'Jeopardy!' champ Ken Jennings: James Holzhauer is the most phenomenal thing ever seen
A former "Jeopardy!" champion, who holds the record for the longest winning streak in the game show's history, said he wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to have a face-to-face match with James Holzhauer, the phenom whose 32-game winning streak on the program came to an end one week ago.
“People have been asking me this on Twitter for the last month — they want to see the pay-per-view bout. I honestly don’t know if I can take the guy. I’m 15 years older than when I was on 'Jeopardy!' but I would love to have a shot at this guy — he’s the most phenomenal thing I’ve ever seen on 'Jeopardy!,'” said Ken Jennings to FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Monday.
Jennings holds the all-time record for consecutive games won at 74, with an earnings record of $2.52 million during season play. Holzhauer fell short of Jennings' achievement by about $58,500, but holds the record for most winnings in a single game at $131,127.
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Although Jennings, whose admiration for the game show began during childhood, had a different strategy for winning, he commended Holzhauer for his strategic gameplan.
“For the home viewer, it’s easier if the contestants play the category in order. But 'Jeopardy!' contestants are not there to please the home viewer, I’m sorry to say — we are there to make some money,” he said. “And it was very smart what he did — start at the bottom, banking a lot of cash and then being able to double up when he found the Daily Double — he could put the game away before the commercial break. I really admire the confidence of playing the game with that kind of plan and that kind of a theory.”