Until a couple months ago, Ken Jennings was considered the Jeopardy! GOAT, and no fan of the show could argue otherwise. Enter James Holzhauer, the professional gambler who’s absolutely dominating the game — with the exception of a recent very close call.
Through 27 appearances on the classic game show, Holzhauer broke the $2 million mark in the episode that aired Friday, and his total is now at $2,065,535. About a month ago, he hit $1 million after his 14th game.
And he’s quickly approaching Jennings’ $2.5 million and change record.
We may never know how these two Jeopardy! stars would do if they went head-to-head against each other — although Holzhauer said he’d love a “death match” against Jennings — so the best way to currently compare the two in the GOAT conversation is by looking at their stats.
Thankfully, Jeopardy! rounded up the highlights for us.
Judging by this, Jennings was a spectacular Jeopardy! contestant. But Holzhauer is an absolute master, even if he currently has a smaller sample size. And if he continues at this rate, he will pass Jennings’ total in just six more games.
Here’s a look at how the two compare in these key Jeopardy! stat categories.
Total Winnings:
Ken Jennings: $2,520,700
James Holzhauer: $2,065,535 (as of Friday, May 24)
Response Accuracy Rate
Ken Jennings: 91 percent
James Holzhauer: 97 percent
Average Daily Winnings
Ken Jennings: $34,064
James Holzhauer: $76,501
Average Daily Double Wager
Ken Jennings: $3,810
James Holzhauer: $9,004
Runaway Games
Ken Jennings: 65 of 74, 87.84 percent
James Holzhauer: 24 of 27, 88.89 percent
Winnings Through 27 Games
Ken Jennings: $868,960
James Holzhauer: $2,065,535
