‘Jeopardy!’ Champion James Holzhauer Hits $2 Million Winnings Milestone

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – This current “Jeopardy!” player has just won over $2 million on the popular game show. Who is James Holzhauer?

The 34 year old professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has hit a “Jeopardy!” milestone by becoming only the second person in the show’s history to win over $2 million in regular season play. Holzhauer won his 27th straight game in a row with a $74,400 haul, bringing his total winnings on the show to $2,065,535. The only other player to ever win over $2 million was Ken Jennings, who amassed $2,520,700 over a 74-game win streak back in 2004.

Holzhauer will face two new challengers on Monday, May 27.

Holzhauer’s win streak has proven to be a major boon to “Jeopardy!” As reported earlier this month, the reigning champion has pushed the show to the number one spot in the syndication ratings. By the end of April, “Jeopardy!” was averaging 12 million viewers, enough to dethrone top syndicated series “Judge Judy.”

Series host Alex Trebek also announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer . Trebek posted a video message to fans informing them of his diagnosis, vowing to fight the disease’s low survival rate.

“Truth told, I have to!” Trebek said. “Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host ‘Jeopardy!’ for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”