The reign of James Holzhauer on Jeopardy! is over.
But as we know from the game show’s long run, contestants come back for various tournaments and special events.
And that’s where this extremely obvious but very awesome idea comes in: The world needs a week of games in which Holzhauer faces Ken Jennings, the man he chased until Monday night in a battle for Jeopardy! supremacy.
Sure, the fact that Holzhauer’s run ended at 32, a whopping 42 games behind Jennings’ astounding record of consecutive wins. But we’re all curious to see how Jennings would play against Holzhauer’s big money clue hunting and huge Daily Double betting. In terms of knowledge and buzzer speed, I’m willing to bet these two are neck and neck.
Plus, it seems like they’re already friendly, and although they’d compete hard, they’d be enjoyable to watch on screen. From an ESPN.com interview:
I exchanged emails with Ken about how to handle overnight “Jeopardy!” fame. He gave a lot of useful advice, and it truly seemed like he was excited to finally have someone make a serious run at his records.
And the two tweeted at each other after Holzhauer’s loss:
So here’s the idea: Make it a week-long set of shows and a best-of-five format with a big trophy at the end and only bragging rights as the biggest prize. You don’t need a third contestant even though that changes the way the game is played.
Imagine the ratings and the excitement that Holzhauer brought. Now imagine them doubled. Make it happen, Jeopardy!
