:
So we’re stopped down during a commercial break, and Ken accidentally called Justin ‘James.’ And [Ken] said, ‘I’m so sorry, I think I have PTSD from Masters.’ And Justin joked, ‘I am not a villain!’ And then Ken did it a second time, huge laughs from the audience, and Ken said, ‘If I say his name three times, he has to replace you. It’s like Beetlejuice.’
I mean, if you were ever going to have somebody to tap in for you on Jeopardy!, who better than James Holzhauer? I would have let Ken Jennings go ahead and complete that trifecta! It’s actually not hard to see The Chase star as Michael Keaton’s infamous mischievous ghost, and podcast co-host Buzzy Cohen even suggested that Holzhauer should declare, “It’s showtime!” when he returns for Jeopardy! Masters' second season.
It’s pretty hilarious to think that Ken Jennings would be intimidated by any other Jeopardy! winner, even if James Holzhauer is also right up there with Jennings as one of the biggest winners in Jeopardy! history. But Jennings has had no qualms in admitting that he thinks he “got some breaks” in the GOAT tournament, and because he’s sure the self-proclaimed villain wouldn’t let that happen again, there “ain’t gonna be no rematch.”
James Holzhauer may not be getting his rematch, but I imagine he’s taking some joy in knowing just how much he’s gotten in the head of the Greatest Of All Time. The professional sports gambler has made it a point at seemingly every opportunity to troll his rival, even when congratulating Amy Schneider on her historic run.
He’s also been plenty vocal about the quiz show’s infamous hosting brouhaha, joking that The Chase should “jerk around the audience” with a different host every week, as Jeopardy! did following Alex Trebek’s death. He was at it again recently, when Wheel of Fortune seemingly avoided similar drama by appointing Ryan Seacrest as Pat Sajak’s successor a full season before the longtime host retires.
If you want to see James Holzhauer in action on Jeopardy! Masters, ABC is re-airing the tournament starting Tuesday, July 25, at 9 p.m. ET. All episodes are also available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
